The Senate Commerce Committee will review a bill to make it harder for companies to sue customers over negative online reviews at a markup on Wednesday.
The bill, called the Consumer Review Freedom Act, restricts companies who want to put language in contracts — called gag clauses — that allow them to pursue customers who post negative reviews. Major online review sites such as Yelp and TripAdvisor support the bill.
Committee members will also consider a bill aimed at loosening the federal government’s hold on wireless spectrum.
{mosads}The legislation, which has yet to be formally introduced, gives federal agencies financial incentives to give up their spectrum for private sector use. It also speeds up the process by which federal agencies handle requests to place wireless infrastructure on their properties.
A provision in the initial draft that would have allowed the agencies to lease their spectrum has been stripped from the legislation.
Both bills are sponsored by committee Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.), and the spectrum bill has moved particularly quickly: The first public draft was circulated Friday, Nov. 6.
All five members of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will trek back to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to undergo questioning by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
The commissioners have made multiple trips to Congress this year to answer for net neutrality rules implemented this summer. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has testified eight times. The Tuesday hearing will look at “the upcoming incentive auction, the open Internet order, video reforms, and the status of process reform efforts,” according to the committee.
“At its best, the FCC can help foster innovation, competition, job creation, and consumer access to 21st century technologies,” Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) said, adding that the agency needs to be held to transparency and accountability standards.
On Thursday, a separate subcommittee of Energy and Commerce will explore the “fast-evolving uses and economic impacts of drones.”
That same day, the FCC will hold its November open meeting and consider items related to public safety alerts and accessibility.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on women and tech on Tuesday, specifically focused on international development. Those testifying include leaders of the Alliance for Affordable Internet, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and the International Research and Exchanges Board.
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