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from: Broadcasting and Cable
The Senate Commerce Committee is working on a revised draft of its telecom reform bill and will push back a markup to June 20. The committee is also adding a third hearing on the bill June 13--the first was held Thursday, May 18, the second will be May 25.

This information on this page is for archival purposes. Though the COPE Bill passed in the House, the Senate version of the bill stalled and never became federal law.

Name: S.2686: Communications, Consumers' Choice and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006 - also referred to as the Steven's Bill
Read S.2686 Draft III (released June 20 2006 - 159 pages)

We have some report-backs and media from Wednesday's actions!

AT&T certainly put a new spin on their slogan "Your World. Delivered" with the recent news (USA Today) that the company willingly turned over the phone call records of millions of citizens to the National Security Agency who requested the information without a legal warrant. The NSA is now in possession of what one employee described as the 'biggest database ever built'.

There's been much activity of late at the municipal level in response to the House and Senate Bills, a summary below. Remember that AT&T and Verizon started the whole state and national franchising push because they claimed that negotiating with local municipalities (as cable companies do) was just too burdensome and slow (for their desired business plan). The cities have a different story to tell . . .

from: Common Dreams
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 9, 2006
10:47 AM

CONTACT: Common Cause
202-833-1200

Stevens Telecom Bill Fails Democracy and Consumers
Statement by Common Cause President Chellie Pingree

WASHINGTON - May 9 - The Communications, Consumer Choice and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006, sponsored by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-AK) fails to protect and preserve network neutrality. The bill does nothing to stop network operators from discriminating against lawful Internet content or establishing fees or "tollbooths" on the Information Superhighway.

Public response to Upton's statement should be one of outrage.

from: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Key bill will be done in secret

By MARILYN GEEWAX
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/07/06

WASHINGTON — The House and Senate are preparing to vote on telecommunications legislation that could affect every American who surfs the Internet, watches cable TV or uses a phone.

From: National Journal - Technology Daily

Provisions In Senate Telecom Bill Mirror Those In House Counterpart

By Drew Clark

(Tuesday, May 2) New Senate telecommunications legislation would take away the ability of local governments to reject video franchises -- effectively granting the former regional Bell operating companies the same expedited entry into video services as proposed in a competing House bill.

from National Journal
CongressDaily

Stevens Unveils Telecom Bill,But Inouye Has Concerns

By David Hatch

(Monday, May 1) A mammoth telecommunications overhaul bill introduced by Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, might list Commerce ranking member Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, as a co-sponsor -- but it does not have his support.

Moments after the bill’s release, Inouye issued a statement saying his co-sponsorship was “in the spirit of bipartisanship” and “not a demonstration of support for the bill itself.”

source: Light Reading

MAY 03, 2006

The Senate's version of telecom reform legislation, released Monday, takes a decidedly localized approach to video franchise reform. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, say the nation's largest phone companies.