New Additions to House Commerce
Washington,
January 11, 2023
By Cablefax Staff
A day after Rep Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) officially took over as chair of House Commerce, we’re getting word of the new GOP members joining the committee that is most often involved in issues of broadband/cable and technology. Newbies include Jay Obernolte (R-CA), a computer engineer and video game developer with a degree in artificial intelligence who voted against California’s net neutrality as a member of the state legislature. Also joining the committee is Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), a member of the House Rural Broadband Caucus who supported robust funding for the USDA’s ReConnect Program and the Rural Access Loan program, and Russ Fulcher (R-ID), who has a background in the tech industry and worked for Micron Technology for 15 years. The other new GOP members are: Randy Weber (R-TX), Rick Allen (R-GA), Troy Balderson (R-OH), August Pfluger (R-TX), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) and Kat Cammack (R-FL). As for new chair Rodgers, she issued a statement Wednesday responding to President Biden’s WSJ opinion that called for Republicans and Democrats to come together to pass legislation to hold Big Tech accountable, particularly when it comes to the data these companies collect. “President Biden is correct to acknowledge the risks posed by Big Tech for Americans. Rather than trying to address these harms unilaterally through executive action and contorting authority, the administration needs to work with Congress to enact comprehensive privacy protections through one national privacy standard that protects all Americans, especially our kids,” Rodgers said in calling for a national privacy standard to be signed into law. She also said the Committee would work to reform Section 230. |
