Democrats Take Aim at FCC
DEMOCRATS TAKE AIM AT FCC
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
At the House Telecom Subcommittee FCC oversight hearing Wednesday, Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D-MA) said he expected the FCC commissioners to be "frequent guests" of the committee, while full Commerce Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) said it might have to be once a month to keep the Commission on task. Chairman Dingell said he thought the FCC had exceeded its authority in the video franchise order by preempting local authority granted by Congress, reminding the commissioners that their agency is not an arm of the administration, and saying that the FCC had lost sight of its proper role, which he said was not good for consumers. Chairman Dingell also cited what he said was the FCC's "disturbing" tendency to vote, then not release the final order for months. "Regulating by press release is a curious way to interpret the Administrative Procedures Act. Rep Markey called for the FCC to collect better data on broadband deployment and media ownership. Saying he would not dwell on the issues of "Internet freedom" and "network neutrality," Chairman Markey still called it an "indispensable policy to the future of the Web." The hearing was the first time all five commissioners met before a House of Representatives telecommunications and Internet panel since the Janet Jackson Super Bowl brouhaha three years ago.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6424192?title=Article&spacede...
* Chairman Markey's opening remarks:
"An overarching goal for this Subcommittee during this Congress will be to develop a plan for achieving ubiquitous, affordable broadband service to every American."
"The reality is that America currently suffers from the lack of an overarching broadband plan, a low speed threshold, poor data, and threats to the openness of the Internet."
http://markey.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2701&I...
* Dingell: FCC not a 'legislative body'
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1153AP_FCC_Congress.html
* Democrats Give FCC Ultimatum
http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=11718
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* Democrats to FCC: We're watching
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-fcc15mar15,1,3730074....
* Democrats grill FCC about net neutrality, other issues
Democratic members of the House of Representatives criticized the FCC Wednesday, complaining that the agency hasn't investigated government spying on telephone and Internet conversations and hasn't taken a strong stand for network neutrality.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/03/14/HNdemocratsgrillfcc_1.html
* FCC chairman criticized by House panel
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/fcc-chairman-criticized-house-pane...
* FCC's Martin defends limit on cable companies
FCC Chairman Martin defended his proposal to limit the number of pay television subscribers a cable company can reach at 30 percent, saying telephone companies that deploy video would also be capped at that level.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=industryNews&storyID...
* Martin: Cable Ire Comes With Territory
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6424523?title=Article&spacede...
* Martin to House: I'm Not Picking on Cable Operators
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6424724.html?display=Breaking+News
* House Democrats take aim at FCC practices
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), chairman of a House oversight panel, vowed to keep a closer eye on the FCC's activities and cited concerns that the agency is letting petitions and consumer complaints languish. For example, approximately 70,000 complaints related to the Do Not Call registry and dating back as many as four years, have gone unanswered, Rep Stupak said.
http://news.com.com/House+Democrats+take+aim+at+FCC+practices/2100-1028_...
* Martin To Provide Update on Payola, Williams Investigations
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has committed to an update on the status of Armstrong Williams' pay-for-play and payola investigations within the next 30 days.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6424458?title=Article&spacede...
* Testimony Prepared for the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications
Martin: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-271486A1.pdf
Copps: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-271517A1.doc
Adelstein: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-271488A1.doc
Tate: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-271511A1.doc
McDowell: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-271487A1.pdf
FCC HAS ADDRESSED DTV PUBLIC-INTEREST OBLIGATIONS, SAYS MARTIN
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin told the House Telecommunications Subcommittee Wednesday that the Commission has already addressed a number of questions raised in a 1999 notice of inquiry on possible new DTV public-interest obligations noting an extension of analog public interest obligations to digital TV and by coming up with new DTV kids TV rules. Committee Chairman Ed Markey asked Martin to conclude the proceeding by the end of the year.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6424397?title=Article&spacede...
* More Than 4,200 Days of FCC Inaction
http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=node/4754
MCDOWELL AND ADELSTEIN WEIGH IN ON RETRANS TALK
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell said he believed a meeting he and Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein had with the heads of Mediacom and Sinclair helped the companies to their eventual deal on retransmission consent. The commissioners met privately with the executives to try to resolve the issue, and said that a deal did get hammered out on the eve of the Super Bowl. Rep Nathan Deal (R-GA), an outspoken critic of the retransmission consent process, said he did not accept that an agreement meant the process was working or that the system was fair or all parties are willing participants. Deal complained in his opening statement that the process was broken, that stand-offs like the one between Sinclair and Mediacom were just the tip of the iceberg, and the process "lacks the principles we find in a free market."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6424526?title=Article&spacede...
* Adelstein, Copps See Retrans Roles for FCC
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2007/03/14/daily.6/