http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-MJSN1172609975538.html
House Democrats are planning a thorough re-examination of telecommunications and media policies that will feature multiple oversight hearings and fresh legislation.
These re-evaluations could change current broadband regulations for local franchising,
Fostering high-speed Internet deployment, ensuring an open and accessible Internet, and overhauling the federal universal service program that subsidizes telecom connections in rural and impoverished areas are among the key issues to be addressed. The competitiveness of the video, telephone and radio marketplaces also will be explored, along with protecting the privacy of phone records and promoting efficient use of spectrum.
A Feb. 15 FCC oversight hearing before the House telecom subcommittee was postponed. It has not yet been rescheduled. House Democrats plan to scrutinize several FCC policies, include the agency's review of media-ownership limits and its authority to investigate allegations that the National Security Agency conducted surveillance of phone records without warrants.
Also to be examined is a recent FCC decision relaxing local video-franchising guidelines. State regulators have complained that the new rules usurp their authority. Replacing local franchises with less cumbersome national agreements was the centerpiece of Republican deregulatory legislation last year, but it stalled after its Senate counterpart became mired in controversy.
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