One House Democrat who urged the FCC not to reclassify broadband as a Title II service doesn’t think legislation codifying that thinking is the right approach. House Communications Subcommittee Vice Chairman Bob Latta, R-Ohio, introduced the industry-supported HR-4752 last week (CD May 30 p6), which would prevent the FCC from reclassifying broadband as a Title II telecom service, as some net neutrality advocates have sought. “I have always believed that we should take a cautious and deliberate approach to any legislation that will result in a significant departure from the way the Internet is currently regulated,” Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga., told us in a statement on HR-4752, which Bishop does not support. “The Latta proposal, however, would summarily prohibit the FCC from fully considering all possible options.” Bishop had signed a May letter to the FCC from 20 House Democrats urging the agency not to reclassify (CD May 15 p6). He referred us to the FCC’s comment period for its net neutrality NPRM and urged “all stakeholders to raise their concerns so we can have a full and vibrant dialogue” on net neutrality and reclassification. “While I believe that the FCC should closely scrutinize any proposals for regulating Internet Service Providers as Title II common carriers, I also believe we should take an equally cautious approach to any legislation that may limit the FCC’s tools to maintain a fair and robust Internet,” Bishop said. He underscored the importance of “a free and open Internet for consumers, content providers, and Internet Service Providers.”

Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., introduced legislation Wednesday to remove tariffs on a raft of electronic learning devices for children. The Elimination of Tariffs on Education for Children’s Act would insert subheading 8543.70.94 into the Harmonized Tariff Schedule to provide for duty-free import of the learning devices. HR-4748 (http://1.usa.gov/1oOIAlL) would replicate the duty-free status of 8543.70.92, a subheading that addresses electrical machines with translation or dictionary functions, flat-panel displays and other goods. The bill would make the tariff removal on the products permanent, said Black, according to a spokesman. “Electronic learning devices have been used in hundreds of thousands of classrooms and households,” said Black. “Congress has already recognized the importance of eliminating duties on electronic educational devices and has approved three temporary tariff reductions under the Miscellaneous Tariff Bills since 2004.” The Black legislation has four co-sponsors.

The House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee for Homeland Security advanced Department of Homeland Security FY 2015 appropriations legislation by unanimous voice vote Wednesday. Committee Democratic leadership supported the legislation during the markup. Lawmakers didn’t offer or debate amendments. The full Appropriations Committee will now consider the bill, which would have $39.2 billion in DHS discretionary appropriations. That’s $50 million below the level for FY 2014, and $887.8 million more than President Barack Obama sought, said a committee news release Tuesday (http://1.usa.gov/SVo73B).

The Senate Communications Subcommittee plans a June 5 hearing on the IP transition and public safety, it said in a notice Thursday. The hearing is to start at 10:30 a.m. in 253 Russell. Witnesses weren’t announced.

The House was expected to vote Thursday night on a Commerce Department appropriations bill that would trim NTIA’s budget amid battles over Internet governance. HR-4660, the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, would appropriate $36.7 million for NTIA, less than the $51 million requested by the executive branch. The White House “opposes the funding reduction from the FY 2014 enacted level and the FY 2015 Budget request for NTIA,” which “would prevent NTIA from standing-up the Internet Policy Center to bolster the Administration’s Internet governance and policy efforts,” the Office of Management and Budget said Wednesday. Lawmakers also debated an amendment from Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., which would prevent the transition of Internet Assigned Numbers Authority functions to a global multistakeholder model. House Commerce Committee ranking member Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Communications Subcommittee ranking member Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., had circulated a Dear Colleague letter urging lawmakers to reject the amendment. The Internet Association and Information Technology Industry Council sent House leadership a letter (http://bit.ly/1jwznsO) Wednesday backing NTIA’s proposed transition and also slamming the Duffy amendment. The tech groups warned of “any disruption in resources” for NTIA’s transition. American for Tax Reform’s Digital Liberty sent a letter to Congress in support of the Duffy amendment.

The Senate Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law plans a June 4 hearing on the Location Privacy Protection Act (S-2171), which would require opt-in consent for mobile apps wishing to collect location information (http://1.usa.gov/1mGwj1X). Subcommittee Chairman Al Franken, D-Minn., reintroduced the bill in March (http://1.usa.gov/1mGA1sv). The hearing will be in 226 Dirksen at 2:30 p.m.

House Commerce Committee member Ralph Hall, R-Texas, lost his primary race in a runoff vote Tuesday to former U.S. attorney and Heath, Texas, mayor John Ratcliffe. The vote was 52.8 percent to 47.2 percent. Hall’s tenure in the House, initially as a Democrat, began in 1981. Hall was a rumored candidate to be chairman of the Commerce Committee four years ago (CD May 27/10 p2). He subsequently became chairman of the Science Committee.

"Any hindering of NTIA’s ability to conduct the proper levels of due diligence” for its transition of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) “through the use of currently available resources could result in harm to U.S. businesses and Internet users as a whole,” wrote Bruce Josten, U.S. Chamber of Commerce executive vice president-government affairs, to the House Tuesday. The letter was about the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2015 (HR-4660), slated for debate on the House floor Wednesday and a vote Thursday (http://1.usa.gov/1wgP2WX). HR-4660 would provide $36.7 million for NTIA, below the $51 million the executive branch requested. The funding would not include money for NTIA’s plan to transition the IANA, which Republicans have slammed, the appropriations committee has said. Josten said “NTIA has steadfastly opposed a transition of any mechanism that would deviate from the current multistakeholder model of Internet governance and should be allowed to take any needed steps to achieve the cautiousness and transparency that we agree is essential for a safe and smooth transition."

A top House Republican intended to introduce a bill Wednesday night to stop reclassification of broadband as a Title II telecom service, his office told us. Communications Subcommittee Chairman Bob Latta, R-Ohio, said he would introduce such a bill, at a recent FCC oversight hearing (CD May 21 p3). Latta is an opponent of net neutrality rules and lambasted the request from some net neutrality proponents that the agency reclassify broadband as a way to develop stronger rules.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman should start a case at the World Trade Organization against China for state-sponsored trade secret theft on U.S. industry, said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in a May 22 letter to Froman. A grand jury in the Western District of Pennsylvania recently indicted five Chinese military officials accused of economic espionage on U.S. interests. “It is critical to the cyber security of American businesses that we have in place and take advantage of strong enforcement mechanisms to punish countries who sanction cyber-attacks,” wrote Schumer (http://1.usa.gov/1kl3vMQ). “The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) requires each WTO member to protect trade secrets and Chinese policies that sanction cyber espionage are in clear violation of that agreement.” China has criticized the U.S. for the indictment, according to media reports.