No House Telecom Markup; Senate to Name DTV Conferees
Plans for a draft House telecom bill markup are on hold until next year, lawmakers decided late Thurs. afternoon, when they couldn’t resolve differences. “We'll have a markup when we're ready to have a markup,” a panel spokesman said. David Hickey, telecom aide to Rep. Stearns (R-Fla.), said at a conference sponsored by the Practising Law Institute (PLI): “We want to get it done and we were debating a markup.”
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Conferees probably will be named next week to a conference committee on the budget reconciliation bill addressing DTV, Senate Commerce Committee Staff Dir. Lisa Sutherland said at the PLI conference. She said the committee will work on a 2nd DTV bill incorporating provisions kept out of the budget bill to avoid triggering the Byrd rule, which bars inclusion in budget bills of matters not involving funding. The House bill has provisions likely to be struck under the Byrd rule.
“We're pleased that the members of the committee are giving this important issue more time,” said CompTel Pres. Earl Comstock, who urged the House Commerce Committee to postpone markup pending clarification of matters such as interconnection and special access rights (CD Dec 7 p7). “We appreciate the decision of the chairman to allow more time for airing of ideas and debate on this,” Comstock said. He said he expects a markup in the House Telecom Subcommittee around March, with full panel action possible before the Easter recess. “Members just needed more time to sink their teeth into this and there has been a lot going on,” he said.
Some telecom groups hoped for markup sooner and this week sent letters urging progress (CD Dec 8 p8). But the delay doesn’t hurt the overall schedule, a Verizon spokesman said: “The chairman has indicated it’s a top priority to begin markups early next year. This doesn’t change the overall timing of the bill.” The Senate Commerce Committee hopes to move on its telecom update next year and likely will have a bill that will be a bit “broader,” committee staff dir. Lisa Sutherland said at PLI’s conference. The bill would address universal service fund (USF) reform, a big concern among lawmakers. And Stevens wants to streamline video franchising.
USF reform will be a challenge, since the House and Senate see it differently, Hickey said. “The two chairmen have different ideas on how it should be dealt with,” Hickey said. House Commerce Committee Chmn. “Barton wants thorough reform and Stevens has been a long-time supporter of USF,” he said. But Sen. Sununu (R-N.H.) told us Stevens is “very cognizant of the limitations” of USF and among the Senate’s more reform-minded members. He also said that while Stevens has said publicly he wants to “strengthen” the fund, he doesn’t necessarily want to expand the fund, but is looking for ways to address the abuses Barton wants to eradicate.