In Congress:
In an effort to get a tax reform bill to President Donald Trump's desk before the end of the year, Senate leaders are planning to hold a floor vote on the Republican-backed legislation as early as Dec. 30. The bill would slash the corporate tax rate to 20% from the existing 35% rate starting in 2019, and it would implement a repatriation rate of 10% for overseas cash and cash equivalents, as well as a 5% rate for noncash. But before any vote can occur, those inside and outside the Senate note much debate and even some changes to the proposal will be necessary.
The tax reform might have a bigger impact on some media and tech companies than others.
"We have members who are expressing what are legitimate concerns, who have ideas about how to make the bill stronger and better. And we're certainly open to those," Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said during a Nov. 26 interview on "Fox News Sunday." Thune, who heads the Senate Commerce Committee and is chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, said the Senate will have an "open process" for amendments. "Those amendments can get debated and voted upon. So … plenty of opportunities to change the bill in the direction that some of our senators want to see." Getting most of the 52 Senate Republicans on board with the bill will be essential if it is to pass without Democrat support. Senate Republicans hope to take advantage of special Senate budget rules that would enable them to pass certain tax measures with just 51 votes, rather than the 60 needed for most other legislation.
In order to drum up support for the bill, which calls for, Trump will address Republican senators at their weekly policy lunch on Nov. 28. Trump is also set to meet Nov. 28 with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.; House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Thune said Nov. 27 that despite the debate and the concerns around the bill, including its potential impact on the deficit, he expects tax reform to ultimately pass and become law.
The FCC:
While Congress creeps forward on tax reform, the Federal Communications Commission is moving forward on overhauling its net neutrality regulations. Just ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, Commission Chairman Ajit Pai released his plans for overturning the 2015 Open Internet Order, which classified broadband as a Title II service under the Communications Act. The classification made broadband subject to more stringent regulatory authority, enabling the FCC to enforce its net neutrality rules against blocking, throttling and paid prioritization. Now, Pai is looking to eliminate those rules and replace them with a transparency requirement, where broadband service providers will be required to inform customers if and when any blocking, throttling or prioritization is likely to occur.
In the weeks leading up to the Dec. 14 vote on the proposal, both Democrats and Republicans on the commission will be looking to get their message out. Pai, a Republican, for instance, wrote an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, arguing that the Title II classification imposed "burdensome" regulations on the broadband industry, discouraging investment. By overturning that classification, he said the FCC would allow broadband service providers to spend their money on deployment rather than compliance reports. "Instead of being flyspecked by lawyers and bureaucrats, the internet would once again thrive under engineers and entrepreneurs," he said. But Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat, responded with her own op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, saying that Pai's proposal is "a lousy idea" in that it would allow broadband providers to "carve internet access into fast and slow lanes, favoring the traffic of online platforms that have made special payments and consigning all others to a bumpy road." She encouraged internet users to "make a ruckus," arguing Pai's proposed order "deserves a heated response from the millions of Americans who work and create online every day."
One early event aimed at informing consumers and legislators about the issue is a briefing hosted by the public interest group Public Knowledge at the Capitol Visitors Center on Nov. 29. The group, which has been a vocal proponent of the current net neutrality rules, said the aim of the briefing is to provide "a legal and policy analysis" of Pai's proposal.
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| Congressional hearings: | ||
| Nov. 29 | The U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee will examine the economic outlook with | |
| Nov. 29 | The House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology and the Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection will hold a joint hearing at 10 a.m. ET titled "Algorithms: How Companies' Decisions About Data and Content Impact Consumers | |
| Nov. 30 | The House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will hold a hearing at 2 p.m. ET titled "Latest Developments in Combating Online Sex Trafficking | |
| FCC events | ||
| Nov. 28 | The FCC will host an information session for broadcasters preparing to fill out their biennial Form 323 and Form 323-E ownership report filings | |
| Dec. 1 | The 2017 biennial Form 323 and Form 323-E broadcast ownership report filing window opens | |
| Supreme Court | ||
| Nov. 27 | The Supreme Court will hear arguments in Oil States Energy Services LLC v. Greene's Energy Group LLC | |
| Nov. 29 | The Supreme Court will hear arguments in Carpenter v. U.S. | |
| Industry events | ||
| Nov. 27 | American Enterprise Institute will host an event titled, "Should Washington break up Big Tech | |
| Nov. 28 | Center for Democracy & Technology and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., will hold a discussion on Carpenter v. U.S. | |
| Nov. 28 | The R Street Institute and Lincoln Network will host an event titled "The Future of Internet Freedom | |
| Nov. 29 | The Federal Communications Bar Association's New York chapter will host a lunch with FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly | |
| Nov. 30 | The Technology Policy Institute will host an event on tech and antitrust titled "Antitrust and the Platform Economy | |
| Dec. 1 | WICT Carolinas will hold a networking luncheon in Raleigh, N.C., titled "Solving the Digital Disconnect | |
Stories of note:
FCC releases details for net neutrality overhaul in December meeting agenda
Analysts question DOJ's 'must-have' content argument in AT&T/Time Warner lawsuit
FCC chairman circulates plan to overhaul net neutrality regulations

