Rockefeller Open to Spectrum Compromise with House
Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., will seek middle ground with the House on spectrum legislation, including reducing his proposal for funding a national public safety network, Rockefeller told reporters Tuesday after Democrats’ weekly policy lunch. The House-proposed figure of $6.5 billion comes “close” to what’s needed for the network, but $7 billion or $7.5 billion would be “a whole lot better,” the Senate Commerce Committee chairman said. The extra money could make the difference on whether the network gets built, Rockefeller said.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
There’s going to be some “real interaction” between the House and Senate to work out differences on spectrum, Rockefeller said. The Commerce committees of each chamber are “working to get together,” but a date hasn’t been set, he said. While Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said last week that spectrum is not on his to-do list for December, Rockefeller said he still thinks a vote is possible this year. The House Commerce Committee, meanwhile, has paused action on spectrum (CD Dec 6 p6) while House GOP leaders consider using spectrum as a pay-for in a spending package including a payroll tax cut extension. House GOP leaders reportedly said late Tuesday that the House won’t vote on the package until next week.
In S-911, Rockefeller had proposed $11 billion for the public safety network. So did House Commerce Committee Democrats in their draft bill unveiled last week. Ranking Member Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Communications Subcommittee Ranking Member Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., didn’t comment on whether they'd reduce their proposal. The National Broadband Plan estimated $6.5 billion was needed for initial buildout of the network, but operating and network improvement costs could bring the total up to $12 billion to $16 billion over 10 years.
The net neutrality amendment by Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., that was accepted in last week’s House Communications Subcommittee markup is unlikely to survive the Senate, Rockefeller told reporters. A majority of senators supported the FCC’s net neutrality order in a recent vote. Blackburn’s amendment would restrict the FCC from restraining licensees’ ability to manage traffic. “But again, those are all things that can be worked on,” Rockefeller said.
On the FCC nominations, Rockefeller said he’s optimistic about resolving the hold threatened by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. Grassley has no objections to the nominees, but seeks communications among the FCC, White House and LightSquared investor Harbinger. “It’s just going to work out,” Rockefeller said, declining to elaborate. The Commerce Committee scheduled a markup on the nominations bill for Thursday after the first roll-call vote. It likely will take place off the floor in the President’s Room (CD Dec 6 p6).
Cybersecurity legislation will likely wait until next year, Rockefeller said. “I'm afraid [it will wait,] simply because of time,” he said. That’s not a bad thing, he said. “I'd rather have cybersecurity done calmly” and “systematically,” he said.