WASHINGTON-The House of Representatives this week is expected to elect Rep. J. Dennis Hastert
(R-Ill.) to be speaker of the House for the 106th Congress. Hastert’s rise to the third-in-succession-to-the-presidency
post is significant for the wireless industry because of his membership on the House telecommunications
subcommittee.
Telecommunications policy makers describe Hastert as low key but conscientious. He attends
hearings and seems to know the issues but has not been out front on any specific telecom issues, let alone any wireless
issues. During the debate on the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Hastert worked behind the scenes as a conferee. In
the 105th Congress, he was a late co-sponsor to the Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of
1998.
Where Hastert’s influence might really be felt is in the reauthorization of the Federal Communications
Commission. Former Rep. Jack Fields (R-Texas), when he was chairman of the House telecommunications
subcommittee, appointed Hastert to head a task force on reforming the FCC during the 104th Congress.
For this
reason Fields, who now is a legislative consultant for the Personal Communications Industry Association, says he is
“excited” about Hastert’s speakership. “We now have a speaker who is intimately familiar with the
Telecommunications Act and intimately familiar with the mechanism that oversees the telecom industry,” Fields
said.
In addition to serving on the telecommunications subcommittee, Hastert also serves as ranking Republican on
the health and environment subcommittee. Indeed, some see his real passion to be health care. Fields argues Hastert
“has a great interest in telecom.”
The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association also said it
feels it is a plus to have a former telecom subcommittee member as speaker. “It is great to have someone who has
the knowledge of the industry and knowledge of the issues in that position,” said Tim Ayers, CTIA vice president
of communications.
Hastert was anointed speaker-to-be on Dec. 18 after Rep. Bob Livingston (R-La.), announced
he would not accept the speakership and would resign from Congress within six months. Livingston’s announcement
came just days after it was revealed he had had several extramarital affairs. The Livingston news and subsequent
announcement rocked an already stunned House, which, at that very moment, was debating whether to impeach
President Clinton on charges of lying about his own “inappropriate relationship” with Monica
Lewinsky.
The House leadership felt someone safe was needed. A former wrestling coach, he admitted to reporters
in December that “they do call me ‘The Coach’ on [Capitol] Hill, and I guess one of my roles is to put other
people out there in the limelight to get to be the star, and I think that’s what we’ll be able to do in this
Congress.”
The fate of the digital wiretap act grandfather date may have lost a bit of momentum with
Livingston’s fall and Hastert’s rise. Livingston had been seen by the telecom industry as a friend who would support
passage of the grandfather date change, which would allow more telecom carriers to be eligible to be reimbursed by
government for upgrades made to their network.
When it originally appeared Livingston would be Speaker of the
House, representatives of the wireless industry noted his previous help. “[Livingston] knows the history. He
knows the industry has tried to find solutions,” said Steven Berry, CTIA senior vice president for congressional
affairs.
Hastert may be a different matter since he is seen as a law-and-order type of guy. He voted against the bill to
loosen export controls on encryption products after a law enforcement-backed proposal failed in the House Commerce
Committee.
