Lobbying
Ethics Reform Bill To Bar Most Lobbyist-Paid Travel
     House lawmakers started cleaning their own house this week by casting votes on ethics reform hours after a swearing-in ceremony elevated Democrats to control of the chamber. The ethics package would ban gifts from lobbyists and require that tickets to sporting events for lawmakers and staff by non-lobbyists be valued at market price. Virtually all travel funded by lobbyists would be banned. The Ethics Committee would develop guidelines for lobbyist involvement in one-day/one-night travel and would review all trips in advance to make sure they are for official duties and have reasonable expenses. Art Brodsky of Public Knowledge said his group would like to see the travel restrictions allow room for general education of lawmakers on issues. He noted, for instance, that "it may be useful for them to go to the Consumer Electronics Show next week, particularly if they're dealing with technology issues."

Campaigns
House Democrat Asks About Florida Election On Floor
     A House Democrat made a parliamentary inquiry to ensure that a congressional probe into a controversial election in Florida does not prejudice legal activity challenging the results there. New Jersey's Rush Holt made the floor inquiry about the election of Republican Vern Buchanan, who defeated Democrat Christine Jennings by just 369 votes in Florida's 13th District. Citing e-voting glitches and an 18,000-vote difference in ballots cast between her race and others, Jennings has challenged her election in court. Last month, she also contested the results to the House Administration Committee. Holt, the author of legislation that would require e-voting machines to produce voter-verified paper trails, spoke in support of Jennings' challenge before Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., swore in the new members of the chamber. Ralph Neas, the president of People for the American Way Foundation, commended Holt for the move, but Democrats did not protest the swearing-in of Buchanan.

Antitrust
Congress Could Weigh In On AT&T, BellSouth Merger
     The FCC's approval last week of a merger between AT&T and BellSouth could have implications for the network neutrality debate in Washington, policy watchers said. Legislative attempts to codify the nondiscrimination principle for content on high-speed Internet networks fell short last year, but the 110th Congress may offer a second chance. As part of the merger, AT&T agreed to "maintain a neutral network and neutral routing" in its wire-based broadband, among other things. The condition is in effect for two years. But Public Knowledge President Gigi Sohn said AT&T previously has claimed that its Internet-based television service is not subject to the rules for cable services. "Congress, not an AT&T sleight-of-hand maneuver, should ultimately decide whether net neutrality should apply to cable and video services," she said. Ben Scott of Free Press said that as a result of the merger deal, "we are no longer having a debate about whether net neutrality should be the law of the land. We are having a debate about how and when."

On The Hill
Internet Caucus Chairmen Optimistic On Net Neutrality
     As the House looks for bipartisan issues to pass this year, the co-chairmen of the Congressional Internet Caucus hope technology issues will get floor time. Universal telecommunications service, video-franchising and network neutrality for high-speed Internet content are issues they hope the new Congress will address sooner rather than later. Reps. Rick Boucher, D-Va. and Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said they believe a middle ground on net neutrality is possible. "The driving fear [among content providers] is owners of the pipes would set up a situation where access is controlled by how much they pay," Goodlatte said, adding that he hopes Congress can prevent that by changing antitrust regulations. Boucher said Democratic control of Congress should bolster net neutrality prospects. Boucher also plans to reintroduce a bill to reform the program for providing universal telecom service. And both he and Goodlatte favor federal video franchises to replace competing state and local systems.

Security
Key Democrats Back Communications Grant Program
     Senior Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee want Congress to create a grant program to help cities update systems so they can communicate across jurisdictions. The lawmakers said such a program is needed given a new report from the Homeland Security Department that found gaps in such interoperability among emergency responders. Incoming committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., recalled the responders who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "The only way to truly address this problem is to create an interoperability grant program that provides guidance and exclusive funding for states and cities to wisely build out their communications systems without forcing them to choose over funding their bridges and water supply," he said. Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., also touted a grant program. North Carolina Democrat David Price, meanwhile, said he expects to use the chairmanship of the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee to hold "extensive hearings" on the department.

Porn
House Panel Recommends Steps To Fight Child Porn
     The House Energy and Commerce Committee staff unveiled legislative recommendations for how to curb online child pornography, an issue the panel spent much of the last year discussing. The committee held nine hearings on the topic, and Democrat Bart Stupak of Michigan, who is expected to chair the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, said he will work "to implement the report's recommendations" with Democrats in power. Law enforcers back a data-retention policy of at least one year for Internet service providers, and the report urges Congress to consider requiring that companies retain Internet-addressing information for as long as it takes to help track child porn peddlers. Lawmakers also should clarify that cellular telephone carriers, online social networks and Web hosts are not exempt from reporting illegal content discovered on their systems, the report said, and the Justice Department should help create a database of Web addresses that point to child pornography.

Lobbying
Little Focus On Telecom In Chamber's Agenda
     The U.S. Chamber of Commerce may not dedicate as much attention to trying to overhaul the nation's telecommunications laws now that regulatory-minded Democrats control Congress. Chamber President and CEO Thomas Donohue did not mention telecom issues during a lengthy speech outlining the business group's legislative goals for 2007. But following his remarks, he told reporters it remains a priority. "We still have the same number of people using telephones," he quipped in response to a question about whether the subject is less important without business-friendly Republicans in charge. On the copyright front, recording artists may be the object of affection among reform advocates as they begin to push for legislation in the new Congress. Musicians traditionally have taken the same stance on copyright as the Recording Industry Association of America, but other groups plan to start courting them. Harold Feld of the Media Access Project said Capitol Hill is now deadlocked over music royalties, and the time is right for groups like his "to tip the balance and be persuasive."