CE industry generally should be pleased with Republican takeover ...
CE industry generally should be pleased with Republican takeover of Senate in 108th Congress, CEA Pres. Gary Shapiro told reporters Wed. Among reasons, he said, was that CEA had high regard for Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.), who will resume his…
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chairmanship of Commerce Committee. McCain not only has close working relationship with FCC Chmn. Powell and is strong free-market advocate, but also is “very knowledgeable, very independent,” Shapiro said. He said CEA believed next Congress was likely to consider some sort of legislation on HDTV, and “you can expect more pressure coming from the Senate on broadcasters to perform,” given that McCain has believed strongly that they should have been forced to pay for HDTV spectrum. By comparison, Shapiro said Sen. Hollings (D-S.C.), who will be demoted again to ranking Democrat under McCain, was “not a free trader” during his stint as Commerce chmn., and “we were always very nervous about him because his focus on telecommunications issues was not what we had hoped it would be.” Shapiro made no mention of Hollings’ record on DRM, including his sponsorship this year of S-2048, bill that alarmed many in CE and IT communities because it would have ordered FCC to impose DRM technology mandates if privately negotiated solution wasn’t found. As for DRM legislation in next Congress, Shapiro said it was unclear whether election results would have much impact on that debate because copyright “wasn’t to a large extent a partisan issue.” At same time, he said, “so much money” flowed to Democrats from content community that Senate swing toward Republicans might favor CE and IT industries. However, Shapiro conceded he wasn’t sure “how that might play out” next year.