The Senate Commerce Committee has confirmed it will be holding an FCC oversight hearing Sept. 15, and confirmed as B&C/Multichannel News reported, that all five commissioners--the chairman is also a commissioner--will be in attendance.
The 10 a.m. hearing will cover "every aspect of the agency and major policy issues before the commission," the committee said in announcing the hearing.
“With the FCC considering significant new rules affecting consumer privacy, cable service through set-top boxes, and other issues impacting our economy, effective collaboration and informed decision making at the commission couldn’t be more important,” said Committee Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.). “This hearing presents an opportunity to discuss concerns about partisanship affecting commission work and to raise issues on important policy questions under consideration this fall.”
Those important issues include set-top boxes, broadband privacy, media ownership and business data service revamp proposals, as well as how long FCC Chairman Tom wheeler plans to remain at the helm, the FCC's plans for the 5G wireless rollout, and a possible program diversity Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that could be on the docket for a vote this month (as could set-tops).
