House E&C to Mark Up LABEL Act

The House Energy & Commerce Committee has scheduled a markup for July 30 — opening statements July 29 — on the LABEL Act (H.R. 5161) and the Anti-Spoofing Act, two of three bills it featured in a legislative hearing July 24.

Missing is the LPTV/translator bill, which a source said still needs a little more work.

The LABEL Act requires the FCC to allow consumer electronics with integral screens — smart phones, computers — to use those screens for FCC certification and other info rather than have to carry a physical label.

The FCC just two weeks ago essentially made that change in its own guidance and on its own authority, so the bill appears mostly moot. But it will set a timetable for a rulemaking that would make it the law of the land rather than the advice of the current agency.

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.