Tech bills head toward markups

A House committee will consider a bill the week of Feb 22 that makes permanent small-business exemptions to some of the aspects of 2015’s landmark network neutrality rules. The full House Energy and Commerce Committee will vote Feb 24 on the bill, which passed out of its Subcommittee on Communications and Technology earlier in Feb. The bill permanently exempts small businesses from stricter transparency rules applied to Internet service providers under the network neutrality rules the Federal Communications Commission approved in 2015. The bill defines a small business as a provider that has 1,500 or fewer employees or one that has no more than 500,000 subscribers. The exemptions are currently temporary.

Some have raised concerns that the definition is too broad. “For example, one rural advocacy group representing small telecommunications providers has, on average, 4,000 access lines and 34 employees per member company,” said Ranking Member Anna Eshoo (D-CA). Next week is also expected to see lawmakers consider a bill with implications for tech and telecommunications. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R-SD) said that he hopes the panel will vote on his MOBILE NOW Act — which implements reforms to spectrum policy — in March.