WASHINGTON: The Society of Broadcast Engineers continues to press for congressional support for a bill to increase the technical expertise at the FCC.
Specifically, SBE Government Relations Committee Chairman Barry Thomas and General Counsel Chris Imlay devoted a day to lobbying House members last week to urge their support. In an effort to secure co-sponsors for H.R.2102, Thomas and Imlay visited the offices of 10 lawmakers who sit on the Communications and Technology Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The bill is a companion to a Senate measure; it would authorize each FCC commissioner to add an engineer or computer scientist to his or her staff. Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., introduced H.R. 2102 in June. Since then, Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Calif., and Rep. Tom Petri, R-Wis., have become co-signers.
The SBE says a visit to the office of Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., by Thomas and Imlay last week netted a commitment to co-sponsor the measure and that more co-sponsors are expected as a result of their most recent lobbying efforts.
The society wants members to write their representatives and urge them to co-sponsor the bill. The SBE posted a sample letter on its website. ~ from Radio World
