C-SPAN will carry next week's Senate hearings for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson live.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled the hearings over four days — March 21-24 — beginning at 11 a.m. on Monday (March 21).

In addition to carriage on C-SPAN, the hearings will be on C-SPAN Radio, C-SPAN.org and the C-SPAN Now app.

C-SPAN has long pushed for being able to cover the Supreme Court proceedings as well as the nomination proceedings and Jackson will likely be asked by at least one senator about her view of cameras in the High Court.

Gabe Roth of Fix the Court, which like C-SPAN has been pushing for cameras in the high court, is not expecting any news to come out of that perennial question. "[L]ike everything else during these carefully choreographed hearings nowadays, nominees typically give a boring, noncommittal answer in response, Roth told Scotusblog.

“Case in point: Then-Judge Amy Coney Barrett told the committee in 2020, ‘I would certainly keep an open mind about allowing cameras in the Supreme Court,’ echoing similar sentiments from then-Judges John Roberts, Sonia Sotomayor, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh in years prior,” he said. “I expect Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to give a similar answer when asked later this month. Then-Solicitor General Elena Kagan’s enthusiastic endorsement was and remains an aberration, though it seems that Kagan changed her position after confirmation.”

Roth called the trend “maddening.”

C-SPAN is a suite of public affairs networks and sites funded by the cable industry. ■

Acting Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has pledged to re-examine the marketplace for video programming and take “appropriate action.”

She made that promise during her nomination hearing in the Senate Commerce Committee Wednesday (Nov. 17).

During her questioning, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said that from her work at the Judiciary Committee (she chairs the antitrust subcommittee), she had heard concerns from independent programming networks “regarding the negotiating tactics of some of the video distributors.” Independents have long complained that they lack the leverage to get crucial carriage on large distributors.

The senator asked if Rosenworcel would work with Klobuchar and her colleagues “to re-examine these practices and take appropriate action to protect the public interest.”

Rosenworcel said that if confirmed, she would do so.

Rosneworcel has long been concerned about program-access issues. Back in 2015, when the FCC sought input on that issue, she said: “Time and again we hear that independent programmers face a daunting challenge securing ‘real estate’ on cable and satellite systems. These systems still dominate our video experiences — and securing carriage can be a prerequisite to build the viewership that supports investment in more diverse content.”

If she is confirmed, designated chairman and gets the necessary Democratic majority, Rosenworcel will have both the tools and the impetus to follow through on that re-examination. ■

FCC chair Ajit Pai Monday (Oct. 2) got Senate confirmation to a new, five-year, term on the commission, retroactive to the June 2016 expiration of his previous term.

Related: FCC's Pai Gets Industry Welcome For Return Engagement

The vote was a relatively close and politically divided one at 52 to 41, and came after numerous Democrats took to the floor -- they were the majority of speakers on the nomination -- to criticize Pai and his policies and say they would be voting against the nomination. 

For Dems, it appeared to be a referendum on net neutrality and the Sinclair-Tribune merger proposal and Republican deregulatory policies in general.

The debate was somewhat curtailed by events, with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), for example, a big critic of Pai, using his time to speak about other things, including the horrific Las Vegas shooting, and instead entering his input on Pai in the record.

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) stood up for the Republican chairman, citing transparency efforts and saying he was pleased that Pai had hit the re-set button on net neutrality rules (while putting in a plug for legislation solutions to the FCC's net neutrality regulatory authority). Thune said he could think of no one better to lead he FCC.

But several Democratic senators laid into the chairman, including Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Sen Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), with Udall arguably spending the most floor time hammering the nomination.

ISPs also got some grief from Dems, who said the companies were trying to protect fast and slow lanes on the 'net and wanting to control the 'net for their own economic gain.

But at the end of the day, Pai will continue atop the agency and further a deregulatory agenda.

Also using the platform to clobber Pai was Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), one of the biggest backers of the Title II-based net neutrality rules that Pai has proposed to roll back (Title II classification) and reconsider (the rules against blocking, throttling and paid prioritization).

After a lengthy statement calling for banning automatic weapons like those used in Las Vegas and requiring background checks, Markey lit into Pai. He says Pai has stood up for big corporations and redefined FCC as "Forgetting Consumers and Competition." Essentially he reprised the criticisms he leveled from the floor last week.

But result of Pai's vote was never really in doubt, and fans were celebrating Monday.

“I am exceptionally pleased that Chairman Pai has been approved for a new Commission term by the U.S. Senate," said fellow Republican Commissioner Michael O'Rielly. "To date, his leadership as Chairman has brought greater openness and thoughtfulness to our proceedings. In the months and years ahead, I look forward to continuing our work to advance a pro-growth, less regulatory communications environment that best serves the consumer.”

“We offer hearty congratulations to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai for being reconfirmed for another term at the FCC," said Parents Television Council President Tim Winter. "Chairman Pai is himself a parent, and he understands first-hand the need to protect children from explicit, harmful and age-inappropriate content. It has been an honor and a pleasure to work with him and his staff in recent years; and we look forward to continuing our constructive working relationship with him and the entire FCC under his leadership in the years ahead, especially to ensure that the broadcast indecency law is enforced and that the TV Content Ratings System is fully serving the needs of parents."

Michael Powell, CEO of NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, said in a statement: “We congratulate Ajit Pai on his confirmation for a new five-year term. During his tenure at the FCC, Chairman Pai has consistently demonstrated a thoughtful approach to policymaking that promotes consumer welfare through marketplace competition and innovation. We share Chairman Pai’s vision for policies aimed at spurring continued investment and expanding opportunity for all Americans, and we look forward to working with him and all members of the commission in pursuing policies that protect consumers and promote the continued growth of new networks and services.”

The Senate Small Business Committee has scheduled a Jan. 24 confirmation hearing for the nomination of Linda McMahon, cofounder and former CEO of TV wrestling empire WWE, as administrator of the Small Business Administration, a cabinet level position.

The hearing will be at 10:30 a.m.

President-elect Trump has said of his choice, announced Dec. 7: "Linda has a tremendous background and is widely recognized as one of the country’s top female executives advising businesses around the globe. She helped grow WWE from a modest 13-person operation to a publicly traded global enterprise with more than 800 employees in offices worldwide. Linda is going to be a phenomenal leader and champion for small businesses and unleash America's entrepreneurial spirit all across the country."

The Wire was monitoring that indispensable cable-provided public service outlet, C-SPAN, when Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) came to the witness table to testify against Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), a fellow member of the Judiciary Committee and Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general.

One senator testifying against another at a nomination hearing is almost unheard of. Booker conceded it was an “exceptional” move, but said he had to put the country and his conscience above senatorial tradition.

While he began his testimony by acknowledging he had worked collegially, and with mutual respect, with Sessions on legislation, the thrust of his testimony was the following:

“Senator Sessions has not demonstrated a commitment to a central requirement of the job – to aggressively pursue the congressional mandate of civil rights, equal rights and justice for all. In fact, at numerous times in his career, he has demonstrated a hostility toward these convictions and has worked to frustrate attempts to advance these ideals,” he said. But there was more.

“If confirmed, Senator Sessions will be required to pursue justice for women, but his record indicates that he won’t.

“He will be expected to defend the equal rights of gay and lesbian Americans, but his record indicates that he won’t.

“He will be expected to defend voting rights, but his record indicates that he won’t.

“He will be expected to defend the rights of immigrants and affirm their human dignity, but his record indicates he won’t.

“His record indicates that as attorney general he would obstruct the growing national bipartisan movement toward criminal justice reform.”

The Wire’s assessment: Hardly an endorsement.

Having gotten C-SPAN’s unfiltered view of the testimony, imagine our surprise when President-elect Trump’s transition team emailed a glowing press release under the headline: “What They Are Saying: U.S. Sen. Schumer and Top Democrats Praise U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions,” and leading with this: “Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ): ‘Blessed And Honored to Have Partnered With Senator Sessions’ in Passing Legislation That Awarded 1965 Voting Rights Marches Foot Soldiers With the Congressional Gold Medal.” But the release conveniently omitted the “thrust” of the testimony.

It reminded us of those dot-dot-dot movie reviews, like: “I wish I could … see … it again,” when the review was: “I wish I could have left the theater after the opening credits. I hope I never see it or its like again.”

The Wire asked Booker’s office for any comment on the Trump team’s selective take on the senator’s testimony. A staffer suggested it spoke for itself. Well, at least on C-SPAN it did.

CES 2017: This Is Not The Android TV Box You’re Looking For

CES, the annual gadget-fest in Las Vegas, typically borders on the surreal and the real when it comes to the consumer products that are on display on the floor. While many are products that will come to retail this year, others are better placed in the wishful thinking category.

Such was the case again this month when, at CES, multiple news outlets stumbled on and reported about an Android TV-powered device supposedly branded by Disney. Word was that The Mouse was on the cusp of launching a customized, kid-friendly $99 OTT box, called Kids TV, that would come pre-packed with exclusive Disney content.

Or not.

According to an official for SnakeByte, a maker of gaming accessories that had the device on display, the box reported on was merely a “speculative prototype” being demonstrated as the company looked to enter exploratory talks about obtaining a license from Disney for some EMEA territories.

But it was likewise strange that the reports talked up specific details like pricing and product launch timing, with one report noting that a Disney-branded tablet was also in the works.

The Wire (which failed to be snake-bitten, at least not this time) hears that those news outlets were apparently given some not-ready-for-primetime info from an overly exuberant person at the SnakeByte booth.

— Jeff Baumgartner

Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has signaled he plans to hold a confirmation hearing before Inauguration Day on the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) as U.S. Attorney General atop the Justice Department, which routinely vets media mergers for antitrust issues.

Grassley on Tuesday (Nov. 29) met with Sessions, a senior Judiciary Committee member, and said that while he had not yet set a firm date date, the hearing would be before the President-elect is sworn in Jan. 20.

"“I was glad to have Sen. Sessions in my office today," Grassley said. "Members of the Judiciary Committee know him to be an honorable man, and a person of integrity.  He knows the Justice Department well, and cares deeply about the even-handed application of the law."

Given that some members of the Judiciary Committee have served with Sessions for a couple of decades, the committee won't have a big learning curve reviewing his nomination.

Republican FCC commissioner Ajit Pai, a leading contender for interim FCC chair and perhaps permanent chair, worked with Sessions on the Senate Judiciary Committee and has called him "a good man and a superb senator: honorable, thoughtful, devoted to the Constitution, and deeply committed to equal justice and the rule of law."

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee was not so happy with the Sessions pick, saying he would be a boon to big business and likening him to "the proverbial fox guarding the henhouse."

"Senator Sessions will receive the fair and thorough vetting process he deserves," Grassley said.