Another Senate Republican imposed a hold on the renomination of FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., told us this week. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., tore into Republicans Thursday for what he considers a broken deal and a private apparent suggestion from Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., that he wouldn't touch the renomination this year. Rosenworcel, a Democrat whose term expired last summer, would be unable to serve past 2016.

Another Senate Republican imposed a hold on the renomination of FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., told us this week. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., tore into Republicans Thursday for what he considers a broken deal and a private apparent suggestion from Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., that he wouldn't touch the renomination this year. Rosenworcel, a Democrat whose term expired last summer, would be unable to serve past 2016.

Multiple amendments will likely come up during a March 3 Senate Commerce Committee markup of Mobile Now (S-2555), the much-debated spectrum bill from Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., and ranking member Bill Nelson, D-Fla. Some senators are eyeing ways to restore teeth to the package, which left some wireless industry stakeholders disheartened when they saw the recent pared-down version. Negotiation reached fever pitch on whether to include an unlicensed spectrum proposal from Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.

Multiple amendments will likely come up during a March 3 Senate Commerce Committee markup of Mobile Now (S-2555), the much-debated spectrum bill from Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., and ranking member Bill Nelson, D-Fla. Some senators are eyeing ways to restore teeth to the package, which left some wireless industry stakeholders disheartened when they saw the recent pared-down version. Negotiation reached fever pitch on whether to include an unlicensed spectrum proposal from Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., introduced S-2553 Thursday, also known as Kari’s Law and intended “to require multi-line telephone systems to have a default configuration that permits users to directly initiate a call to 9-1-1 without dialing any additional digit, code, prefix, or post-fix,” its title said. The bill included several co-sponsors -- Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas; Ted Cruz, R-Texas; Deb Fischer, R-Neb.; and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii. Kari Hunt was a woman murdered in 2013 in Texas as her daughter tried unsuccessfully to call 911 from their hotel room. “Through this bill, we can save lives and ensure something like this never happens again,” Fischer said in a statement Friday. The bill is referred to the Commerce Committee. Fischer posted the bill text. House lawmakers introduced such legislation in December (see 1512030048). FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai lauded the legislation. “Anyone who dials 911 expects and deserves to reach someone who can help in a time of need,” said Pai.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Tuesday that he’s trying to convince Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to withdraw his hold on the Domain Openness Through Continued Oversight Matters Act. Cruz placed a hold on S-1551 because he believes the “important concerns” he raised during Senate Commerce’s markup of the bill about the need for Congress to hold an up-or-down vote on the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) transition haven’t been addressed (see 1507200068). Aides to Sens. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said separately that their offices hadn’t also placed holds on S-1551. Fischer and Sullivan were two of the four Senate Commerce members who voted for Cruz’s amendment that would have required a vote on the IANA transition.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Tuesday that he’s trying to convince Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to withdraw his hold on the Domain Openness Through Continued Oversight Matters Act. Cruz placed a hold on S-1551 because he believes the “important concerns” he raised during Senate Commerce’s markup of the bill about the need for Congress to hold an up-or-down vote on the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) transition haven’t been addressed (see 1507200068). Aides to Sens. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said separately that their offices hadn’t also placed holds on S-1551. Fischer and Sullivan were two of the four Senate Commerce members who voted for Cruz’s amendment that would have required a vote on the IANA transition.

Senior FCC officials kept their eyes locked on Capitol Hill in recent months as lawmakers debated net neutrality legislation, internal emails obtained from the agency through a Communications Daily Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request showed. FCC officials stayed in touch with Democratic staffers from the Senate Commerce Committee, the office of Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and NTIA. Some former FCC officials told us such close tracking and back-channel communication is a natural part of how the agency functions.

Senior FCC officials kept their eyes locked on Capitol Hill in recent months as lawmakers debated net neutrality legislation, internal emails obtained from the agency through a Communications Daily Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request showed. FCC officials stayed in touch with Democratic staffers from the Senate Commerce Committee, the office of Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and NTIA. Some former FCC officials told us such close tracking and back-channel communication is a natural part of how the agency functions.

Intense bipartisan net neutrality legislative negotiations at the top levels of the Senate Commerce Committee are failing to convince all members that a compromise is the right course. Several Democrats and Republicans back the ongoing negotiations between Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., and ranking member Bill Nelson, D-Fla. But some Democrats and Republicans told us that such a bipartisan deal may not satisfy them -- and one Commerce Committee Republican is gearing up to offer her own net neutrality legislation if necessary.