House Commerce Committee

How Congress' Spectrum Bills Hurt the Tech Community

Stevie Converse — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 10:22:06 -0400

Full article: GigaOM
Stacey Higginbotham
This week both Republicans and Democrats proposed drafts of mobile spectrum bills that would incent television broadcasters to give up some of their spectrum to be used for mobile broadband. The Republican version of the spectrum bill poses a threat to unlicensed wireless, which is where technologies such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth operate. Your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technologies are safe, but the future of the proposed White Spaces broadband also known as Super Wi-Fi, and new unlicensed spectrum is in doubt under the draft bill.

Democrats Have Concerns With House GOP Spectrum Draft

Stevie Converse — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 09:09:46 -0400

Full article: National Journal
Juliana Gruenwald
Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., and other Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee have some concerns with the draft spectrum bill released by the panel's top Republicans. The draft measure "is a starting point but includes provisions that Eshoo and other Democrats will likely be unable to support."

Why the Proposed 'Unlicensed Auction' Is Such a Phenomonally Bad Idea -- The Economics

Stevie Converse — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 08:59:24 -0400

Full article: Public Knowledge
Harold Feld
To call the discussion draft on spectrum reform circulated by House Commerce Commitee Republicans 'flawed' understates the matter almost to the point of absurdity. We have reached the point where we will explicitly auction off to "industry" the right to do their own rulemaking. And to make matters worse, the proposal is fundamentally flawed from an economic standpoint.

Congress Goes After Unlicensed Wireless 'Free Riders' (Like Google and Microsoft)

Stevie Converse — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 08:42:28 -0400

Full article: Ars Technica
Matthew Lasar
The House Energy and Commerce Committee is holding a hearing on spectrum and public safety communications issues. In advance of the event, key Republican lawmakers have circulated a discussion draft of new spectrum auction and public safety band rules. Included is language that further shrinks the FCC's authority over unlicensed spectrum allocation or management and hand it to the industry itself.

House Committee Approves Broadband Stimulus Clarification Bill

Stevie Converse — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 09:27:18 -0400

Full article: Multichannel News
John Eggerton
The House Energy & Commerce Committee majority continued to send the message to broadband stimulus administrators: You shall return. The committee approved a bill to clarify that unused broadband stimulus money would go back to the Treasury. Some Democrats called the bill unnecessary, saying that it was already understood that the money would go back to the treasury.

House Goes Nuts over Net Neutrality

Stevie Converse — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:45:30 -0500

Full article: Huffington Post
Timothy Karr
Republican members of a key House Commerce subcommittee decided to give phone and cable companies absolute, unrestricted power over the Internet. By a party-line vote of 15 to 8 they passed a "resolution of disapproval" that would strip the FCC of its ability to protect Internet users -- freeing up companies like Verizon and Comcast to block our right to speak freely and share information on the Internet.

Energy & Commerce Committee to Examine NPR Editorial Standards

Stevie Converse — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 11:30:53 -0500

Full article: Broadcasting & Cable
John Eggerton
The House Energy & Commerce Committee plans to "examine certain editorial and employment standards and practices at NPR," as part of its communications oversight, according to a committee oversight plan. It cites "recent controversies involving NPR."

The Internet Strikes Back to Save Net Neutrality

Stevie Converse — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:48:31 -0500

Full article: Public Knowledge
Michael Weinberg
This week, Congress is going to begin to decide if it wants to support the idea of Net Neutrality. On Thursday the Internet will strike back and tell Congress to support Net Neutrality and to vote against that bill. And who is the Internet that will strike back? You.

Fixed Broadband Provider Criticizes Net Neutrality Regs

Stevie Converse — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 08:14:39 -0500

Full article: Broadcasting & Cable
John Eggerton
A panelist at the House Commerce Committee hearing on the FCC's new Net Neutrality rules will argue that ISPs have "never" censored third-party content, that even the FCC's threat of adopting rules "drove away investors," and that the final rules are vague and invite expense "legal wrangling" that no small business like his can afford.

Commerce Committee Criticism of Net Neutrality Regs: There Is No Crisis

Stevie Converse — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 07:04:20 -0500

Full article: Broadcasting & Cable
John Eggerton
In case you were wondering if the new Energy and Commerce Committee majority would give Net Neutrality a fair hearing, a memo briefing the committee members on the upcoming hearing with all five FCC Commissioners begins this way: "There is no crisis warranting government intervention." The memo also describes the FCC's ruling on Net Neutrality as a "power grab" that would allow the agency to regulate "on barely more than a whim."