Senator Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, is all but officially the new head of the Senate Commerce Committee. The move was expected, as fellow Republican John McCain had to rotate off the committee in accordance with chairmanship term limits set by his party.
The Senate Republican Conference elected Stevens, a member of the Commerce Committee since 1971.

The full Senate is expected to officially appoint committee chairmen and organize for the 109th Congress on Thursday.

Stevens will continue to serve on the Senate Appropriations Committee and will retain his chairmanship of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

He will also keep his seats on the Governmental Affairs Committee (recently renamed the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee), and the Rules Committee. In addition, Senator Stevens will continue to serve as President Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate.

Stevens has seen many of the bills he authored or was involved with writing enacted into law. One that affects broadcasters was the Spectrum Auction bill (Emerging Telecommunications Technologies Act), which directed the FCC to auction portions of the electromagnetic spectrum needed to provide telecommunications services.
Sevens was also one of the sponsors of the Telecom Act in 1996.

(Radio World)