WASHINGTON-There’s a reason the waning weeks of Congress are collectively called Silly Season.
It is because anything is possible during this fall ritual, when lawmakers scramble-against all odds-to complete spending bills before the start of the new fiscal year and try to pass legislation for the folks back home who’ll be voting a month from now. This year is no different. In fact, it’s worse.
President Clinton has signed only two of the 13 appropriations bills. Congress last week worked to pass the first of possibly several stopgap funding measures. The measure will keep the government running through Oct. 6.
The deliberative-albeit messy process-of lawmaking so characteristic of much of the congressional session suddenly turns chaotic and manic. Adding to the sound and fury this year are upcoming presidential and congressional elections and the prospect for enormous political change.
Indeed, Democrats-who believe they have a shot at taking back the House and possibly the Senate-are parlaying Silly Season politics into election-year politics. Republicans, who won control of the House and Senate in 1994 midterm elections only to lose one budget fight after another with the Clinton White House during the past eight years, are frantically trying to figure out an exit strategy that does not have a political downside.
“I am concerned, frankly, about the size and last-minute nature of this year’s congressional spending spree, where they seem to be loading up the spending bills with special projects for special interests,” said Clinton congressional Republicans last week.
Republicans have toyed with pairing spending bills and crafting mini omnibus spending bills as a solution to appropriations gridlock.
For the industry, it means around-the-clock phone calls, courtesy calls and intelligence gathering on tax, billing, privacy, consumer, bankruptcy, spending and other wireless-related bills that are in play. It also means being on guard against legislative language that might suddenly find its way into some unrelated piece of legislation that’s on the move.
“We’re looking at everything. We have to at this point,” said Steven Berry, senior vice president for congressional affairs for the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association.
From all accounts, the wireless industry’s top priority is stopping NextWave Telecom Inc. from securing legislation that would prevent the Federal Communications Commission from reclaiming the bankrupt firm’s mobile phone licenses and re-auctioning them on Dec. 12.
High-powered lobbyists on both sides of the debate have been frequent visitors to lawmakers’ offices. Advertisements are being run in Capital Hill newspapers to make the point.
“There has been a broad coalition of wireless carriers of all sizes-small and larger-that are making a strong case in Congress for the integrity of the auction process and the importance of not doing any kind of sweetheart deal with NextWave in the remaining days of Congress. We are picking up evidence that the message is being heard,” said Howard Woolley, vice president of federal relations for Verizon Wireless.
Mobile phone carriers, on their own and through the CTIA, are trying to prevent pro-NextWave legislation as well as pushing for passage of a Senate appropriations bill that would allow the FCC to retrieve wireless licenses that are entangled in bankruptcy.
The provision-authored by Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) is included in the Senate spending bill that funds the FCC, Commerce Department, Justice Department and other agencies. The problem is the bill has not been debated on the Senate floor. A companion bill in the House, passed in June, does not include the anti-NextWave provision.
“We are extremely appreciative of the fair hearings we have received in so many of the offices on Capital Hill this year. We will continue to support efforts to achieve a resolution of the C-block (personal communications services auction) problem that will allow us to put our licenses into productive use as soon as possible,” said Michael Wack, deputy general counsel for NextWave.
