Industry endorsed digital goods tax legislation introduced late Wednesday by House Communications Chairman Rick Boucher, D-Va. The bill (HR-5649) would set up “a uniform national framework for the taxation of digital goods and services,” Boucher said on the House floor late Wednesday. The bipartisan bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, would cover digital music, movies and games, as well as the electronic delivery of professional, educational and health care services.
Adam Bender
Adam Bender, Deputy Managing Editor for Privacy Daily. Bender leads a team of journalists and reports on state privacy legislation, rulemaking and litigation. In previous roles at Communications Daily, he covered telecom and internet policy in the states, Congress and at the FCC. He has won awards for his reporting from the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), Specialized Information Publishers Association (SIPA) and the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing (SABEW). Bender studied print journalism at American University and is the author of multiple dystopian sci-fi novels. Keep up to date with Bender by reading his blog and following him on social media including Bluesky, Mastodon and LinkedIn.
A former FCC political appointee who got a career job at NASA in 2008 was listed in a GAO report released Tuesday which was critical of the practice known as “burrowing.” Unlike political appointments, career jobs don’t end at the end of an administration. “Burrowing,” or moving to a career job from a political post, isn’t necessarily wrong, but “Federal agencies must use appropriate authorities and follow proper procedures in making these conversions,” GAO said. The NASA/FCC listing wasn’t among cases marked by GAO in the report as possibly inappropriate. The appointee, although not named by GAO, was identified as a “deputy chief of the FCC Enforcement Bureau” who joined NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston sometime between May 1, 2005 and April 30, 2009, GAO said. The individual made $158,800 at the FCC and $158,500 at NASA, GAO said. Those details match those of the Johnson Center’s current director of external relations, Ellen Conners, who joined in 2008 after leaving a post as deputy Enforcement Bureau chief. Conners previously served two years as chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board under former President George W. Bush. A GAO spokesman declined to name the person, and Conners didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The House Communications Subcommittee approved Internet accessibility legislation in a voice vote Wednesday afternoon, with a manager’s amendment by Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher, D-Va. Boucher said he hoped to offer another manager’s amendment later to address “remaining points of difference,” including those related to video description rules. Meanwhile, disabilities rights advocates were upset after learning the amendment cut out a provision that would subsidize broadband services and equipment for people with disabilities.
Internet accessibility bills are moving forward in the House and Senate. The House Communications Subcommittee plans to vote Wednesday on a bipartisan bill (HR-3101) by Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., the Commerce Committee said Tuesday. Meanwhile, Senate Communications Committee Chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., expects to mark up his version of the bill (S-3304) “at the full committee level when we return from recess,” a Kerry spokeswoman said. In a briefing memo Tuesday, the House panel said, “An amendment in the nature of a substitute will be offered at Subcommittee markup to make changes to the bill based on ongoing discussions among staff and stakeholders about this legislation.” The amendment includes a few minor tweaks made after a hearing earlier this month (CD June 11 p1), industry officials said. The Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) is “still reviewing the briefing memo to see what this has in it” but it “seems to include a lot of what we asked for,” said Jenifer Simpson, a senior director for the American Association of People with Disabilities. The House subcommittee markup will take place at 2 p.m. in Room 2123 of the Rayburn Building.
Bills on spectrum reallocation are coming soon from Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., they said after President Barack Obama committed to freeing up 500 MHz of spectrum over 10 years for wireless broadband. In a presidential memo Monday, Obama outlined a process to identify federal and commercial spectrum for reallocation, and use auction proceeds to support public safety. The effort will comprise administrative and legislative actions, and the White House plans to work with members of Congress, a senior administration official who refused to be named in stories told reporters on a conference call.
Tech and Internet companies breathed a sigh of relief after learning that financial industry revamp legislation agreed upon Friday by the House and Senate did away with provisions they didn’t like (CD May 24 p2). Several groups said they were especially glad the FTC’s authority would not be expanded. The bill now goes back to the House and Senate for final floor votes.
The FCC and other federal agencies will be among the few missing at Friday’s planned closed Hill meeting to discuss an update of the Telecom Act, a Senate aide told us Thursday. Representatives from ISPs, edge companies and public interest groups are among the 32 that so far have confirmed attendance, the aide said. The groups plan to meet behind closed doors at 11 a.m. in Room 2322 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
The FCC plans to complete a USF overhaul next year, said Commissioner Meredith Baker at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing Thursday. Baker and her two FCC colleagues on the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service -- Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Michael Copps -- agreed USF was broken. But they disagreed whether they could revamp USF without first reclassifying broadband transport under Title II of the Communications Act.
The House passed calling card legislation in a 381-41 recorded vote late Wednesday. The bill, HR-3993, was approved under suspension of the rules, which prevented amendments and meant that a two-thirds majority was required for passage. Democrats and Republicans voted for the bill, but only Republicans objected. The bill would require disclosure of provider information, the card’s number of minutes or dollar value, per-minute rates, fees and charges, time period limits and expiration dates, and refund and recharge policies. It would also require the FTC to prosecute violations. “Just like the nutrition information on a box of cereal, consumers should be able to quickly and easily compare two [calling cards] side by side,” said the bill’s sponsor Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., on the House floor Wednesday. The legislation would herald the “end of hidden fees in the prepaid calling card market,” said Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif. Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., applauded close bipartisan work and said the bill would help consumers “without hampering unduly the industry.” The legislation now moves to the Senate, which has a similar bill (S-563) by Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.
How universal service fits into Congress’ planned rewrite of the Telecom Act is expected to come up at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing Thursday on the Universal Service Fund, industry lobbyists said Monday. The Senate hearing opens a new avenue of Hill dialog on USF, an issue that lately has been mainly the domain of the House. House and Senate Commerce Committee staff meetings on the telecom law revamp start Friday (CD June 21 p8).