The subcommittee of interest to broadcasters, of course, is the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, & The Internet. Both leaders from the last Congress – Chair John Kerry (D-MA) and Ranking Member Jim DeMint (R-SC), are no longer in the Senate. But now we know who will be taking over. The envelope please:
Taking the chair will be Mark Prior (D-AR), and the Ranking Member will be Roger Wicker (R-MS).
There is the full roster:
Democrats
Chair: Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Bill Nelson (D-FL)
Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Claire McCaskill (D-MO)
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Mark Warner (D-VA)
Mark Begich (D-AK)
Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
Brian Schatz (D-HI)
William Cowan (D-MA)
Republicans
Ranking Member: Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS)
Roy Blunt (R-MO)
Marco Rubio (R-FL)
Kelly Ayotte (R-NH)
Dean Heller (R-NV)
Dan Coats (R-IN)
Tim Scott (R-SC)
Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Deb Fischer (R-NE)
Ron Johnson (R-WI)
On the Democratic side, Schatz is filling out the term of the late Daniel Inouye (D-HI) and Cowan is a place-holder for Kerry’s seat until the winner of a special election is determined.
Full committee chair Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) stated, ““I hope each of you will find this Committee to be a place where you can represent your state and constituents on the many areas of our jurisdiction — whether weather or climate, oceans or aviation, consumer protection or insurance, coastal zone management or communications, science or technology. I have always found the work of this Committee to be extremely rewarding. And I wish each of you the same fulfillment.”
