Stevens Aide Sutherland to Leave Senate

Lisa Sutherland said Friday that she will step down in several weeks as minority staff director of the Senate Commerce Committee, ending a direct working relationship with Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) that began with an internship in 1977.

The Advanced Telecommunications and Opportunities Reform Act of 2006 (S. 2686/HR 5252)

The Advanced Telecommunications and Opportunities Reform Act of 2006 (S. 2686/HR 5252)

On June 28, 2006, by a 15-7 vote, the Senate Commerce Committee approved the Advanced Telecommunications and Opportunities Reform Act.

It took until August 4 for the Committee to release the final text of bill as amended at the June mark-up. In a year when key Republican lawmakers are promising sweeping telecommunication reform legislation, eyes are watching this bill as Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) tries to round up 60 votes needed to move the legislation to the Senate floor. If Sen Stevens can gain passage for the bill during the Senate’s brief return in September, it would be met in conference by the House-passed Communications Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act of 2006 (H.R. 5252 – See http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=node/1882 for more on the House bill).

The Senate bill would: 1) streamline video franchising for telephone companies and others; 2) spell out broadband Internet consumer rights, but without nondiscrimination language urged by Net Neutrality advocates; 3) firm up and expand the universal service fund (USF); 4) clarify Internet telephone service (Voice Over Internet Protocol or “VoIP”) interconnection rights, duties, and jurisdiction; 5) authorize municipal broadband systems, subject to nondiscrimination safeguards; 6) impose a permanent moratorium on state and local Internet-access taxation, a three-year moratorium on state and local wireless taxation, and further preemption of state and local regulation of wireless services; and 7) institute various mandates targeting broadcasters and other media players, among numerous other measures. Below find a summary of the major provisions in the bill.

For a Microsoft Word version of this document see http://www.benton.org/benton_files/ATORA0904.doc

S. 2256 Internet and Universal Service Act of 2006 (NetUSA)

A bill to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to ensure the availability to all Americans of high-quality, advanced telecommunications and broadband services, technologies, and networks at just, reasonable, and affordable rates, and to establish a permanent mechanism to guarantee specific, sufficient, and predictable support for the preservation and advancement of universal service, and for other purposes.

S._ Digital Age Communications Act

Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) introduced the Digital Age Communications Act to update the nation’s telecom laws. Sen DeMint's bill would make dramatic changes to existing telecom law. The legislation would replace prescriptive FCC regulatory rules with a competition-oriented, quasi-antitrust agency. Rural carriers are not pleased with the DeMint bill. In addition to capping the USF at $3.65 billion -- about half its current $7 billion level, the bill would direct the FCC to devise a system of performance-based block grants to states. Sen DeMint's bill is an almost word-for-word replication of the Digital Age Communications Act, model legislation drafted by the Progress and Freedom Foundation -- a free market-oriented think tank. Sen DeMint's bill could force a general rethinking of telecom legislation.

H.R. Universal Service Reform Act of 2006

The Universal Service Reform Act of 2005 responds to developments since passage of the Telecom Act of 1996 and aims to ensure the continued availability of the Universal Service Fund to support the provision of communications services in rural and underserved areas. The measure broadens the base of contributions into the fund, controls distributions from the fund and allows use of universal service support for broadband deployment. It also makes a number of other changes to improve fund administration.