House Commerce Committee Passes Telecommunications Bills

The House Commerce Committee passed 12 bipartisan bills on November 17, 2021. The Committee passed the following telecommunications bills:

• The “Data Mapping to Save Moms’ Lives Act” (H.R.1218), introduced by Reps Butterfield (D-NC), Bilirakis (R-FL), and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE). The legislation would require the Federal Communications Commission to incorporate maternal health data into its broadband health maps, in an attempt to reduce maternal mortality. The bill would direct the FCC to coordinate with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• The “Spectrum Coordination Act” (H.R.2501), introduced by Rep Bilirakis. The bill calls an update to the January 2003 memorandum of understanding on spectrum coordination between the FCC and National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The demand for increased interagency cooperation comes as lawmakers from both parties argue that Biden’s executive branch may not be properly coordinating with the FCC.
• The “Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers Act” (H.R.5502), introduced by Reps Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Bilirakis (R-FL). The INFORM Consumers Act would crackdown on counterfeit goods being sold on online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay. Lawmakers from both chambers are moving quickly to push through the legislation, which would require the platforms to verify the identity of high-volume third-party sellers. Online marketplaces had lobbied against the first version of the bill, but now say they support it, after they won concessions such as language barring states from pursuing similar legislation. Amazon, which supports the bill, has said it would still like to see some changes but didn’t elaborate on what those might be.