Reid blocks Thune tech bill over FCC nomination fight

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday blocked a tech bill championed by Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) because of the stalled re-nomination of a Democrat on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Reid cited Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel’s outstanding nomination to a second term on the FCC as he objected to Thune’s request to pass the MOBILE NOW Act by unanimous consent.

{mosads}“I do not apologize to anybody for objecting to this legislation,” Reid said. “He can bring it out every other day — I’ll object to it — every other minute, every other hour.”

Thune’s bill aims to free up more of the frequencies that carry signals to mobile devices like smartphones.

The South Dakota Republican, who holds a position in party leadership, has previously said he expects the issue to come to a head in the lame duck session after the presidential election in November.

Tuesday’s dispute was latest tense moment in an ongoing battle over Rosenworcel’s nomination.

Reid says that when he still controlled the majority in 2014, he agreed to confirm Republican Michael O’Rielly to the FCC on the condition that Republicans would advance Rosenworcel’s nomination when the time came.

“It wasn’t my idea, it was theirs,” Reid said Tuesday, referring to Thune and now-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

Rosenworcel’s re-nomination was approved late last year by the Commerce Committee. But it has yet to be brought up for a vote by the full chamber.

As tensions built, Reid placed a hold on Thune’s bill. Reid on Tuesday also tried to tie the Rosenworcel nomination to other Democratic frustrations over how judicial nominees have been handled by Republicans.

Thune lamented that state of play on Tuesday, accusing Democrats of playing partisan politics with a non-controversial piece of legislation.

“We had her hearing, we voted her out of the committee,” he said. “Scheduling the floor is not something that I control.”

“These two issues have been inexplicably linked, but they need not be.”