Subject: Re: Webcasting and Congress
From: [email-masked]
To: [email-masked]
Cc: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 2 Dec 1999 11:11:00 -0800 (PST)

So LIsa---do you know if the federal bill was similiar to the Pennsylvania 
one and if so, are state digital signature bills necessary?
---------------------- Forwarded by Susan M Landwehr/HOU/EES on 11/28/99 
11:28 PM ---------------------------

	Scott Bolton @ ENRON COMMUNICATIONS
	11/29/99 03:37 PM
	
To: Susan M Landwehr/HOU/EES@EES@ENRON
cc:  
Subject: Re: Webcasting and Congress  

There was a federal digital signiture bill passed this year. 

	Susan M Landwehr@EES
	11/29/99 12:56 PM
		
		 To: Scott Bolton/Enron Communications@ENRON COMMUNICATIONS@ENRON
		 cc: Sue Nord/HOU/EES@EES, Jeff Dasovich/SFO/EES@EES, Marchris 
Robinson/HOU/EES@EES, Lisa Yoho/HOU/EES@EES, Aleck Dadson/TOR/ECT@ECT@ENRON 
COMMUNICATIONS@ENRON, Cynthia Sandherr/Corp/Enron@Enron, Jeffrey 
Keeler/Corp/Enron@ENRON
		 Subject: Re: Webcasting and Congress

Scott--is the digital signature bill similiar to the one that Lisa Yoho told 
me about that is moving (or had passed) in the Pennsylvania legislature?  

	Scott Bolton @ ENRON COMMUNICATIONS
	11/28/99 01:33 PM
	
To: Sue Nord/HOU/EES@EES, Susan M Landwehr/HOU/EES@EES, Jeff 
Dasovich/SFO/EES@EES, Marchris Robinson/HOU/EES@EES, Lisa Yoho/HOU/EES@EES, 
Aleck Dadson/TOR/ECT@ECT
cc: Cynthia Sandherr/Corp/Enron@Enron, Jeffrey Keeler/Corp/Enron@ENRON 
Subject: Webcasting and Congress

The DC office did a terrific job monitoring this ... we will need to look at 
what happens on internet licensing next year.

____________________________________________

Category:	Webcasting
Description:	HEARINGS ON WEBCASTING ISSUE PLANNED NEXT YEAR 
Detail:	
From COMMUNICATIONS DAILY, November 22nd, 1999

Senate Judiciary Committee will hold hearings next year to determine whether 
compulsory license rules need to be changed to accommodate Internet streaming 
media
providers, senior panel Democrat Leahy (Vt.) said Fri. Webcasting issue was 
one of last sticking points in reaching agreement on overall Satellite Home 
Viewer Act
(SHVA) rewrite. Senate was due to approve SHVA, part of general 
appropriations bill, after our deadline Fri., following House approval on 
296-135 vote late Nov. 18.

Senate Majority Leader Lott (R-Miss.) after our deadline Thurs. formally put 
Senate on record as committing to come up with program to help provide TV 
service to
rural areas. In response to objections from Sen. Baucus (D-Mont.) (CD Nov 19 
p3), Lott produced agreement, adopted unanimously, calling for Senate to act 
on rural
loan guarantee for DBS by March 30, even if bill hasn't been reported by one 
of Senate committees. In that case, either Lott or Democratic Leader Daschle 
(S.D.)
would be able to bring straight to Senate floor legislation calling for $1.25 
billion loan guarantee program that was stricken from SHVA bill to meet 
objections of Banking
Committee Chmn. Gramm (R-Tex.). Lott said he's "absolutely determined to get 
this done. I will not only live up to this [agreement], but I will do so with 
a great deal of
vigor and activity." House leaders made similar commitment.

One potentially interesting question that could arise next year is which 
committee will produce rural loan guarantee bill.

Gramm wants first shot at it through his committee, but there's some 
sentiment that Agriculture panel also should be included if Rural Utility 
Service will administer
program. Senate Agriculture Committee spokesman had no comment.

Leahy, also member of Agriculture and Appropriations committees, told news 
conference there apparently are "shifting jurisdictions" among Senate 
committees. He said
TV viewers don't care which committee produces bill: "We tend to be 
pragmatic." However, he said measure eventually will come to Appropriations.

One Hill staffer suggested that several committees could claim piece of rural 
loan guarantee, including Agriculture, Appropriations, Banking, Commerce. In 
that case, he
said, easiest path would be to move bill directly to Senate floor.

NAB Exec. Vp James May, who took part in news conference called by Hatch and 
Leahy to celebrate Judiciary Committee's scorecard for year, said he thinks 
Senate
will take up bill and put it on fast track for passage. In that case, May 
said, chances are good senators will try to attach other issues to it.

On Webcasting issue, Leahy said language added in House "raised unnecessary 
concerns" among Internet companies so it made sense to remove it from SHVA 
bill. He
said committee will "hold hearings on the subject first thing next year to 
see if it's necessary" to change copyright law. Leahy said language excluding 
digital online
services from cable and satellite compulsory licenses wasn't intended to make 
major change in law.

May said Webcasting debate may give NAB chance to take another look at its 
policy on compulsory license. Broadcasters always have favored statutory rate 
while
MPAA, whose members own content, want free market to decide. May said NAB may 
think about adopting MPAA's argument to allow broadcasters to "take
advantage of marketplace opportunities" and receive payment from Internet 
companies for Webcast material. RIAA Pres. Hilary Rosen said it will be 
interesting to see
how broadcasters reconcile those positions.

Senate also passed dozens of bills without debate or discussion. Among those 
were one authorizing use of digital signatures (S-761) from Sen. Abraham 
(R-Mich.) and
another (S-692) banning Internet gambling, sponsored by Sen. Kyl (R-Ariz.).

Senate version of digital signatures bill is very close to one rejected 
overwhelmingly in House, which adopted more wide-ranging bill sponsored by 
House Commerce
Committee Chmn. Bliley (R-Va.). - - Art Brodsky