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88 TELECOM from page 1............. Page 10 The bill has been renumbered H.R. 5252, to match the number of the House-passed telecom- munications reform measure. While this may seem confusing, it is not an uncommon practice and it Is important to remember that two distinct bills with very different content remain-the House-passed bill (H.R. 5252) and the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Commit- tee-approved legislation (formerly 5.2686, now numbered H.R. 5252). Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has placed a hold the Senate committee-approved bill based on his concern with the bill's treatment of the issue of net neutrality. The hold signals the senator's intent to filibuster the legislation if it should be brought to the floor, until his concerns with the bill's net neutrality provisions are addressed. The Senate requires 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, and it is not clear that the measure could rally the 41 votes necessary to end a filibuster as currently drafted. The committee-passed bi1l incorporates 11 titles that address a variety of communications issues. These issues made it difficult for the sponsor of the legislation, committee chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), to find broad support for the measure among his colleagues. Sen. Stevens faces a short calendar when Congress returns in September that may not provide him with enough time to encourage the support necessary to pass the measure should it reach the Senate floor. For an overview of the Steven's bill please visit the Telecom page on the League website (www.cacities.or9/telecom) and search for the story entitled "Federal Telecom Update: Senate Committee Passes National Cable Franchise Measure." The League continues to work with the na- tional groups in Washington, D.C., on California cities' concerns with the House and Senate measures. We will have a sample letter of oppo- sition to H.R. 5252 plus messages to present to your senators as they return to their districts on recess in next week's edition of Priority Focus. Visit the League's Official Website--www.eacities.org PRIORITY FOCUS - PAGE 5 July 28, 2006 . Issue #30 -.