Hill telecom talks consider targeted broadband bill

The participants also looked at what characteristics a possible net neutrality rule might have if targeted legislation were to be shaped, they said, but the usual disagreements on this remained intact.

The effort to examine communications law follows an April appeals court decision that thrust into uncertainty the bounds of the FCC’s legal authority to regulate broadband issues, including whether it has the muscle to enforce net neutrality rules.

Proponents of net neutrality rules argue the slow pace of the legislative process means the FCC must seek to clarify its legal authority over broadband access providers rather than wait for Congress — an effort it launched in June.

“Everyone here knows that nothing can happen this year,” Schwartzman said. “That doesn’t make [legislative discussions] a worthless process.”

U.S. Telecom, which represents the broadband providers, declined to comment on the meetings. Big providers have called for the FCC to let Congress clarify broadband questions rather than boost its authority on its own.

The chairmen of the authorizing committees called last month to update the Communications Act of 1934, which was last overhauled as the Telecommunications Act of 1996 after a lobbying battle that dragged on for years.

FCC-brokered negotiations are also taking up the the question of net neutrality rules. They include Verizon, AT&T, the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, Google, Skype and the Open Internet Coalition.

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