WHAT THE ELECTION MEANS FOR COMMUNICATIONS POLICY

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>
Date: November 4, 2004 11:37:15 AM EST
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <dewayne-net () warpspeed com>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] WHAT THE ELECTION MEANS FOR COMMUNICATIONS POLICY
Reply-To: dewayne () warpspeed com

WHAT THE ELECTION MEANS FOR COMMUNICATIONS POLICY

The election means a lot of things to a lot of people, but under this  
umbrella, we'll cover the impact on communications policy. CommDaily  
reports that Republicans in Congress  will have even greater control  
and are likely to continue to push for free trade and a more  
deregulatory approach to telecom. Proponents of stronger media  
ownership rules will likely have a harder time getting Congress to roll  
back more lenient FCC rules as President Bush has shown support for the  
FCC’s ownership changes.
Republicans and are expected to begin a rewrite -- or, at least,  
reexamination -- of US telecommunication law. Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) is  
expected to retain his chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce  
Committee. Rep Barton has called for ending the digital-TV transition  
Dec. 31, 2006, which clashes with a FCC plan that would end it Dec. 31,  
2008. He also says a revamp of the Telecommunications Act is needed to  
take into account the convergence of voice, video and data over the  
Internet and to accommodate strains on the subsidy program to keep  
local phone service affordable in rural America. In the Senate, Ted  
Stevens (R-Alaska) is expected to take command of the Commerce  
Committee from Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who won re-election Tuesday  
night, but must yield the gavel due to GOP Senate rules that impose  
term limits on committee chairmen. Months ago, Sen Stevens said writing  
a new telecommunications law was a priority. Affordable rural phone  
rates have been a Stevens cause for decades. He is troubled that if  
voice traffic migrates to the Internet and private Internet-protocol  
networks and providers do not have to contribute to the phone-subsidy  
program, local phone rates will rise in his state.
The win for President Bush (and loss for Sen Thomas Daschle (D-SD))  
means FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein will lose his seat when  
Congress adjourns. There's no telling how long it will take the  
President to nominate a replacement leaving FCC Republicans with a 3-1  
majority. The term of Kathleen Abernathy, a Republican, has also  
expired, but she can remain at the FCC until Congress adjourns next  
year unless Bush nominates someone to replace her before then. It is  
unclear whether FCC Chairman will remain on the Commission for  
President Bush's second term.

[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA477638.html?display=Breaking+News
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA477776.html?display=Breaking+News

Little New Expected in Congressional Agenda After Republican Victory
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Terry Lane]
(Not available online)

Bigger, Faster, and Less Regulated
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Stephen Labaton]
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/04/business/04bizreact.html?pagewanted=4

Media ownership rules may loosen even more
[SOURCE: USAToday]
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20041104/ 
3b_regulatory04.art.htm
TVWeek
http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=6654

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