House Commerce Committee Democrats have “major concerns" about the draft version of the LPTV and Translator Act, one Democratic staffer told us over the weekend. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, authored the bill, unveiled last week to some stakeholder frustration (CD July 21 p2), and expects to include Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., as a co-sponsor. Its goal is to protect low-power entities in the FCC’s broadcast TV spectrum incentive auction. The subcommittee plans to consider the bill in a legislative hearing Thursday at 10:15 a.m. in 2322 Rayburn. But Democrats worry about the bill due to possible restraints placed on the FCC’s ability to successfully conduct its incentive auction, the staffer said. One broadcast industry lobbyist told us the bill should not affect the auction, pointing to specific legislative language prioritizing the auction’s success over the low-power interests. “The auction is still primary,” the lobbyist said Monday of the draft bill language, yet also dismissing the bill as simply maintaining “status quo” and ultimately coming across as “a big nothing to me.” Multiple stakeholders outlined those same concerns to us Friday.

Charter Communications spent less on lobbying in Q2 of 2014 than in the same period last year. In the latest quarter, Charter spent $620,000 vs. the $2.59 million it spent in Q2 of 2013. But that difference is largely attributable to a what a Charter spokesman told us was last year’s one-time compensation to an executive. Its lobbying disclosure form named many priorities, emphasizing retransmission consent revamp and satellite TV reauthorization. CEA, meanwhile, spent slightly more -- $1.12 million in Q2 this year compared with $1.1 million in last year’s Q2. So did the Telecommunications Industry Association, spending $70,000 in Q2 of this year compared with $50,000 in Q2 last year. XO Communications also spent more, $140,000 April-June this year compared with $130,000 during the period last year. Q2 lobbying disclosure forms were due Monday, with several companies and associations yet to file at our deadline.

The House Judiciary IP Subcommittee scheduled a hearing on copyright remedies for 2 p.m. Thursday in 2141 Rayburn, said the committee’s website (http://1.usa.gov/1mnU4sl).

The House will vote this week on the House Commerce Committee’s legislation (HR-4572) to reauthorize the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act, the committee said Friday. The video revamp provisions that House Commerce inserted in its STELA draft will move forward in the legislation being considered, it said. The House Judiciary Committee had cleared a clean STELA bill earlier this year as well (HR-5036). “The bill the House will vote on will be HR-4572 as passed by the Energy and Commerce Committee, with the language of HR-5036 added as a second title to the bill,” the committee said. Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., and Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., released a joint statement saying “the legislation makes targeted reforms to the video marketplace while ensuring that satellite service continues for those who rely on it as their best option to receive broadcast and other programming.”

The Senate must “act expeditiously” to pass the anti-patent abuse bill, the Innovation Act, said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and bill co-sponsor Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., in a letter Thursday to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. The Innovation Act (HR-3309), passed by the House in December, aims to reduce abusive patent litigation by reducing financial incentives, enacting transparency measures and implementing fee shifting so the losing party would have to pay (CD Dec 6 p11). “This bill is supported by stakeholders from all areas of our economy representing businesses from every corner of our country including independent inventors and innovators,” said the letter, also indicating the White House supported the bill. “We believe inaction is simply inexcusable.” The Senate has held hearings on its own versions of the Innovation Act, particularly the Patent Transparency and Improvements Act (S-1720), but has not held any votes on the bill (CD Dec 18 p11).

Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., led a Wednesday letter from members of the Congressional Black Caucus asking for the FCC’s “full consideration of the $58.5 million sale of three Nexstar Broadcasting Group TV stations to Marshall Broadcast Group.” The joint sales agreement would “nearly double the number of African American-owned, full-power, commercial TV stations in the U.S. and simultaneously bring increased local news and sports programming” to three markets, the dozen lawmakers said. They told the FCC the agreement is worthy of consideration because it honors the agency’s commitment to promoting and protecting diversity and localism. The minority-owned Marshall Broadcast Group has also made commitments to a diversity of employment and programming, it said.

The CBO released reports Thursday on the House Judiciary Committee’s Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act reauthorization bill (HR-5036) and the Senate Judiciary Committee’s cellphone unlocking bill (S-517). The clean STELA bill from House Judiciary “would not have a significant effect on the federal budget,” CBO said (http://1.usa.gov/UemC0S). Likewise, the Senate cellphone unlocking bill “would have no significant effect on discretionary spending over the 2015-2019 period,” CBO said (http://1.usa.gov/1l9pSBF).

TracFone Wireless lobbying of Capitol Hill stayed steady in 2014. It spent $285,000 in Q2, according to lobbying disclosure forms posted this week. TracFone spent the same amount in Q1 and slightly less, $233,859, in Q4. It didn’t report overall lobbying expenditures in the quarters immediately before that. TracFone has frequently lobbied on the Lifeline program, facing attacks from some lawmakers on that front (CD Nov 8 p6). Its Q2 report this week lists the Lifeline program and wireless taxation issues as priorities. Q2 lobbying disclosure reports are due Monday, and several have begun trickling in already, especially from lobbying firms. The Independent Telephone and Telecommunications Alliance spent more on lobbying in Q2 of this year than last year, reports show -- $35,000 now compared to $19,000 over the same time last year. It has lobbied on both cybersecurity and video market issues related to retransmission consent, said its latest form. RIAA’s 2014 U.S. lobbying spending totaled $1.25 million in Q2, a slight uptick from its $1,054,551 in Q1, according to lobbying disclosure forms. In 2013, RIAA spent $1,089,957 in Q4; $972,936 in Q3; $1,256,703 in Q2; and $1,271,804 in Q1. RIAA lobbied the House and Senate on bills like the Songwriter Equity Act (HR-4079) and the Respecting Senior Performers as Essential Cultural Treasures Act (HR-4772) (CD June 19 p11), among others. ICANN U.S. lobbying spending totaled $145,000 in Q2, the same as Q1, showed lobbying disclosure forms posted this week. ICANN paid Mehlman Castagnetti ($80,000) and Kountoupes Denham ($60,000) for their lobbying efforts in Q2, the same amounts the firms received in Q1, said a spokesman. ICANN spent $145,000 on lobbying in both Q3 and Q4 of 2013; it spent $140,000 in both Q1 and Q2 the same year. ICANN lobbied Capitol Hill and several federal agencies, including NTIA and the State Department on the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority contract (CD July 17 p15) with the Commerce Department and the new generic top-level domain program, among other issues.

The Telecommunications Industry Association is confident stakeholders can resolve any concerns about spectrum interference in the upper 5 GHz band, it said, praising bicameral, bipartisan legislation that would compel FCC testing in that band. A bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a companion to the Senate version of the legislation (S-2505) Wednesday. The bill, HR-5125, is called the Wi-Fi Innovation Act. Any interference “can be successfully resolved in a manner that enables increased use of the band for technologies such as Wi-Fi while not compromising the efficacy or safety of potential intelligent transportation systems (ITS) uses of the band,” TIA President Grant Seiffert said in a written statement Thursday. “By encouraging the FCC to move swiftly in conducting testing, the legislation introduced today holds the promise of creating a win-win scenario that allows this valuable spectrum resource to be used more efficiently.”

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler urged Congress to adequately fund the agency’s IT systems, prompting a defense from the GOP lawmaker responsible for a lean House version of the agency’s budget. Wheeler authored the blog post Wednesday, coinciding with both a House vote for an FY 2015 FCC budget more than $50 million below what the FCC requested (CD July 17 p3 ) and the agency’s inability to handle the volume of net neutrality comments hitting. “It is particularly distasteful that the FCC -- the agency entrusted with promoting a world-class broadband infrastructure for the nation -- could ever be incapable of dealing with Americans expressing themselves via that broadband capability,” Wheeler said (http://fcc.us/1t8Mbwn). “I am hopeful that leaders in Congress, recognizing the importance of these systems to the public’s ability to communicate their views to the FCC without complication or delay, will ultimately reach agreement on funding levels that ensure we have the resources to modernize and upgrade our IT systems.” But a House Republican thinks the FCC should make do with less: “Given today’s technological and competitive landscape, I believe the FCC needs to do a better job at being a leaner, more efficient, and more transparent agency,” House Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee Chairman Ander Crenshaw, R-Fla., told us in a statement. “My committee’s Fiscal Year 2015 allocation demands that the Commission review its organizational structure to reform and reorganize. Doing so will more appropriately reflect the Commission’s current role and enable it to keep up with the pace of the technology industries they regulate.” Crenshaw said the FCC “is funded by fees, [but] these are fees directly passed on to consumers.” The White House specifically objected to Crenshaw’s budget on the basis of its FCC funding. The Senate has not yet advanced a budget for the FCC past the committee level, but the Senate Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee budget draft is at the level the agency requested.