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Senate Panel Approves Telecom Rewrite
The telecommunications debate dominated the tech policy front this week, as the Senate Commerce Committee finished its work on the issue. The panel approved a major overhaul of nearly all sectors of the communications industry on a 15-7 vote.
But the defeat of a so-called network neutrality amendment may bode ill for Senate passage of the bill this year. That amendment was defeated on an 11-11 tie vote after an extensive debate. Olympia Snowe of Maine was the only Republican to vote for the amendment.
Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden went to the Senate floor to announce a procedural "hold" on the legislation because it lacks strong network neutrality language. Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Stevens, an Alaska Republican, said he will seek support from 60 senators -- the number needed to prevent a filibuster -- by potentially deleting portions of the bill.
Other tech policy news this week involved a century-old telephone tax, the recovery of a computer with veterans' personal data and online child exploitation. Listen to the podcast for the details.
Posted by Technology Daily on June 30, 2006 11:51 AM | Permalink
