Rep. Anna Eshoo, a Democratic lawmaker who represents Silicon Valley, has won a key tech leadership post in Congress, defeating another member with more seniority who was criticized for his telecom company connections.
Eshoo, who represents California's 14th district -- which includes Palo Alto, Mountain View and Sunnyvale -- will become the ranking member of the the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
The first woman in the history of the subcommittee to serve as ranking member, Eshoo beat out Rep. Bobby Rush, the veteran lawmaker from Illinois who had been viewed as the presumptive favorite for the spot.
Some advocacy groups had urged the committee not to pick Rush, a former Black Panther who has faced criticism for being too cozy with the major phone companies.
During his congressional career, Rush has received $78,964 from AT&T — his second largest career contributor. He’s also been given $43,499 by the National Cable and Telecommunications Association and $42,000 from Verizon, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Color of Change, a web-based African-American advocacy group, had sent House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi a letter expressing “grave doubts that Congressman Rush is capable of being an honest broker on important telecommunications matters.”
The vote, held by secret ballot, was 14-9. Eshoo is one of eight Democrats on the committee, which has 15 Republican members.
Eshoo has been a strong supporter of net neutrality, the idea that broadband companies shouldn't block or degrade rival web content. That's not a surprise given that several giant companies in her district, including Google, Facebook, Yahoo and many others, support the principle.
As a practical matter, Eshoo's influence may be limited, because Republicans control the House, and they've made no secret of their opposition to net neutrality. On the other hand, any GOP attempt to roll back the FCC's recent open internet rules would most likely run straight through Eshoo, who will likely fight such an effort vigorously.
Eshoo said in a statement that she would focus on "expanding high-speed, affordable broadband; protecting electronic privacy; freeing up more spectrum; and transitioning our nation’s 9-1-1 system to a next generation, IP-based network."
“I’m grateful to my colleagues for giving me the honor to lead the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology,” said Rep. Eshoo. “My congressional district, home to Silicon Valley, is the innovation center of the world, and the policies we shape can advance America’s competitiveness and job growth.”
Color of Change applauded Eshoo's election.
“With House Republicans already lining up to attack net neutrality, we needed a strong leader on open internet issues — which we got with Rep. Eshoo,” James Rucker, the group's executive director, said in a statement. “Congressman Rush’s position on net neutrality didn’t serve the public, and more than 16,000 of our members spoke out to say so. This is a big moment for the open internet, and for political accountability.”
A spokesperson for Rush declined comment.
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Photo: Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-California, testifies before the House Financial Services Committee on April 20, 2010.
Charles Dharapak/AP
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