FCC Chairman Reed Hundt is off the hook or should I say off the leash. John Dingell (D-Mich.), a hurricane-like force even when not House Commerce Committee chairman, struck his own amendment to ban Hundt from traveling 50 miles from home. Big John (Commerce Committee Chair Tom Bliley, R-Va., would say Petty John) admitted he’d been criticized. He said perhaps Hundt should’ve been prohibited from traveling 50 miles near D.C.
What Mandl hath bought? The deal between the once and no longer future king of AT&T Corp. and Associated Communications L.L.C., which includes a $20 million signing bonus, is scripted in nearly 30 pages in a SEC filing. Now, the question is whether there’s a business there in light of Clinton administration efforts to sell 18 GHz DEMS spectrum not already in the hands of Associated and Digital Services Corp. Them Dems …
Collision diverted on the info highway. Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) had markup of the Promotion of Commerce Online in the Digital Era postponed after Sen. James Exon (D-Neb.) asked Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Larry Pressler (R-S.D.) to hold off while Vice President Gore firms up administration encryption policy.
Industry and the White House are still on a crash course. The administration wants a key escrow scheme and export controls for national security and law enforcement. Industry doesn’t.
Word is House Democratic leadership wants to fill Commerce Committee seats being vacated by Dems with freshman Dems to lure PAC bucks to candidates in an effort to oust the GOP.
Former FCC economist Peter Pitsch has new book, “The Innovation Age: A New Perspective on the Telecom Revolution.” Bottom line: deregulate and let the market decide. Computer industry is held up as model.
Rural cellular lottery scheduled for Sept. 18 postponed due to politics over dismissed licenses involving foreign board members.
Belt-tightening at Industrial Telecommunications Association.
Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.), having already dissed Bob Dole, his predecessor and presidential nominee, over broadcast auction policy now boots Sergeant at Arms Howard Greene-a Dole man-and replaces him with aide Greg Casey.
The 800 MHz industry coalition of AMTA, PCIA, Nextel and SMR Won visited last week with members of the House and makes rounds this week in the Senate to gain backing for a consensus plan on auction licensing before the FCC. AMTA filed supplemental comments on the docket last week.
Pam Small, former CTIA spokeswoman, rubbing elbows with the likes of former FCC Commissioner Andy Barrett and former Reagan White House aide Mike Deaver at Edelman.
