With the skill of Solomon, House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) promised to split the powerful Telecommunications & Finance subcommittee into separate factions if the Republicans keep their majority hold on the House following the November elections.
The proposed move was meant to end partisan infighting between Reps. Billy Tauzin (R-La.) and Mike Oxley (R-Ohio), both of whom were lobbying for retiring Rep. Jack Fields’ (R-Texas) chair. As it stands now, Tauzin would head the new telecom subcommittee, and Oxley would chair the finance subcommittee. Both would act as vice chairmen of each other’s panel.
“Speculation concerning the likely chairmanship of the Telecommunications & Finance subcommittee in the 105th Congress has needlessly distracted this committee long enough, and I am therefore pleased that [Gingrich, Tauzin and Oxley] have agreed to my proposal for resolution of the question,” said Commerce Committee chairman Thomas Bliley Jr. (R-Va.).
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“Voice cellular telephony had luxury users as an early adopter market to support network buildout but data doesn’t have a good set of early adopters.”
-Mark Langner, director of voice service consulting at TeleChoice Inc.
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