Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) will return as chairman of the powerful Energy & Commerce Committee after he was re-elected by the House Democratic Caucus Thursday (Dec. 3). Pallone pledged to push an aggressive agenda to modernize infrastructure, protect privacy, and to “rebuild and restore critical functions of key agencies under the committee’s jurisdiction that were dismantled over the last four years by the outgoing Trump Administration.”
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has asked the chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee to speak out against Free Press’s emergency petition to the FCC to stop what that group said was “right-wing personalities” spreading disinformation about the pandemic.
As expected, the House Democratic Caucus has elected Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) as the new chairman of the Energy & Commerce Committee, which has primary jurisdiction over communications issues and the FCC. He succeeds Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) with the changeover of control of the House to the Democrats in January.
A pair of top House Democrats are calling for Congress to hold public hearings on President Trump’s threats to revoke the broadcast licenses of media outlets he doesn’t like. Reps. Frank Pallone Jr. and Mike Doyle said today that they want all five members of the FCC to testify before Congress to disavow the president’s comments “publicly and under oath.”
The House Energy and Commerce communications subcommittee may be making a push on telecom issues, but don’t expect to see Rep. Frank Pallone’s new telecom bill on the agenda anytime soon. Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden told Politico’s Morning Tech newsletter that he’s not on board with Pallone’s new bill that would give the FCC a $1 billion emergency fund to help broadcasters stay on the air after this year’s incentive auction. He cited timing concerns.
Rep. Pallone Introduces the Viewer Protection Act to safeguard consumers’ TV signals following the broadcast incentive auction. The bill proposes allocating $90 million to educate the public on how the repacking may affect them and an extra $1 billion in case the $1.75 billion already mandated to reimburse broadcasters for expenses in moving to new channels proves inadequate.
Exclusives
Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee said Friday that the FCC should not impose “sweeping” regulations on the streaming video services that are rapidly changing the ways that Americans watch television and movies.
U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, a Democratic New Jersey congressman running for Senate, is asking the FCC to revoke the license of WWOR, which is licensed to Secaucus, N.J. FOX, which owns WWOR, this week replaced the station’s only newscast with Chasing New Jersey a 30-minute show focused on “issues driving conversations” in the state. Pallone voiced his thoughts on Twitter by saying, “WWOR’s cancellation of nightly news fails New Jerseyans who want & deserve local news coverage. FCC must take action.”
