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The Communications Act of 1934 is showing its...

The Communications Act of 1934 is showing its age and needs an update, House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., reiterated Thursday in a message on the House Commerce Committee website (http://1.usa.gov/1m4LPWm). President Franklin Roosevelt had signed the Communications Act 80 years ago as of Thursday, thus creating the FCC. “Now I won’t claim to know what was going on in the minds of lawmakers in 1934, but I think it’s safe to say the members of the 73rd Congress did not have daydreams of the Internet or the near-ubiquitous connectivity of today’s mobile wireless networks,” Walden declared, saying the act “falls woefully short in accounting for the many innovative technologies we enjoy today.” In December, he and other House Commerce Committee Republicans had launched an attempt to update the act, with hearings and white papers this year and legislation next year. “We have received tremendous public input on our #CommActUpdate and encourage that to continue as we release additional white papers on the detailed issues that weigh so heavily on today’s communications marketplace,” Walden said. The House Republicans have released three white papers exploring these issues so far. The latest, on competition policy, which the subcommittee only recently posted online (http://1.usa.gov/1psSfzA) has received 84 responses.