WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) has been chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation for less than a month, but is already setting an ambitious telecom policy agenda.
In a speech to the American Enterprise Institute on Jan. 28, Thune laid out some of the goals for his tenure as chairman.
First among these is to address the lack of federal regulation on smartphones and the Internet, specifically updating the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
“Updating the Communications Act is no small undertaking, but it would be a dereliction of duty if Congress did not at least try to modernize the law, Thune said. “According to my former colleague John Kerry, the last significant update to the Communications Act, the Telecommunications Act of 1996, was “obsolete” within six months of enactment because it didn’t take the Internet into account.
“With the FCC poised to reclassify broadband due to a lack of clear statutory authority, we can readily see the consequences of that obsolescence and the need for action,” he said.
Another major issue Thune referred to was the antiquated spectrum policy; he was eager to note that there is common ground for politicians to come to some kind of consensus.
“Spectrum policy is one area that has the potential for bipartisan consensus and Congressional collaboration with the White House,” he said. “I think everyone was surprised to see just how successful the AWS-3 auction has been. Forty-five billion dollars is a lot of money, even in Washington, D.C., and it illustrates the incredible demand for wireless spectrum, which is needed to fuel the mobile revolution. But private-sector users are not the only ones who rely upon spectrum. Government users have important spectrum needs too.”
Thune was also keen to touch on issues of cybersecurity and Internet governance, which have been major topics in the public discussion of late.
Aside from policy notes, Thune played up the political aspect, specifically that the Republican Congress, after six years of obstructionist tactics, had been handed a mandate to govern.
“Voters in November entrusted Republicans with control of the Congress,” Thune said. “They expect us to break the partisan gridlock and get Congress back to working for the American people. My colleagues and I intend to do exactly that. We are wasting no time in tackling these important issues. Indeed, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden and I have begun the new Congress with a process to find a legislative solution to a problem that has vexed policymakers for more than a decade – how best to protect the open Internet.”
