House Communications, Technology and Internet Chairman Rick Boucher (D-VA), speaking to the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, pledged fight efforts by the Copyright Office and others to phase out cable's compulsory license, which would force operators to negotiate individually for programs when they retransmit broadcast signals. He said the industry would be facing a "practical impossibility" if it were asked to do that. And he asked his audience for help in getting his shield law bill through the Senate. The bill passed the House on voice vote this week, but Boucher said earlier in the week he was not predicting what would happen in the Senate. Chairman Boucher also asked for input on how to craft a bipartisan online privacy bill he is drafting that would provide opt in/opt out guidelines for online marketing.
