The telecom industry, to borrow a campaign trail phrase from VP-elect Joe Biden, girding its loins for a new age of increased regulation. New congressional leadership and incoming policy makers in the Obama administration are expected to crack the whip on media consolidation and net neutrality.
Key players on Capitol Hill will be Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.)and Representative Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), both of whom will be chairing the respective committees overseeing telecommunications issues. Hailing from rural West Virginia, Rockefeller is expected to favor policies for universal access. He is also expected to push legislation giving the FCC the authority to regulate television violence.
On the House side, Waxman is expected to focus on energy and health care, delegating most telecom issues to Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.). The longtime top Democrat on the House's telecom subcommittee is expected to cut loose on net neutrality
Other players worth watching are Senators Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine).
For more:
- WSJ reports today on new activist leadership in Congress
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