Thune Confirms 'Most Likely' to Seek Senate Communications Gavel; Schatz Expects Partnership
Outgoing Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., told us Thursday he “most likely” will seek the Communications Subcommittee chairmanship, confirming earlier information from a Senate GOP aide (see 1811150019). Thune, elected Wednesday as the chamber's majority whip, had been…
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debating whether to seek the gavel of the Communications or Surface Transportation sub (see 1811020048 and 1811140055). Thune is relinquishing the Senate Commerce chairmanship at the end of this Congress. Senate Communications Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., is likely to succeed him. Thune emphasized Wicker, if selected to lead Senate Commerce, ultimately will decide who leads the subcommittees. Lobbyists said Thune is likely a lock to take the Communications gavel given his seniority within the GOP caucus. Commerce policymaking in the Senate is largely conducted at the full committee level, but the Communications gavel would give Thune a continuing substantial influence on telecom and tech measures, lobbyists said. Communications ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, lauded Thune's interest in chairing the subcommittee. Thune “likes to get things done, and he and I have a good working relationship,” Schatz told us. "I look forward to continuing that partnership." The two senators have been working for more than a year to advance the Streamlining the Rapid Evolution and Modernization of Leading-Edge Infrastructure Necessary to Enhance Small Cell Deployment Act (S-3157), among other matters. The bill aims to implement a “reasonable process and timeframe guidelines” for state and local small-cell consideration (see 1806290063). S-3157 faces headwinds because of opposition from state and local governments (see 1810040055). “I think we can do something meaningful” on privacy legislation given momentum there, but “I'm not too sure” about the potential for progress on net neutrality, Schatz said. Thune, Wicker and other lawmakers also see privacy legislation as a 2019 priority (see 1811140053). “The first order of business needs to be” work on “ambitious” privacy legislation, but Senate Communications also should continue focusing on rural broadband deployments, the push for improvements to FCC broadband coverage maps and telehealth, Schatz said.