Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, recently grilled all five FCC commissioners about net neutrality, the Commerce Committee on which he sits disclosed last week. Cruz, an ardent net neutrality critic who at times incorporated that criticism into his campaign for president, submitted questions for the record to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and the other four commissioners about the topic following the committee's March 2 FCC oversight hearing (see 1603020051).

Liberman Broadcasting's program carriage complaint alleging Comcast discriminated against the broadcaster's Estrella TV Spanish-language network in favor of its own Telemundo and NBC Universo properties faces an uphill battle, cable law experts said in interviews. They said Liberman's sister complaint about Comcast's use of alternative distribution method (ADM) terms in negotiations could find better reception with the FCC. Liberman's 137-page complaint filed Friday in docket 12-1 asked the agency to find Comcast in violation of Section 616 of the Cable Act and of conditions on its takeover of NBCUniversal. It said Comcast must carry Estella "on terms comparable to the terms on which Comcast distributes and compensates Telemundo."

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, recently grilled all five FCC commissioners about net neutrality, the Commerce Committee on which he sits disclosed last week. Cruz, an ardent net neutrality critic who at times incorporated that criticism into his campaign for president, submitted questions for the record to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and the other four commissioners about the topic following the committee's March 2 FCC oversight hearing (see 1603020051).

A key Senate Republican appropriator slammed FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler Tuesday for sidestepping congressional intent and privately going against his word. Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., focused on both the issue of prohibiting broadband rate regulation and on allowing the grandfathering of broadcaster joint sales agreements, the subject of two appropriations policy riders last year and both issues that Boozman suggested he may revisit in riders this year. The FCC has now supplied Congress with draft legislative language addressing rate regulation, a spokeswoman confirmed.

A key Senate Republican appropriator slammed FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler Tuesday for sidestepping congressional intent and privately going against his word. Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., focused on both the issue of prohibiting broadband rate regulation and on allowing the grandfathering of broadcaster joint sales agreements, the subject of two appropriations policy riders last year and both issues that Boozman suggested he may revisit in riders this year. The FCC has now supplied Congress with draft legislative language addressing rate regulation, a spokeswoman confirmed.

A last-minute campaign by Fight for the Future raised the public profile of the Copyright Office’s study of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s Section 512 ahead of Friday night's deadline for public feedback on the study. CO reported Monday that it collected more than 91,000 comments. Fight for the Future claimed credit Monday for generating more than 86,000 of the Section 512 comments via users who used its TakeDownAbuse.org website, which the digital rights group said had affected the performance of the federal government’s Regulations.gov website. Fight for the Future is planning to send the CO an additional 11,000 Section 512 comments collected after the filing deadline via a petition. The CO didn’t comment Monday.

Offices of House Commerce Committee lawmakers showcase a partisan divide over whether to cap the budget of the Lifeline program ahead of the committee’s plans to take up legislation to do just that. GOP staff said Thursday that the Controlling the Unchecked and Reckless Ballooning of Lifeline Act (HR-4884) from Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., is on deck for Commerce Committee action in April, with a Communications Subcommittee hearing under preparation (see 1603310060). A GOP committee aide confirmed Monday that House Commerce plans to move the bill through regular order. Democrats are seen as unlikely to back the effort.

A last-minute campaign by Fight for the Future raised the public profile of the Copyright Office’s study of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s Section 512 ahead of Friday night's deadline for public feedback on the study. CO reported Monday that it collected more than 91,000 comments. Fight for the Future claimed credit Monday for generating more than 86,000 of the Section 512 comments via users who used its TakeDownAbuse.org website, which the digital rights group said had affected the performance of the federal government’s Regulations.gov website. Fight for the Future is planning to send the CO an additional 11,000 Section 512 comments collected after the filing deadline via a petition. The CO didn’t comment Monday.

Offices of House Commerce Committee lawmakers showcase a partisan divide over whether to cap the budget of the Lifeline program ahead of the committee’s plans to take up legislation to do just that. GOP staff said Thursday that the Controlling the Unchecked and Reckless Ballooning of Lifeline Act (HR-4884) from Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., is on deck for Commerce Committee action in April, with a Communications Subcommittee hearing under preparation (see 1603310060). A GOP committee aide confirmed Monday that House Commerce plans to move the bill through regular order. Democrats are seen as unlikely to back the effort.

States may sue the FCC over the commission’s Lifeline order, pending a review of the text of the final order, NARUC President Travis Kavulla said in an interview on Friday. At its Thursday meeting, the FCC approved by a 3-2 vote an order that would extend USF low-income subsidies to broadband (see 1603310056). While states support a broadband expansion, they have disagreed with the FCC’s decision to shift potential responsibility for verifying Lifeline broadband provider eligibility from the states to a national third party, sharply condemning the proposal in a March 17 letter ultimately signed by 96 state commissioners (see 1603180052). Before the FCC vote, the National Governors Association and NASUCA voiced concerns about where the order leaves states. Capitol Hill Democrats were revealed to be heavily involved in lobbying the agency hours before the vote. After the vote, rural telco/RLEC groups NTCA and WTA also voiced concerns about the Lifeline order.