Apparently 14 communications hearings will not be enough to get 2006 in gear for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Chairman Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Co-chair Dan Inouye (D-HI) have added a 15th, on the 15th in fact, of February. That's a Wednesday. The 10:00AM session has a tantalizingly wide open title: "FCC Activities and Policy." Given the breadth and width of the FCC's areas of purview, plus the likely addition of two new Republican commissioners by then, this session could be about almost anything. Big broadcast issues figure to be front and center, including indecency - - with cable purchasing options as a major side show, the DTV transition - - with multicast must-carry as a major side show, and the FCC's attempt to rework the 6/2/03 media ownership rulemaking package. Which is to say nothing about telephones, broadband, public safety issues......

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Here's the Committee's updated 2006 sked

Senate Commerce Committee 2006 Communications hearing schedule

Thursday, 1/19/06, Decency, 10 AM

Thursday, 1/19/06, Internet Pornography, 2:30 PM

Tuesday, 1/24/06, Video Franchising, 10 AM

Tuesday, 1/24/06, Video Content, 2:30 PM

Thursday, 1/26/06, Competition and Convergence, 10 AM

Tuesday, 1/31/06, Broadcast and Audio Flag, 10 AM

Tuesday, 2/7/06, Net Neutrality, 10 AM

Tuesday, 2/14/06, State and Local Issues and Municipal Networks, 10 AM

Wednesday, 2/15/06, FCC Activities and Policy, 10 AM

Tuesday, 2/28/06, USF Contributions, 10 AM

Tuesday, 2/28/06, USF Distribution, 2:30 PM

Thursday, 3/2/06, Wireless Issues/Spectrum Reform, 10 AM

Tuesday, 3/7/06, Rural Telecommunications, 10 AM

Tuesday, 3/14/06, VOIP, 10 AM

Tuesday, 3/14/06, Wall Street's Perspective on Telecommunications, 2:30 PM