Doyle Strikes Partisan Net Neutrality Stance; Latta Sees 'Room for Consensus'
House Communications Subcommittee leaders diverged on approaches to net neutrality legislation, during the State of the Net conference Tuesday. Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., staked out a partisan agenda on that and other telecom policy issues. Ranking member Bob Latta, R-Ohio, emphasized the need for continued bipartisanship on the House Commerce Committee as the GOP settles into its new role as the minority party. Their comments came ahead of House hearings on net neutrality and T-Mobile's proposed purchase of Sprint, which also got attention Tuesday (see 1901290040).
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Doyle said he still intends the year's first House Communications hearing to focus on net neutrality, before its Feb. 13 joint hearing with the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee on T-Mobile/Sprint (see 1901280051). Doyle didn't provide details on the pending net neutrality hearing when later pressed by reporters. Commerce is all but set to formally schedule the panel for Feb. 7, with some high-profile supporters of the FCC's rescinded 2015 rules expected to be among Democrats' chosen witnesses (see 1901280054).
“I plan to continue my efforts to restore” the 2015 rules “and bring light to this issue” despite the failed bid last year to enact a Congressional Review Act resolution aimed at undoing FCC rescission (see 1901020046), Doyle said during the event. “We intend to continue to pursuing” net neutrality legislation, with a likely “effort in the Senate that parallels what we're doing in the House,” Doyle told reporters. The goal would be “strong enforceable rules in statute,” he said. “It's going to take time.” House Commerce Democrats have been considering possible legislation to restore the 2015 rules in statute, including classifying broadband service under Communications Act Title II (see 1901100001).
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., is said to be leading work on a Senate bill that would also seek to restore the Title II classification and broad contours of the old rules. It appears likely his bill will drop well before legislation from Doyle and other House Commerce Democrats, lobbyists said. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is trying to get unanimous Democratic caucus to support Markey's bill before release, lobbyists said. Markey's office didn't comment.
Latta believes “there's room for consensus” on net neutrality legislation. “We want ... the right legislation, the right regulations out there” to reduce uncertainty within the communications sector, Doyle said. “I intend to keep bringing ideas to the table” with an aim to reach a “bipartisan solution” in the same tradition as past efforts by now-House Commerce ranking member Greg Walden, R-Ore., and others. Latta stressed the overall importance of continued bipartisan cooperation among House Commerce members on telecom policy matters, citing the Repack Airwaves Yielding Better Access for Users of Modern Services (Ray Baum's) Act law, FCC reauthorization and spectrum statute.
Doyle is eager to begin conducting “much more vigorous oversight” of the FCC and USF programs amid his concerns about continued disparities in broadband connectivity. This Connect America Fund “will forever relegate rural Americans to the status of second-class broadband citizens,” he said. “The FCC seems intent on pushing more and more folks out of the Lifeline program” via its recent actions to revamp program elements (see 1901290029). “It seems to me that we would want to encourage people to participate in this program and make it easier to sign up,” he said. The FCC's “single-minded focus on restricting access to this program and its attacks on tribal and Native American communities fly in the face of the goals of this program.”
Doyle and Latta signaled continued interest in spectrum and 5G. Doyle touted his Advancing Innovation and Reinvigorating Widespread Access to Viable Electromagnetic Spectrum Act to identify spectrum for unlicensed use and free up mid-band spectrum for wireless industry purchase via an FCC auction (see 1802070054). Latta is “confident” House Commerce can continue to develop a bipartisan consensus on “facilitating development of 5G networks” this Congress, noting its past work here.