Next Up for House Democrats

As the House Commerce Commerce settles in after the latest recess, Telecommunication Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle (D-PA) has been talking up Democrats’ near-term tech and telecom policy plans. He and Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chair Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) both reaffirmed their plans to soon bring in Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission commissioners before their respective subpanels for separate hearings (the telecom panel was eyeing May 15 for an FCC oversight hearing).

What else? Robocalls. Chairman Doyle said “there’s strong bipartisan support for getting a bill out of the committee and onto the floor” and expects a markup “sometime in the near future.” A Doyle aide pushed back on taking up Senate robocall-fighting legislation known as the TRACED Act (S. 151), saying House Democrats’ plan “does all the things the TRACED Act does, plus a lot more.” Chairman Doyle is also still planning to reintroduce his AIRWAVES Act, which would free up more spectrum for building 5G wireless networks. “I definitely want to move that bill,” he said. He is still seeking a Republican partner, he added (previous GOP ally Leonard Lance (NJ) lost his 2018 re-election bid).