Latest from Next TV in Rep-steve-scalise

New Bill Would Ban Suspect Tech from All U.S. Nets

john.eggerton@futurenet.com (John Eggerton) — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 11:07:44 +0000

A bipartisan bill has been introduced that would prevent the use of private, as well as public, funds to purchase suspect tech for U.S. networks.

The FCC, under the direction of Congress, published a list of tech suppliers deemed national security threats and prohibited the use of federal funds for telecom networks using that tech--the highest profile companies on that list were Huawei and ZTE.

Now a bill has been introduced by Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.) and House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) that would extend that ban.

The bill, the Secure Equipment Act of 2021, would prohibit the FCC from reviewing or providing licenses for new equipment from companies on that FCC list of national security threats.

Acting FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel said she backed the effort.

"The introduction of the Secure Equipment Act of 2021 is welcome news," she said in a statement included in the announcement of the bill. "This legislation will help protect our national security by ensuring that untrustworthy communications equipment is not authorized for use within our borders. And we're not wasting time--last month, I shared a plan with my colleagues to update the Federal Communications Commission's equipment authorization procedures consistent with this effort. I thank Congresswoman Eshoo and Congressman Scalise for their work--having this policy written into the law will send a strong, bipartisan signal that the United States is committed to developing a market for secure 5G alternatives."

A similar bipartisan bill has been introduced in the Senate by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.).

Scalise Re-Admitted to Intensive Care Unit

john.eggerton@futurenet.com (John Eggerton) — Thu, 06 Jul 2017 13:07:00 +0000

Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) is back in intensive care, his office said in a statement.

Scalise was seriously injured when he was shot by a gunman while practicing for the congressional softball game last month.

"Congressman Steve Scalise has been readmitted to the Intensive Care Unit at MedStar Washington Hospital Center due to new concerns for infection," said a statement from the MedStar Washington Hospital, where Scalise has been since the June 14 shooting. "His condition is listed as serious."

The hospital said it would provide a further update Thursday (July 6).

Wheeler Circulates Effective Competition Order

john.eggerton@futurenet.com (John Eggerton) — Thu, 21 May 2015 18:30:00 +0000

Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler has circulated the agency's order on effective competition, and it still proposes reversing the presumption that local markets are not competitive when it comes to traditional video, according to a source familiar with the item.

The FCC has a June 2 congressional deadline to produce an order streamlining the effective-competition process for smaller, particularly rural-serving cable operators, but broadened that into the proposal to reverse the presumption given that it has not denied an effective competition request in a couple of years -- due largely to the presence of satellite-TV service nationwide.

A ruling of effective competition means a cable system is no longer subject to basic-tier rate regulation and the requirement to carry retrans stations in that tier.

Broadcasters have been pushing back hard on the proposal, as have a number of high-profile Democratic senators and public interest groups, as well as the local franchising authorities that will lose rate-regulation authority.

But not all Democratic legislators oppose the move. Ranking House Communications Subcommittee member Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) joined with Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) to support the FCC's proposal to "update" the effective-competition provision. They pointed to legacy regulation as an impediment to enhanced flexibility and choice — the presumption dates from the 1992 Cable Act, which dates from a time when cable ops had a 95% MVPD market share, which is now a tad more than 50%.

Back in April, the FCC's Media Bureau denied a petition by the National Association of Broadcasters and Public Knowledge to narrow the scope of its decision, saying Congress never meant it to reverse the presumption, and certainly not for all operators, when it told the FCC to streamline the process for smaller operators.

Hill Heats Up Over Effective-Competition Presumption

john.eggerton@futurenet.com (John Eggerton) — Wed, 13 May 2015 20:45:00 +0000

Congress continues to weigh in on the Federal Communications Commission's proposal to presume cable operators are subject to competition absent a showing to the contrary. Currently, the presumption is that a local market is not competitive.

A finding of effective competition by the FCC relieves operators of local basic-cable rate regulation.

The latest salvos came from both sides of the aisle and the issue as the FCC is expected any day now to circulate an order on the proposal.

In a letter dated Wednesday (May 13), Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee's Communication Subcommittee, joined with Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) to support the FCC's proposal to "update" the effective competition provision.

They pointed to legacy regulation as an impediment to enhanced flexibility and choice -- the presumption comes from the1992 Cable Act, which dates from a time when cable ops had a 95% MVPD market share, which is now down to a tad more than 50%.

Eshoo and Scalist also cited the time-consuming and costly requirement of the effective-competition provision and said it makes cable ops engage in long and costly proceedings to offer more flexible packaging options to consumers.

They also said saving FCC resources would be saving taxpayer dollars.

On the other side, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), ranking member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, in a letter also dated May 13, asked FCC chairman Tom Wheeler to think hard about the impact of reversing the presumption, pointing to a New Jersey franchising authority's concerns and the impact of the move on consumers.

Pallone said the FCC could simply streamline the petition process and leave the larger question about reversing the presumption for another day, basically inviting Wheeler to punt on the proposed reversal.

The FCC is under an early June congressional deadline to produce an order streamlining the process for smaller cable operators. It was that order the chairman proposed to use to streamline it for all operators by reversing the presumption.