Senate Commerce OK's Rural Wireless Access Act, NTSB Nominee; Waits on NHTSA Head
The Senate Commerce Committee advanced the Rural Reasonable and Comparable Wireless Access Act (S-2418) Tuesday on a voice vote. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, plans to object if Senate leaders attempt to pass the bill on the floor under unanimous consent.…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
Lee would "say no to that" but is "not trying to block the bill from being fully debated and amended on the Senate floor," a spokesman said. The updated bill and HR-2903 would direct the FCC to establish a national standard for deciding whether fixed and mobile broadband services in rural areas are “reasonably comparable” to urban services (see 1802130057). HR-2903 drew praise during a March House Communications Subcommittee hearing (see 1803220055). Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., a S-2418 lead sponsors, lauded the vote as a “positive” step in “bridging the digital divide.” The Competitive Carriers Association, which backed HR-2903/S-2418, believes “current law requires reasonably comparable services between America’s rural and urban communities,” said President Steve Berry. The committee cleared National Transportation Safety Board nominee Jennifer Homendy on a voice vote. It delayed a planned vote on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration head nominee Heidi King amid concerns that not all Republican members would be able to attend, Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Monday. “We assume” Senate Commerce Democrats are “probably going to” vote against King, necessitating a full complement of all 14 committee Republicans to overrule the 13 Democrats, Thune said. Democrats are objecting to King “in part due to lingering concerns” from Senate Commerce ranking member Bill Nelson, D-Fla., about her answers to questions about NHTSA's handling of a Takata air bag recall, a Nelson spokesman said.