Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., will chair the chamber’s Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee, which oversees FCC and FTC funding, the Senate Appropriations Committee said Friday. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi will be the subcommittee’s lead Republican. Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, who chaired the subpanel in the last Congress, moved to be lead Republican on the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee. The shift appears to be at Kennedy’s request rather than in reaction to his repeated involvement in FCC-related telecom policy debates, lobbyists told us. Kennedy was heavily involved in congressional scrutiny of the FCC’s now-completed sale of spectrum in the 3.7-4.2 GHz C band (see 2005270034). Van Hollen replaces Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware as lead Financial Services Democrat. Coons will instead chair the State Subcommittee. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., will chair the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Subcommittee, which oversees the budgets for NTIA and other Commerce Department agencies. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., will be ranking member. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., will chair the Homeland Security Subcommittee, with Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., as ranking member. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., will chair the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee, which oversees the CPB budget. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., will be ranking member.

Reps. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., and Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., refiled the House companion to the Telecom Skilled Workforce Act Thursday. The bill, refiled in the Senate last week by Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D. (see 2102020072), would increase the 5G workforce by requiring the FCC to lead an interagency working group to develop recommendations to address the telecom sector’s labor needs. The FCC would issue guidance on how states can address the telecom workforce shortage by identifying existing federal resources. “As rural communities experience the increasing need for high-speed broadband access, the demand for a qualified workforce to build out this infrastructure is greater than ever,” Walberg said. He cited support from CTIA, NATE, NTCA, USTelecom and the Wireless Infrastructure Association.

A bipartisan bill introduced Thursday would direct the FCC to assess spectrum supply for IoT and 5G devices and deliver its findings to Congress biennially. “The explosion in use of IoT devices by families and businesses means we need to ensure we have enough spectrum available to accommodate this growing technology,” said Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., who introduced the IoT Readiness Act with Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y.

Congress should consider whether the federal government’s “plan for spectrum allocation sufficiently” balances “DOD requirements with the requirements of commercial applications,” the Congressional Research Service reported. “Since DOD is the largest holder of federal frequencies, policies to reallocate spectrum for commercial use often affect” the department. “As Congress considers policies to allocate additional spectrum for commercial use, it may consider increasing demands for spectrum, the impact on DOD systems and uses, unintended frequency interference, the interagency process for allocating spectrum, and DOD’s ability to anticipate future spectrum needs.” CRS noted Wednesday DOD’s opposition to the FCC’s approval of the Ligado L-band plan, along with other federal agencies’ disputes with the commission that draw lawmaker attention (see 2101260063).

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus pressed President Joe Biden to appoint a Latino FCC commissioner. It tweeted Thursday that the “continued absence” of at least one member of the community on the commission “would be tremendously disappointing” because “Latinos represent almost 20% of the U.S. population, are the largest ethnic minority group, & consistently over-index” on media consumption. CHC Chairman Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., began urging Biden’s transition team in late December to fill a vacant FCC seat “with a qualified Latino candidate.” Biden faced pressure from other groups to appoint acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel or fellow Democratic Commissioner Geoffrey Starks as permanent chair for representation reasons. Senate Democrats want Biden to move quickly to name a third FCC Democrat to break a 2-2 deadlock (see 2102050064). With “multiple qualified Latino candidates” available, the CHC is “confident that there is no reason why a qualified Latino candidate should not be appointed to be at least an FCC commissioner,” Ruiz wrote Biden transition co-Chair Jeffrey Zients.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., formally took over the chair's gavel Thursday after the panel passed its rules and budget for this Congress. The committee didn’t disclose subcommittee leadership roles, but a Senate aide told us announcements are coming soon. Ed Markey, D-Mass., is expected to take over as Communications Subcommittee chairman (see 2101190001). Previous lead Democrat Brian Schatz of Hawaii is giving up the role (see 2101290049). Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., is expected to remain his party's lead member (see 2011020048). Cantwell said she will make “information age” issues a top Commerce priority, including broadband, privacy, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. The committee will “come up with what is our infrastructure response” to the economic fallout from COVID-19 “to keep our infrastructure moving,” she said. The committee needs to address tech-related disparities, including “strategies to help women in the workforce, particularly in ... science, technology, engineering, and math.” Cantwell said she's “the first woman” to chair Senate Commerce and "I don't plan on being the last one.” The committee has four new members: John Hickenlooper, D-Colo.; Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M.; Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.; and Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.

Sen. Rob Portman will be ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, the Ohio Republican announced Tuesday. He plans to “prioritize cybersecurity” with oversight of the SolarWinds attack (see 2102010063).

The Unified Coordination Group should name a U.S. official to lead the response to the SolarWinds cyberattack (see 2102010063), Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., and ranking member Marco Rubio, R-Fla., wrote federal agencies Tuesday. “The briefings we have received convey a disjointed and disorganized response to confronting the breach,” they wrote National Intelligence Director Avril Haines, NSA Director Paul Nakasone, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency acting Director Brandon Wales. “Taking a federated rather than a unified approach means that critical tasks that are outside the central roles of your respective agencies are likely to fall through the cracks.” They requested a leader who can “coordinate the response, set priorities, and direct resources to where they are needed.” The agencies didn’t comment.

Apple should review its new app privacy labels, given reports they’re “often misleading or inaccurate,” House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chair Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., wrote CEO Tim Cook Tuesday. About “one third of evaluated apps with ‘Data Not Collected’ labels were found to in fact collect data,” they wrote, citing reports. “We urge Apple to improve the validity of its App Privacy labels to ensure consumers are provided meaningful information about their apps’ data practices and that consumers are not harmed by these potentially deceptive practices.” The company didn’t comment.

Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Telecom Act with a Twitter chat about the law's impact and an online video featuring legislators and former commissioners. In the video, Rosenworcel credited the act with paving the way for the modern use of the internet and said it should guide how to modify communications policy, “because access to modern communications for everyone everywhere has never been more important for full participation in American life.” “It’s a fine old act,” sang former Commissioner Rachelle Chong on the video as she performed a song she composed for the occasion. “We have to move with urgency” to restore net neutrality, combat consolidation and focus on inclusion and equity, said Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. “We need to debate and discuss bipartisan reforms,” said Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., supporting universal broadband. Former Commissioner Susan Ness said the FCC has become more divided since the act passed. In a separate video for the Hudson Institute, former Commissioners Mike O’Rielly and Harold Furchtgott-Roth -- both ex-congressional staffers who worked on the measure -- said they were surprised how portions of it are interpreted. Furchtgott-Roth believed at the time of the act’s passing that media ownership rules would be gone within two years: “I think that was the intention of Congress at the time.” O’Rielly decried the use of the preamble as a justification for FCC policies. Furchtgott-Roth said he drafted the preamble, which says the act exists “to promote competition and reduce regulation in order to secure lower prices and higher quality services.” The preamble wasn’t meant to be substantive, the former commissioner said: “It was supposed to be completely worthless.” In a Twitter chat with Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., Rosenworcel said the timing of the '96 law "was no coincidence." Consumers "enjoyed waves of new products and services, and U.S. innovators set the pace globally for the emerging internet economy," she tweeted. A key program established under the law was E-rate, but many students still lack internet access and visit in parking lots to do homework, Rosenworcel said. It's an issue close to the heart for Hayes, 2016's Teacher of the Year. "Millions of kids across this country … can not do their homework or participate in class" during the pandemic because they can't get online, Hayes tweeted. The commission sought comments last week on whether to allow E-rate funds for remote learning (see 2102010064).