Rep. Oxley (R-O.) may have lost his bid to lead Commerce Committe...

Rep. Oxley (R-O.) may have lost his bid to lead Commerce Committee, but he still could have influence on telecom policy. He introduced bill (HR-235) to require FCC to eliminate its restrictions on newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership. Meanwhile, Rep. King (R-N.Y.) offered bill that would authorize FTC to issue new regulations on telemarketers. He has 9 initial co-sponsors, including Oxley. Also, two more lawmakers quickly brought back bills from last year: (1) Rep. Portman (R-O.) reintroduced his bill to repeal 3% telephone excise tax (now HR-236), with 30 initial co-sponsors. Bill passed House by 420-2 vote last year but never got vote in Senate. It then was folded into appropriations legislation that was vetoed by President Clinton. Bill again will go through Ways & Means Committee. It’s expected to get more favorable reception from incoming President Bush. (2) Rep. Holt (D-N.J.) reintroduced his measure (now HR-113) to prevent spamming on wireless devices. Introduced late in last session, Holt’s bill never got serious consideration.