New Congress: Telecom Not Likely To Be High Priority

Telecom isn’t likely to be the hotbed of activity under the Democrat-controlled Congress that it has been for the Republicans — although what committee chairs actually do when they move into place may not match the predictions. Former FCC chair Blair Levin raises a point Dems are already hearing a lot with a variety of subjects rotating through: “This election was not about about telecom,” he told Ted Hearn, who has a good overview in Multichannel News. Several variables are at work: presidential vetoes, chairman passions (telecom was big on the agenda of outgoing Commerce chair Ted Stevens and no one’s sure what likely incoming Dem Daniel Inouye), House and Senate differences in legislative goals.
In the House, where a telecom bill was passed in June, the switch is likely to return John Dingell and Ed Markey to the posts they held in 2004. Dingell will replace Joe Burton as chairman of Energy and Commerce with Markey chairing the Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee although the latter could opt to chair the House Resources Committee instead. If Markey switches, the subcommittee chair probably would be Rick Boucher, who has said he thinks franchise reform might not come up as a topic because Verizon and AT&T are doing well in the states. I wouldn’t discount the telco’s interest in a one- fell-swoop national solution, though.

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