Communications Law Bulletin February 2006

February saw continued fallout from the deceptive practices of online "data brokers," strong action by the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC" or "Commission") Enforcement Bureau, and developments affecting cable television, broadcasting and other segments of the communications industry. All of those events are covered in this February issue of our Bulletin, along with the usual list of deadlines for your calendar.

Despite House Commerce Committee Chairman Barton’s (R-TX) announcement in early February that he expects to introduce a bipartisan bill in March, prospects for comprehensive telecommunications reform before the November elections seem dim. Accordingly, discussions on the Broadband Internet Transmission Services ("BITS") bill appear to have ended. On the other hand, more limited legislative action on targeted topics – such as video franchising (see related