Senate Commerce Schedules FCC Oversight Hearing

The Senate Commerce Committee will hold an FCC oversight hearing March 2.

According to the committee, all five commissioners (the chairman is also a commissioner) are scheduled to appear.

Look for the upcoming incentive auction and over-the-top video policy to be on the agenda.

“From video policy to spectrum, the FCC’s decisions have an enormous effect on the future of our technology economy,” said Committee chairman John Thune (R-S.D.) in announcing the hearing. “This hearing presents an opportunity for committee members to raise issues with the agency’s top decision makers and evaluate the need for legislative initiatives.”

The committee called it a chance to "evaluate the need for legislative initiatives." That could also include an update on any progress, or lack of it, on talks about a bipartisan bill to clarify the FCC's Internet oversight authority.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.