Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.)
has been elected the ranking member of the House Communications Subcommittee,
the first woman to hold that post. The vote was 14 to 9 among Democrats on
the committee.
The most recent ranking
member was Republican Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.). The chair of the subcommittee is
Greg Walden (R-Ore.).
According to her office,
Eshoo will focus on expanding broadband, protecting privacy, freeing up
spectrum (for wireless broadband) and transitioning 911 to an IP-based system.
She is also an open Internet fan (Eshoo is also co-chair of the Congressional
Internet Caucus).
That will likely put her at
odds with Chairman Walden, who is among a number of Republicans who are lookingto nullify or otherwise negate the FCC's recently-passed network neutralityregulations, which they argue was an overreach.
"We are very pleased that
Rep. Eshoo has been named ranking member of the House Subcommittee on
Communications, Technology and the Internet," said Free Press
Research Director S. Derek Turner. "Rep. Eshoo is a strong defender of the
public interest with a clear record of protecting consumers and the open
Internet. She has been a leader on media and technology issues, and we look
forward to working with her on crucial issues that will shape the debate over
the future of the media."
"She is a stalwart defender of a free and
open Internet, and a champion of innovation," said Public Knowledge
President Gigi Sohn. "We look forward to working with her on the many
crucial issues that will come before
the House."
