Several key committees of Congress are gearing up...

at the end of 2014 and is under the jurisdiction of both Commerce and Judiciary committees. House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., has pledged a STELA draft by the end of Q1 and indicated a desire not to address retransmission consent in the reauthorization process. Witnesses and other details haven’t been announced. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., told the NAB State Leadership Conference Tuesday that retrans is an issue “almost every member of Congress has heard about” and that House Judiciary will consider during more hearings on STELA: “These hearings will help inform the committee members on the issues as we move forward.” Following the speech, Goodlatte told reporters “we have made no decision” on whether to address retrans issues in STELA but promised hearings “soon,” with decisions later. During his speech, Goodlatte said “clearly, broadcasting has changed in ways that make our existing laws seem outdated” and indicated current consumer expectations can “clash” with copyright law written before the advent of the Internet. Goodlatte pointed to the Aereo case as one issue that “could reshape” how the broadcast industry reaches consumers. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., spoke to the Leadership Conference earlier, emphasizing STELA reauthorization. “I just talked about how we needed to get it done by the end of the year,” Klobuchar, a member of both Commerce and Judiciary, told us after the speech.