As the hours dwindle before the scheduled FCC vote, more members of Congress are joining the chorus, strongly urging the FCC to postpone its Nov. 4 vote.
| FCC Chairman Kevin Martin |
The latest leaders to send letters to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin suggesting that the vote on a number of telecom issues be postponed include: Senators Chuck Hagel (D-Neb.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), George Voinovich (R-Ohio), Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Robert Casey (D-Penn.).
These added voices now bring the total to 37 senators and 79 members of the House of Representatives.
In his letter, Senator Hagel wrote: “While I agree that the government must address these important issues, I am concerned that the process has been hasty and opaque. These proposals will have large effects on both consumers and industry, yet many stakeholders have not had the opportunity to comment on the specific proposal. The FCC should not rush to a conclusion based on insufficient information, and inadequate record, and a compressed deliberative period. Moreover, I am concerned that these important issues are being brought up at a time when Congress is unable to conduct its usual oversight role.”
Senators Leahy and Sanders co-signed a separate letter to the FCC, stating, “Any action that the FCC eventually takes to reform intercarrier compensation and the universal service fund must be sensitive to the needs of rural America.”
Senator Casey echoed these sentiments, “It is my belief that any intercarrier compensation arrangement devised by the FCC needs to be comprehensive and fair so that the burden is not placed at the doorstep of rural telecommunications providers and consumers.”
Filed Under: Industry regulations + certifications