WASHINGTON-A House appropriations subcommittee last week slashed administration-proposed budgets for the Federal Communications Committee and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, prompting criticism from Democrats who want funding restored for the White House’s digital divide initiative.
The panel voted for a $207 million budget for the FCC in fiscal 2001, $29 million less than requested by the administration. NTIA, a unit of the Commerce Department, was appropriated $10.9 million. The president asked for $20 million.
With the House appropriations subcommittee’s action, funding for the FCC and NTIA in 2001 would remain close to current budget levels.
The panel rejected the $175 million requested by President Clinton to foster Internet access for low-income and minority citizens.
In other activity on Capitol Hill, lawmakers appeared close to filing a conference report on electronic signature legislation. The bill, poised for House and Senate votes, is designed to foster e-commerce transactions on wireless and wireline platforms.
House Commerce Committee Chairman Thomas Bliley (R-Va.) this week expected to have more to say on a recently surfaced memo regarding the FCC’s Portals lease that invoked Vice President Gore’s name. Bliley on June 1 asked the Justice Department to investigate whether the memo was deliberately withheld by Tennessee developer Franklin Haney or his associates who worked on the Portals project and have close ties to the vice president.
