Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), ranking member of the House Communications Subcommittee, said he will not be running for re-election in 2022.

He said with redistricting, he is up against the new boundaries of his 18th district and he said it was a good transition time for a new — Democratic — member of Congress to get acclimated to the district.

He also said it was time for the next generation of party leadership. Doyle will be 69 at the end of his term.

Doyle said he was making the announcement now so that candidates will step forward, but that he has no one in mind. He did say if he did find a candidate he liked he would endorse him. He pointed out he was in a seven-way primary when he was elected. He said he would like to see a similar race bringing different ideas from all parts of the party.

Doyle, who has been in Congress since 1995, has been one of the most prominent legislators in the communications space, including pushing for the return of network neutrality rules and big bucks for universal broadband deployment. He has headed the committee since Democrats took over control of the House in 2018 and before that was ranking member.

Just last week, in the wake of the revelations by a Facebook whistleblower and allegations about the company’s internal research about the impact of its platforms on young people, House Energy & Commerce Committee leaders including Doyle proposed a bill that targets “reckless” use of algorithms by limiting Section 230, which protects edge providers from civil liability for most third-party content on their platforms. He pointed out that legislation in a press conference announcing his exit.

He also recently introduced a bill with Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) that would free up more spectrum for wireless broadband using a sharing approach.

Doyle's legislative director, Phil Murphy, left last June to become a senior adviser to the Biden Administration on telecom policy.

“Throughout his over 25 years in the House of Representatives, Rep. Mike Doyle has worked tirelessly to represent the interests of his Pennsylvania district in Washington, D.C." said NCTA-the Internet & Television Association. "He has distinguished himself during that time as a talented and respected policymaker, playing an important role in shaping communications and spectrum policy the United States. He has compiled a commendable record of accomplishments, including his work to facilitate the growth of Wi-Fi and the expansion of broadband across the country. His leadership as chair of the Communications Subcommittee (and his legendary management of the Democratic baseball team) will be sorely missed, and we wish him well in the next chapter of his life.”

“Proud of his Pittsburgh roots and dedicated to improving the lives of his constituents, Rep. Mike Doyle was greatly admired and respected because he always made clear that his chief loyalty was simply to be the best public servant he could be," said ACA Connects President Matt Polka. "We appreciate that Rep. Doyle took the time to understand our issues and allow ACA Connects to interact in positive ways with his House Communications & Technology Subcommittee – most recently in June, 2019, when ACA Connects Chairman Patricia Jo Boyers testified on legislation that would soon become the Television Viewer Protection Act of 2019 (TVPA). That law took a big step forward in rectifying disparities in retransmission consent law harmful to the customers of smaller multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs)."

"Mike Doyle is a champion for competition, consumers and a better Congress that works together to help improve the lives of working families," said INCOMPAS CEO Chip Pickering. "Maybe better than anyone in public service, Mike understands the impact policies crafted in Washington have on the wallets of families and small businesses back home. Leaving a tremendous legacy on broadband, Mike's support for competition policy has helped bring greater affordability and innovation in the marketplace.  

"Mike Doyle has led by example, showing great integrity for the Institution of Congress, working across the aisle, and carrying on the great legacy of Congressional Baseball, which has always proven to be more than just a game. We look forward to working with Chairman Doyle until the last out of the last inning to ensure better, faster broadband gets deployed to every American.” 

“NAB congratulates Rep. Doyle on his retirement and we thank him for his leadership on telecommunications issues while serving as chairman and ranking member of the House Communications & Technology Subcommittee," said National Association of Broadcasters President Gordon Smith. "During his 14 terms in Congress, Rep. Doyle has been diligently focused on serving his constituents and we appreciate his recognition for the vital role local radio and television stations play in his district and in communities across the country. We look forward to continuing to work with him in the 117th Congress and wish him all the best in his next endeavors.”

“Representative Mike Doyle has been an influential advocate of self-driving cars and next generation mobility technology," said Michael Petricone, SVP at the Consumer Technology Association. "We thank him for his service and his advocacy for American innovation.”

House Energy & Commerce Committee chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) said he plans an Oct. 6 hearing on strengthening communications networks, given consumers’ reliance on them for health care, work, news, entertainment and connecting with loved ones.

Accessibility and affordability of those networks are a priority of the committee, as is cybersecurity.

Also Read: House E&C Extends Suspect Tech Ban to Non-Subsidized Nets

“Next week, we will consider several bills designed to advance that mission,” Pallone and Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), the Technology Subcommittee chairman, said in a joint statement. “We look forward to considering these bills and working together on common-sense policies that enable these networks to meet consumers’ needs, now and into the future.”

One way Congress has been promoting future-proof networks is to disallow technology that represents a threat to national security to remain in U.S. networks, primarily by directing the FCC to deny broadband subsidy funding to suppliers of suspect technology.

Another is to emphasize that competition and affordability should be part of the definition of universal access to broadband networks, both wired and wireless.

Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) said that a lot of ISPs, "for whatever reason," claim they have service where they don't, something he said everyone knows "has been going on for years." 

Doyle, chairman of the House Communications Subcommittee, was being interviewed for C-SPAN's Communicators series about why the FCC's broadband maps, which rely on carrier data, have not yet gotten fixed. 

Related: House Democrats Update Broadband Deployment, Adoption Plan 

He said that since Democrats and Republicans agree the maps aren't good, the FCC would just be throwing $20 million out the window by starting to give out most of the Rural Development Opportunities Fund (RDOF) subsidy money. 

FCC chairman Ajit Pai argues that delaying those subsidies would mean taking longer to close the digital divide, and that the initial $16 billion is going to areas identified as unserved, while the issues with the maps are about failing to get money to unserved areas because they are identified as served. 

But Doyle said it was mind-boggling that "given the technology and abilities we have today," he didn't know why the FCC did not have accurate maps" to direct the "precious dollars that aren't growing on trees." 

On closing the homework gap, Doyle pledged that any COVID-19 aid package that moves out of the House would include money for schools and libraries. He said there is bipartisan support for boosting distance learning but that the issue comes down to dollars and how to pay for it, which is usually where the bipartisanship breaks down.  

Democrats want to put $9 billion toward closing the homework gap. 

Doyle's Communicators interview airs on C-SPAN Saturday (July 11) at 6:30 p.m. ET, and on C-SPAN2 Monday (July 13) at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET. 

The House Communications and Consumer Protection Subcommittees will hold a joint hearing on "Disinformation Online and a Country in Crisis." 

The date is June 24, but other details are to be determined, or at least revealed. 

The hearing was announced Thursday (June 11) by Energy & Commerce Committee chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), Communications Subcommittee chair Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) and Consumer Protection Subcommittee chair Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). 

Pai Raises Concern Over Edge Transparency 

The crisis is both COVID-19 and the current national reckoning, sometimes violent, over some police treatment of minorities. 

“Social media platforms have failed to take sufficient steps to address disinformation while the President is actively promoting dangerous falsehoods and conspiracies," said the legislators. "The country needs and deserves better, and we look forward to hearing from experts on what can be done to minimize, and ultimately end, the spread of dangerous disinformation and misinformation online.” 

While Facebook has declined to get into political speech, Twitter has labeled Tweets of President Donald Trump about absentee ballots, and shielded Trump's tweet about shooting looters. 

The House Energy & Commerce Committee Communications Subcommittee will hold a hearing on "internet adoption and digital equity" Jan. 29. 

Congressional Democrats have been pushing to use the proceeds from a C-Band spectrum auction to fund rural broadband buildouts, which the Democratic leadership of the Committee referenced in announcing the hearing. 

"As the Subcommittee continues to consider revenue-raising spectrum auction legislation, a full appreciation of the issues posed by poor broadband adoption will be crucial to the discussion," said Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle (D-Pa.). 

Educating low-income residents about the value of adopting broadband once it is available is also part of the challenge. 

Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), chairman of the House Communications Subcommittee, said he is confident that if Vice President Joe Biden were to be elected president, he would work with the Democrats to restore net neutrality rules.

In an interview for C-SPAN's Communicators series, he was asked by a reporter who said the campaign had not weighed in with a position, as some others had, on restoring the 2015 Open Internet order that was overturned by the Ajit Pai FCC in 2017. 

But Doyle also said that the focus of a lot of candidates, especially in Western Pennsylvania where he lives, is on the economy. Net neutrality tends to be an important issue with a lot of people in the tech community and younger voters that want to see a level playing field and make sure ISPs don't block content, he said, but that while it is an important issue, he doesn't see it as a "primary" issue (no pun intended). 

Doyle has net neutrality legislation that would restore much of the 2015 Open Internet Order, including the rate regulation forbearance. He was asked to respond to candidate Bernie Sanders' support for rate regulation of broadband and Sanders was an outlier.  

Doyle said he was not focused on what this or that candidate said they would do or wouldn't do, though he said that would be a question to ask him once there was a nominee. But he did say forbearance is key to building bipartisan support for net neutrality legislation. Democrats, Republicans and ISPs all have said they support legislation to end the legal ping-pong game of rules, rule reversals, and rule challenges. The latest volley will likely come Friday, the deadline for appealing a three-judge decision upholding reclassification and the elimination of the bright-line rules. n

He was asked if he supported the Trump Administration's approach to Huawei, though it was unclear just what he was responding to since the Administration has both cracked down on Chinese telecom and given it some slack, or at least a glide path to a forced exit. 

Doyle said, generally, yes. He said the equipment could be used to spy on the U.S. and the country needed to be vigilant. The FCC has voted to deny broadband subsidy funding to any carrier using Huawei (or ZTE) equipment in those buildouts, and more generally to any suspect tech supplier. 

Doyle said one thing he definitely supports is making sure smaller operators are given financial aid for removing and replacing suspect tech--so they can qualify for the Universal Service Fund subsidies. 

Asked what was on the agenda for 2020, Doyle said it would include pushing for a C-Band auction with money for rural broadband, for getting broadband mapping right, and an effort to get the Senate to pass the many communications-related bills that will have passed out of the House. 

Doyle would not say that national privacy legislation would necessarily be forthcoming in the new year, with preemption of state efforts a major sticking point.  

The congressman said that he did not think Congress should eliminate the Sec. 230 carveout from liability for third-party content on social media platforms, which allows those platforms to operate. He said maybe Congress needed some "flexibility" to look at the section and added that he has told the companies that depend on that shield from civil liability that they needed to do a "much, much better job" of policing themselves, or they will "invite the federal government to do it for them...There are still a lot of things online that need to be taken off line." 

But Doyle was also among those who wrote to the U.S. Trade representative to ask that the Sec. 230 language not be included in the USMCA, suggesting that would limit that flexibility to look at the Section. "We don't want to have our hands tied because this section...is in a trade agreement." 

Doyle's Communicators episode airs Saturday, Dec. 14 on C-SPAN at 6:30 p.m. ET and Monday, Dec. 16, on C-SPAN2 at 8 a.m. and again at 8 p.m. ET. 

Doyle suggested that he thought Dish could potentially become the facilities-based competitor T-Mobile says it will be. 

A key condition of the T-Mobile-Sprint deal is the spin-off of Boost Mobile to Dish, which combined with Dish's spectrum holdings and some build-out help from the FCC, is billed as a glide path to Dish being a fourth wireless competitor to Verizon, AT&T and the combined T-Mobile-Sprint. Critics say that scenario is a stretch.  

Doyle said it was at least something he hopes could happen. "Any situation that gives Dish the incentives and the tools it needs to be a robust competitor to the other three carriers is good for consumers," he said.

FCC chair Ajit Pai says that the Enforcement Bureau's investigation into carriers' selling of user's location data should be wrapped up by the end of January. 

That came in an e-mail from Pai to House Communications Subcommittee chairman Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), who shared that info during an FCC oversight hearing in his subcommittee Thursday (Dec. 5) while calling for the results ASAP. 

It has been a year and a half since reports surfaced that wireless carriers were selling the geolocation data of their subs to third parties. 

The FCC is investigating the selling by wireless carriers of geolocation data to third parties, information that reportedly made its way to bounty hunters and others and data their subs can't opt out of because it is used to provide the underlying service. 

Related: Starks Pushes For Completion of Data Location Investigation 

At the hearing, commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel expressed her frustration with the pace of the investigation and with what she said was the chairman's refusal to share documents related to the investigation. 

The major mobile wireless providers have told Rosenworcel that they have terminated their location aggregators program. 

The House Energy & Commerce Committee Wednesday (Nov. 20) approved a compromise STELAR reauthorization bill that would make permanent the FCC's mandate the broadcasters and MVPDs negotiate in good faith. Currently, the mandate sunsets every five years unless Congress renews it. 

That came on vote Wednesday (Nov. 20) after bipartisan Communications Subcommittee leadership came to agreement on a compromise version of the bill, principally the addition of that permanent provision. 

Related: House E&C Strikes STELAR Renewal Deal 

The committee technically favorably reported the bill to the full House, and did so by a voice vote with no nays recorded. The vote was swift and uneventful.  

The latest version of the bill, introduced by Communications Subcommittee chairman Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) also allows MVPD buying groups the same good faith guarantee in negotiations as individual cable operators, as ACA Connects had lobbied for, though with limits on the scope of those buying groups, and still requires fee disclosures by MVPDs, more complete e-billing, and prohibits MVPDs from charging consumers for some equipment.  

Walden said he would have preferred a more open process on the bill, but said it ended up in a fairly good place. He still said he was not sure STELAR should be reauthorized, or necessarily would be since the Judiciary Committee must still renew the satellite compulsory license portion of the bill. 

But he said the permanent good faith renewal meant the days of using the legislation for targeted media reforms was over and that should mean Congress looked at those changes separately and through regular order--one of his complaints about the Doyle bill is that it was marked up in subcommittee without a hearing on the substance. 

He praised the inclusion of the MVPD buying groups provision, which both allows those groups to negotiate with broadcasters but also holds them to good faith requirements. 

He called the bill "not perfect," but said it was sound public policy that did not give everyone what they wanted.  

Doyle said he was glad to include making the good faith provision permanent, which was not part of his original bill. 

House E&C chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) called the bill pro-consumer and pro-competition.

The National Association of Broadcasters, in seeking the sunset of STELAR, has said the good faith mandate is unnecessary since it is in broadcasters' best interest to get deals done, but praised it as a better alternative.

"NAB applauds a key provision in the House Commerce Committee-passed STELAR bill today that makes permanent legislation requiring broadcasters and pay TV companies to conduct carriage negotiations in 'good faith'," said NAB president Gordon Smith. "While we continue to question the need for STELAR legislation, a 'permanent good faith' requirement is far preferable to the current five-year STELAR renewal cycle that has incentivized pay TV companies to force broadcast TV programming disruptions that harm consumers."

Free Press Action said that, as of Tuesday morning (April 9), hours before the planned debate on the Save the Internet Act, 214 Democrats have now signaled their support. 

The official number of co-sponsors was cut off at 197 last week as the bill started to move toward the floor, but sponsor Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) said that number had swelled to 209 by Monday night, and Free Press said that was now 214, noting several Dems who had voted for it in committee and adding them to the list. 

“The momentum of the Save the Internet Act is a stunning reflection of the public support for real Net Neutrality protections," said Free Press Action's Sandra Fulton. "People across party lines understand that without Net Neutrality rules grounded on the strong legal foundation of Title II, our ability to create, seek and share information is in jeopardy." 

But the bill still needs three more Dems (the House currently has 432 members with three vacancies), or failing that, three Republicans to cross the aisle on the issue, an unlikely scenario. "Any holdouts in Congress need to stop neglecting bipartisan public demand for Net Neutrality safeguards and support of this bill," said Fulton.

The Trump Administration is advising the President to veto the bill if it makes it past the House and the Republican-controlled Senate, which even some Dems agree is a tall order.

The House Communications Subcommittee has taken the first step toward trying to pass legislation restoring the 2015 Open Internet Order's net neutrality rules. 

It has scheduled a markup of the Save the Internet Act (HR 1644) for March 26 at 10 a.m., which is the committee's consideration of the legislation and possible amendments. 

Related: Walden Says It Is Time for Serious Debate about Regulating Edge 

The bill would restore the Title II-based rules against blocking, throttling and paid prioritization, as well as a "general conduct standard" that subcommittee Democrats say empowers the FCC "to prohibit unjust, unreasonable and discriminatory practices." 

“The Save the Internet Act restores critical net neutrality protections and puts a cop back on the beat at the FCC to defend consumers against abusive and discriminatory practices by internet service providers,” said House Energy & Commerce Committee Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle (D-Pa.). “We look forward to considering this legislation in the Subcommittee and bringing a free and open internet back to the American people.” 

Related: Net Neutrality Remain Fighting Words on Hill 

The likely course of the bill is that it will pass out of subcommittee and committee on a party line vote, then pass the House, perhaps with a Republican of three, then get caught up in the Republican-controlled Senate.  

House Energy & Commerce Committee Democratic leaders are not happy with an FCC plan to modify the consumer complaint process.

The commission is scheduled to vote July 12 to finalize that proposal and "streamline and consolidate" the rules for formal complaints against common carriers, formal complaints about pole attachments, and formal complaints about advanced communications services and equipment.

The ends include conserving resources, resolving complaints in a timely manner, and eliminating "inconsistencies." The means include uniform filing deadlines, status conferences in pole attachment proceedings and shot clocks for pole attachment complaint decisions.

The FCC is trying to remove obstacles to deployment of broadband facilities.

In a letter to FCC chair Ajit Pai, House Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), and Communications Ranking Member Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) said the report and order would roll back consumer protections.

“At a time when consumers are highly dissatisfied with their communications companies, this abrupt change in policy troubles us,” they wrote. “As the chief communications regulator, the FCC plays a critical role in ensuring consumers—including families, small businesses, and struggling Americans—get fair and honest treatment from their service providers....We worry that the proposed change signals that the FCC no longer intends to play this role, and will instead simply tell consumers with limited means and time that they need to start an expensive and complicated formal legal process."

They called on the commission to rethink the changes.

Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) vowed to keep fighting to nullify the FCC's network neutrality rules rollback, which went into effect Monday (June 11), but in outlining the road ahead, he also put a spotlight on the up-Hill battle.

Doyle is shepherding the House version of a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to nullify FCC chair Ajit Pai's Restoring Internet Freedom Order. It has already passed the Senate, but the House is a far steeper climb.

Related: House CRA Teed Up

In a statement, Doyle slammed the rollback. 

"Americans lost an important right today when the FCC’s order nullifying the federal Net Neutrality policy went into effect,” he said. “People won’t see any major changes today, but unless Net Neutrality is restored, consumers, innovator, and small businesses will see their service deteriorate, their choices decrease and their costs go up over time as Internet Service Providers start throttling internet speeds, blocking content and prioritizing service to hurt their competitors.”

ISPs have been saying nothing would change Monday, so critics are arguing that that is just a strategy to avoid immediate pushback, and, like the lobster in a pot with the water temperature raised slowly, the repercussions will only become apparent over time.

Doyle also said that he currently has 170 votes for a discharge petition that would force Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to hold a floor vote on the CRA. Ryan is unlikely to do so otherwise.

"We just need 50 more to get a vote," Doyle said, but that "just" is a big ask since the 170 does not even include all the Democrats, and the 50 more would have to include a couple dozen Republicans.

Net neutrality activists, including in Congress, hope to use the issue of the net neutrality rule rollback to turn more red seats blue in the midterm elections if they can't convince current members to support the CRA, which would have to pass in this Congress or forever hold its peace.

Republicans continue to try to get Democrats to drop the CRA and work on bipartisan net neutrality legislation, but Democrats counter that is a stall tactic and the bills they have offered up would impermissibly narrow the FCC broadband regulatory authority, a price they are not willing to pay to restore bright-line rules against blocking, throttling or even paid prioritization, says one highly placed Democratic Hill staffer.

Leading House Energy & Commerce Committee Democrats have called on the Office of Special Counsel to investigate all three Republican FCC commissioners (including chair Ajit Pai) for their participation in the Conservative Political Action Conference earlier this year.

Special Counsel Henry Kerner already concluded that Republican Commissioner Michael O'Rielly violated the Hatch Act  prohibitions on certain political activities by federal branch employees by calling for the re-election of President Trump at the conference. Kerner issued a warning to O'Rielly that there would be consequences for a future violation. O'Rielly said he still believes he did not violate any rules, but also said he took the warning seriously.

But Reps. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), in a letter dated Monday (May 7) have asked the special counsel to look into what they say was all three Republican Commissioners'  refusal (Pai and Brendan Carr round out the trio) to cooperate with congressional oversight of their participation in the conference.

Pallone is ranking member of the Committee, while Doyle is ranking member of the Communications Subcommittee.

In response to Democratic concerns over the CPAC appearances, the FCC's general counsel, Tom Johnson, did respond to them, saying he thought the appearances were not Hatch Act violations--obviously the special counsel disagreed in the case of O'Rielly.

Related: FCC Says CPAC Appearances Were OK

"[T]heir participation was consistent with a long tradition of Commissioners contributing to robust debate on issues of importance to the agency and the nation," Johnson wrote to the Dems two weeks ago. "The Commissioners' ability to accept prominent speaking engagements like this one helps promote transparency and accountability and encourages public participation and interest in Commission rulemakings, without contravening applicable ethics obligations," he added.

Pallone and Doyle cited that response, but said it was "both non-responsive and appeared to misunderstand the Hatch Act.

“A recent letter from the FCC’s General Counsel demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of the application of the Act, which may help explain a recent increase in political activity among the Republican FCC Commissioners,” the Democratic legislators wrote. “We therefore additionally request that your office consider conducting training sessions at the FCC to help employees better understand how to comply with the Hatch Act.”

They said they had at least three bones to pick with the general counsel's response:

1. "It was legally misleading because the General Counsel selectively quoted sections of the Special Counsel’s Hatch Act guidance, leaving out sections directly relevant to the Commissioners’ actions.
2. It was factually misleading in its failure to mention that Commissioner O’Rielly made prohibited partisan political remarks.
3. The letter was incomplete because it failed to address a number of the questions from Pallone and Doyle, and provided no documentary evidence supporting its assertions."

“The FCC’s career ethics officials determined that it was permissible for the three Republican Commissioners to speak at CPAC," said an FCC spokesperson. "Indeed, Cabinet members also spoke at CPAC, and the Democrats’ letter contains no explanation for why the Commissioners’ participation should be treated any differently.  Sadly, we are left to conclude that the Democrats are simply trying to stop FCC Commissioners from speaking to right-of-center organizations while they have no problem with Commissioners speaking to left-of-center groups.”   

Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), ranking member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee Communications Subcommittee, said he will propose using the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn the FCC's rollback of net-neutrality rules if FCC chair Ajit Pai does not stand down.

That is the legislative maneuver Republicans used to invalidate a number of Obama-era regs earlier this year, including the repeal of the broadband privacy rules established under the Tom Wheeler-led FCC.

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) Tuesday (Dec. 12) called on Congress to step in, as well, to resolve the net-neutrality regulation debate, but not that way.

“The answer to monopolies has always been regulation and competition, and as much as some of the FCC commissioners don’t want to acknowledge it, net neutrality and the regulation of ISPs under Title II are essential for providing real competition in the broadband marketplace," Doyle said.

Doyle said he and dozens of other legislators would be sending a letter Wednesday (Dec. 13) urging Pai not to repeal the regs, but that if the FCC does so Dec. 14, as planned, Doyle would introduce the CRA-based legislation.

It is essentially a shot across the bow since the Republicans controlling Congress are fans of the reg rollback. Republicans did use the CRA to reverse the FCC's vote, under Pai's Democratic predecessor, on a broadband privacy framework.

Last week, Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) called on fans of the FCC's Title II-based Open Internet order to flood the FCC with comments, setting 10 million as a target.

Many of the comments are from those opposed to those rules, but as of Friday (july 21), the docket had pushed to 10.6 million comments from more than 6.2 million at the time of Doyle's statement.

Initial comments were due July 17, with reply comments due Aug. 16. The FCC continues to accept comments, but after the deadline they don't necessarily have to be factored into the final decision for the FCC to have done its due diligence.

House Democrats used a hearing on emergency alerts to raise red flags on the FCC Republican majority's plan to roll back classification of ISPs as Title II common carriers, which is scheduled to be voted May 18.

The House Communications Subcommittee was looking into the future of alerts, both online and on-air, but in opening statements, some Dems diverged from the topic at hand to an issue much on the minds of legislators.

Ranking member Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) said he was "concerned" about the timing of its hearing. "The FCC at its open meeting tomorrow will vote to advance an order that will roll back essential rules that protect and promote a free and open Internet. "

He pointed to over one million comments that have been filed and also pointed out that the committee had yet to hold a hearing on the proposal or an FCC oversight hearing. He said the committee should be discussing the  issue with the commission. "It is critical that they be held accountable by Congress," he said. "With the commission on the brink of considering an enormously unpopular and ill-advised proposal that could have far-reaching implications on the most innovative part of our economy, it seems irresponsible for Congress not to provide the much-needed oversight."

Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), ranking member of the parent Energy & Commerce Committee, also talked about the FCC's effort to "strip away" network neutrality protections. "FCC Chairman Pai has proposed a plan that would kill net neutrality, he said, and "would have a chilling influence on our democracy, chip away at our connections with each other and limit opportunities for the future. He urged the FCC to "listen to the American people and reconsider this misguided approach.

Reps. Doyle and Pallone have also asked the FCC to extend the comment period on the Title II rollback notice of proposed rulemaking, a call Doyle renewed at the hearing.

Doyle also called on the committee to hold a hearing on the Sinclair/Tribune deal, something he called for in a letter to the FCC earlier this week.

Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) seconded the need for an FCC oversight hearing and Sinclair/Tribune hearing. She said the FCC was about to begin the effort to unravel net neutrality and called on Communications Subcommittee Chair Marsha Blackburn to hold an oversight hearing on the proposed merger.

The House Communications Subcommittee held a hearing on wireless spectrum and the economy, but it had to wait for Democrats and Republicans to air out their grievances over the passage last week of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution rolling back FCC broadband privacy regs.

The back-and-forth was particularly heated and even personal, illustrating the widening political divide on Capitol Hill.

Ranking member Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) and Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), ranking member of the parent Energy & Commerce Committee, used their opening statements to weigh into Republicans for "ramming" the CRA down the public's throat," as Doyle put it.

Doyle also called out CTIA (though not by name) -- a CTIA witness, the only association witness, was at the table -- for supporting the CRA, saying the industry association had acted in a "selfish and irresponsible way." He said he expected more from the organization and its members, and the American people did as well. Saying the CTIA's support for the CRA meant that there were no privacy protections, Doyle said, "Believe me, my constituents and your customers are not happy about this.

Doyle called the CRA a draconian instrument the Republicans had used to smash the FCC rules.

House Energy & Commerce Committee chair Greg Walden (R-Ore.) shot back that the issue had been "horribly spun" and that the FCC created the problem when it reclassified ISPs under Title II and took over regulation of broadband privacy from the Federal Trade Commission. Walden noted that the rules did not apply to data collection and sharing by Google (which has 85% market share of search, he said) or Facebook.

"How do you think they make their money?" he asked.

He also pointed out that the FCC rules had never been in effect. He said those companies had never been under the FCC rules "period," then repeated "period" even louder to put an exclamation point on the period. "That's where the searches are," he said, suggesting Doyle needed a little educating -- a comment that drew some groans.

Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) also defended the CRA rollback, saying that the reality was Congress made a great decision in rolling back the regs.

Pallone put the move in the context of other Republican/Trump Administration efforts on healthcare, energy and the environment. He said no one believes the Republican "mumbo jumbo" about still protecting privacy or clean air or affordable health care.

"Everyone understands when you go home that the Republicans are trying to do harm to every health, safety, privacy and environmental protection that exists in the federal government," Pallone said. "And that is what they are all about."

He said that through executive action and CRAs like the one on privacy, the Republicans are trying to unilaterally "tear down everything the American people care about."

Subcommittee chair Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) emphasized as she moved to witness testimony that it was going to be a hearing about "spectrum."

Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), former ranking member of the subcommittee, brought the issue back to privacy during her questioning. She asked CTIA witness Scott Bergman whether the FTC could come up with new privacy rules given that they lack rulemaking authority.

Bergman said his companies are commited to their subs' privacy but that they also follow and support the FCC's and FTC's enforcement authority over privacy.

Eshoo said that there is a hue and cry from constituents and that his companies had damaged their brand with support of the CRA.

Bergman said his companies depend on the trust of their customers. Eshoo said if that is the case they had "more than chipped away at that. I think this is going to haunt the companies."

Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.) also talked privacy, saying he was worred that promises are all consumers have left to protect their privacy.

He asked Berman whether companies could now change those policies if they wanted to.

Bergman would only say that their policies were the same today as they were before. He said the FCC still has authority under sec. 222 of Title II to enforce broadband privacy and that his members were working with the relevant agencies on a path to make sure that the FTC has a consIstent and clear framework across the entire ecosystem.

It is the longest of long shots, but Democratic Reps. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) and Mike Capuano (D-Mass.) have launched a petition on Whitehouse.gov calling on the president to veto S.J. Res. 34, the Congressional Review Act resolution that that repealed the FCC's broadband privacy rules.

The president is widely expected to sign the resolution and repeal the regulations.

The resolution narrowly passed both the Senate (last week) and the House (Tuesday) and is headed to the President's desk, although the Dems are hoping to stay the President's pen hand.

At press time, the petition had 120 signatures toward the 100,000 it needs to get a response from the White House, though it is unclear whether the new president is hewing to such a schedule. The resolution will likely be signed by then regardless.

The crux of the petition is "Don't let Internet providers spy and sell our online data. Please keep the FCC's Privacy Rules."

“This bill has been rushed through both the House and Senate at breakneck speed with one clear goal – to get it signed into law before the American People know about it,” Doyle said after launching the petition. Doyle managed the floor debate on the Democratic side March 28 before the Republicans voted 215-205 to roll back the rules, with 15 Republicans breaking ranks to vote against it.

“Americans do not want their Internet browsing history and sensitive personal information used by their ISP without their knowledge for advertising or any other purposes,” Capuano said. “I cannot imagine why anyone would support this.”

Capuano was arguably the loudest critic, bellowing his dissent and suggesting he didn't want ISPs sharing his underwear size if bought a pair online.

The CRA overturns rules approved by a divided FCC Oct. 27 that required ISPs to get subscribers' permission to share Web browser and app use info and impose data security and breach notification requirements.

A quartet of House Democrats are calling on the FCC not to delay action on its business data services (BDS) reforms and are asking their congressional colleagues to add their voices to that call.

Some ISPs have argued that the FCC needs to take a fresh look at the marketplace (Related: FCC Pressed to Re-Vet BDS Study) in light of some new data, or actually old data not submitted by major cable operators until recently, before acting on the proposal.

A politically divided FCC voted April 28 to propose remaking regulation of the business broadband marketplace and potentially regulating rates for cable operators' BDS (formerly known as "special access") service.

The FCC is phasing out the presumption of regulating the rates of historically "dominant carriers" – the ILECs (incumbent local exchange carriers) – as a way to boost competition from "nondominant" CLECs (competitive local exchange carriers) and from cable competitors and instead regulate the rates of any of them as it deems necessary. That is in the name of boosting price and service competition for the "special-access"—rebranded by the FCC as "broadband data"—services.

In a "dear colleague letter" this week, which is essentially a solicitation of support for their position from other members of Congress, House Communications Subcommittee member Anna Eshoo (Calif.), and Reps. Doris Matsui (Calif.), Peter Welch (Mass.) and Mike Doyle (Ap.) say the FCC already has all the info it needs.

"Chairman Wheeler has stated that reform of this market is essential for promoting competition, benefiting individual and business consumers, and unleashing the true potential of next generation wireless services," they wrote. "During the most recent Energy & Commerce Committee FCC Oversight Hearing in July, he testified that BDS reform is not only important for competition today, but necessary to meet our national priority of leading the world in 5G wireless services.

"The time has come for the FCC to use the extensive data collected over the last several years to undertake competition-based reform of the BDS market in urban and rural areas alike.  We commend Chairman Wheeler for his leadership on this important issue."

Cable operators are not happy with the FCC proposal, which would for the first time apply regs, including potentially rate regs, to all players in the BDS market, not just the incumbent telcos who have dominated access to the business lines and have been required to provide access on reasonable terms and conditions to new entrants like cable operators. Those cable operators say that the reward they get for building out plant is to get regulated like an incumbent.

The letter came only a couple of days after a group of Senators (and one independent) urged the FCC to factor in more recent cable information into their calculation for revamping its rules, though they did not say that would necessarily delay the process.

The FCC collected data from stakeholders on the BDS marketplace for several years before releasing the first report, which it used to buttress its case for BDS reforms. It only recently put out the peer reviews. But cable operators had to submit some new data and the report was tweaked and re-released along with the new data. That came on the same day initial comments were due on the BDS proposal based in part on the report.

CenturyLink and the others say that should warrant new peer reviews of the report, which should then be put out for comment.