Pallante admitted that SOPA was a topic of conversation during her trip to Los Angeles, which came immediately before she testified at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on SOPA. At that hearing Pallante delivered an opening statement (PDF) that expressed strong support for most aspects of SOPA, including provisions that would allow the government to block websites and demand that search engines delete links to foreign rogue websites. Watch the exchange here.
Pallante has placed a strong emphasis on the importance of online piracy enforcement since taking office, keeping in line with an administration that has pressed for changes to the law that would increase the penalties and make it easier to prosecute intellectual property violations. Lofgren, whose district includes numerous technology firms, led the opposition to SOPA on the House Judiciary Committee with California Republican Darrell Issa. The White House eventually came out against the legislation, after a massive online backlash driven by grassroots opposition and major websites like Google and Wikipedia.
Witnesses Unveiled for Future of TV Hearing: The Senate Commerce Committee revealed the witnesses today for next Tuesday's hearing on the future of TV and online video. The most notable name is IAC chairman Barry Diller; representatives from Microsoft, Amazon.com and The Nielsen Company will also testify. Verizon Spectrum Sale Update: Stifel Nicolaus says Verizon Wireless' plan to put its lower 700 MHz band licenses up for sale should improve the odds that the Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission approve the company's purchase of spectrum from the cable companies. While opponents of the cable deal argue the 700 MHz sale is just a distraction, Stifel's analysts argue there should be significant interest in the spectrum for local markets. The report does note concerns that AT&T would be the main buyer at any sale.