Rockefeller Op-Ed Asks NFL to Show Good Faith Effort to Break Labor Impasse

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today encouraged National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell to find a way to give the NFL Player’s Association more information on the league’s finances. In a Washington Post op-ed published today, the senator said this gesture could help avert a strike. Today’s column comes amid new reports of stalled collective bargaining negotiations between team owners and NFL players.

Commerce Expands Deposition Procedures as Part of Aggressive Oversight Role for 112th Session

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today held a business meeting to approve new expedited procedures to conduct witness depositions. Under the new rules, Chairman Rockefeller can now authorize committee staff to interview witnesses under oath during committee investigations. The new rules also give Republican Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchison and her staff the right to participate in these depositions.

Republican Leader Joins with Senators Hutchison and Ensign on Resolution of Disapproval to Repeal FCC’s Internet Regulations

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today joined with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senator John Ensign (R-Nev.) to introduce a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal net neutrality regulations recently adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). A companion measure was introduced in the House by Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Representative Greg Walden (R-Ore.). The Senate resolution is cosponsored by thirty-nine Republican senators.

Rockefeller’s Bill Gains Support of Every Major National Public Safety Organization

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Support for Chairman Rockefeller’s Public Safety Spectrum and Wireless Innovation Act (S. 28) continues to grow. The Chairman’s proposal to allocate 10 megahertz of the 700 MHz spectrum known as the “D-block” to public safety officials for a nationwide, interoperable, wireless broadband network has been embraced by national and local public safety organizations.