Noon Start for FCC Net Rule-Blocking Bill
The House has scheduled a noon start time for taking up H.J. Res. 37, which would invalidate the FCC's network neutrality rules.
The resolution passed out of committee on a party line vote and is expected to be approved in the Republican-controlled House. The president will likely veto it, but is unlikely to get the chance since it will almost certainly not be passed by the Democratically controlled Senate.
Blocking the FCC rules is the only scheduled debate or vote on the House calendar, and will follow two hours worth of floor speeches--one hour on each side--on the failure, so far, to pass a budget or a third continuing resolution.
At press time the Republicans were blaming the Democrats for not supporting the troops and closing down the government for the sake of spending the country into bankruptcy, while the Democrats were blaming the Republicans for a road-to-ruin budget aimed at killing Medicare and slashing trillions for seniors to hand over to millionaires and oil companies.
The Republican and Democratic divide over the FCC-blocking resolution is only slightly less pronounced.
Broadcasting & Cable Newsletter
The smarter way to stay on top of broadcasting and cable industry. Sign up below
Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.