GOP Rep. Blackburn gets key tech subcommittee gavel

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) will be the new chair of the House Commerce Subcommittee on Technology and Communications.

Blackburn is replacing Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), who left the post after being elected by House Republicans to chair the full Energy and Commerce Committee in December.

“It is an honor to have been chosen to serve as the Chairman of the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee,” Blackburn said in a statement. “I look forward to working with Chairman Greg Walden and my great colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee.”

{mosads}

“We’ve got a lot of work to do this Congress when it comes to fixing our broken health care system, advancing solutions that empower consumers and small businesses, and valuing low-cost, transformative energy solutions,” Walden said in a statement Friday announcing the subcommittee chairmanships. 

“It will be an all hands on deck effort, and I’m confident that the team we’ve assembled will put forth the hard work needed to get the job done.”

Blackburn was previously the vice chairwoman of the committee, a post that is now being filled by Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas).

She is a strong opponent of the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules.

This story was updated at 2:27 p.m.