The House and Senate Commerce committees approved broadband bills aimed at helping facilitate services in rural and underserved areas. Bills reauthorizing the FTC’s do-not- call registry also were approved in both committees Tuesday. Separately, Senate Commerce approved a bill (S-1853) that would enable state and local governments set up their own wireless networks, and another (S-1675) setting standards for low-power radio. House Commerce passed bills ensuring that all voice providers could supply 911 services (HR-3403), and requiring the FTC to set up an Internet safety education program (HR-3461).

Telecom is upset that markup of a broadband data bill is moving forward without a hearing, industry associations said in a letter to Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii. A major concern is S-1853’s promoting municipal broadband, which would “chill private investment in existing and future broadband networks,” said the letter to Inouye from USTelecom, OPASTCO, the Independent Telephone Telecommunication Alliance and the Western Telecommunications Alliance. Federal promotion of municipal broadband encourages “cherry picking the easier-to-serve areas within town limits,” the letter said, adding that 14 states have “already come to the conclusion that regulating municipal entry enhances broadband deployment.” The bill should be changed to limit its effect to places without broadband service and to prevent municipal broadband networks from getting multiple subsidies and “thus able to offer cut-rate prices that cannot be matched by private firms,” the letter suggested. The committee plans to take up the bill Tuesday.

A late night Senate deal to extend the Internet tax moratorium for seven years faces an uncertain fate in the House, but the bill (HR-3678) is still likely to be considered next week either in the Judiciary Committee or on the House floor. House leaders hadn’t decided by our deadline how many years to extend the moratorium, a Democratic aide said Friday. Many Senate and industry sources said they expected the seven-year deal, which includes some changes to tax provisions requested by Democrats, to pass in the House despite reservations by some House members.

Seeking Universal Service Fund reform they can live with, telecom companies have been meeting in small groups for months trying to agree on proposals for the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service. As the joint board’s self- imposed Nov. 1 deadline nears, meeting participants have become more closed-mouthed about progress.

Rural broadband deployment would get a boost under the farm bill approved Thursday in the Senate Agriculture Committee. The omnibus measure kept intact provisions dealing with loans to rural broadband providers, along with new definitions billed as ensuring that help is targeted to truly rural parts of the country. The bill also would set up a national clearinghouse to track how many broadband providers serve a particular area. The underlying bill would extend for five years rules governing federal agriculture spending.

Commissioners remain undecided on how to vote on an order set for consideration at the Oct. 31 FCC meeting that would ban exclusive video contracts between pay-TV companies and owners of multiple dwelling units, said agency and industry sources. No commissioners have reached final opinions on the order other than Chairman Kevin Martin, who circulated it in late August, said an FCC source. Eighth- floor negotiations over the item may go down to the wire, said an agency source and an industry source. In contrast, they said, commissioners seem largely set in their positions on another order set for a vote next week that would guarantee cable operators the same video franchise deregulation Bells got in March, but only when cable contracts expire.

Draft legislation authorizing the five-year farm bill would provide broadband grants for rural areas, according to draft Senate legislation to be discussed publicly Wednesday. The omnibus bill was still in the final stages of drafting Tuesday and a hearing on its provisions was postponed by Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Thomas Harkin, D-Iowa, because of conflicts with a separate appropriations measure. The committee released its discussion draft of the bill late Tuesday afternoon.

Several FCC commissioners are undecided whether the FCC would overreach by throwing out current contracts for video companies to sell TV to apartment buildings, agency and industry sources said. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin circulated in August an order that would ban existing and future deals between cable operators and housing developments, apartments and other multi-unit dwellings (CD Sept 4 p2).

The House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday for a bill (HR- 3678) to extend the Internet tax moratorium four years. The bill heads to the Senate. Industry lauded the 405-2 vote, which came despite a Republican-led effort to force a vote on a permanent ban. House leaders foiled demands for a permanent vote by placing the bill under suspension of the rules. That bars amendments, limits debate and requires a two-thirds vote for passage. Had the bill not passed, it would have gone to the Rules Committee and then back to the House floor. The Senate doesn’t have that option.

News Corp.’s Gary Ginsberg adds responsibility of head of global marketing, joins office of the chairman… Mike Greco, ex-MTV, becomes Lifetime Network executive vice president, research… David Krone, ex-NCTA, moves to Comcast as senior vice president, corporate affairs… Univision parent NBC Universal promotes Steve Mandala to new position of executive vice president, cable ad sales… USTelecom names Patrick Brogan, ex-Deloitte & Touche, vice president, industry analysis… Fuse promotes Andy Meyer to vice president, development and original series… Verizon promotes Emilio Gonzalez to vice president, strategic alliances… New members of E9-1-1 Institute board: Mary Boyd, Intrado; Janice Partyka, Technocom; Michael Amarosa, TruePosition; David Aylward, ComCare; Art Prest, Illinois Valley Cellular… Tom Wheeler, ex-CTIA, joins advisory board of mobile e-mail firm Visto.