Overnight Tech: Last-ditch effort to get Dem FCC commish confirmed | Facebook’s Sandberg on fake news | Microsoft completes LinkedIn deal

FCC CHIEF’S LAST DITCH EFFORT: Tom Wheeler will step down as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) if it “ensures” that the Senate confirms Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel for another term, an FCC official confirmed to The Hill on Thursday.  

Republicans and Democrats are working toward a deal that would confirm the Democratic commissioner, who has been in limbo for the past year. But Republicans want Wheeler to step down from the commission so that Democrats will no longer have the majority on the FCC.

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The panel currently has three Democrats and two Republicans. Republicans want there to be space for Donald Trump to appointment another GOP member when he becomes president.

Party leadership has not confirmed that it has reached a deal on Rosenworcel’s confirmation. However, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told Politico earlier in the week that a deal was being worked out. Senate Commerce Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.) expressed hope to reporters that an agreement would be reached.

Time is running out for lawmakers to reach a deal, as senators could wrap up their work as early as Friday. If Rosenworcel isn’t confirmed before the Senate adjourns, she will not return as a commissioner in 2017.

If Rosenworcel weren’t confirmed, it would be possible for Wheeler — a Democrat — to remain on the panel until 2018, when his term expires. It’s almost certain that if he does, he will not be chairman, since Trump is expected to choose a Republican for the position.

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IT MIGHT BE TOO LATE: Thune isn’t sure that there’s enough time left in the legislative session to make a deal that would allow Rosenworcel to stay, reports Morning Consult.  “My sense is that we’re kind of up against the clock now,” Thune said. “And it’s going to be very hard, even if Wheeler was agreeable to stepping down, to be able to get all this done between now and the time we go out.”

Please send your tips, comments and Bowl predictions to Ali Breland (abreland@digital-release.digital-release.thehill.com) and follow us on Twitter: @alibreland and @HilliconValley. See you in the next legislative session.

ENDORSE MY MERGER: Microsoft closed its approximately $26 billion dollar merger with LinkedIn on Thursday. The deal faced some regulatory scrutiny from the European Commission on Competition, which ultimately approved the deal. 

“Today I am even more enthusiastic about the common mission and sense of purpose we share, the similarities in our cultures, and the added value we can create for LinkedIn members, to help professionals transform how they work, realize new career opportunities and connect in new ways,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella wrote in a LinkedIn post announcing the deal.

CRACKDOWN ON TICKET SCALPERS: The Better On-Line Ticket Sales Act of 2016, or BOTS Act passed in the House Wednesday night. The bill had already passed the Senate, and is now on its way to President Obama’s desk for his signature. It would bar scalpers from using bots to purchase large quantities of tickets and give, “authority to the Federal Trade Commission and states to enforce against such violations.”

Music industry groups hailed the bill.

“We believe in a music economy that works for everyone — artists and fans, music venues and promoters,” said Katie Peters, Pandora’s director of government relations. Pandora owns Ticketfly, a platform that allows first party vendors to sell tickets to consumers. “And we applaud final passage of the BOTS Act as an excellent first step in stopping the insidious practice of ticket bots depriving consumers of fair access to tickets,” she continued.

COPYRIGHT REFORM: House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.) released a policy proposal intended to help copyright reform efforts. The proposal would give the U.S. Copyright Office more autonomy and subject the Register of Copyrights to the Congressional confirmation similar to other government agency officials.  

COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION: The American Library Association in participation with the White House’s Computer Science Education Week released a video underscoring the importance of libraries and schools in fostering computer science education.

“The work of creating access to rigorous CS education for all American students is truly an all hands on deck effort. Libraries play a vital role in student engagement and we’re delighted the ALA is bringing their network to the table in support of the CSforAll mission,” said Ruthe Farmer White House Senior Policy Advisor for Tech Inclusion.

ON TAP:

The Department of Commerce’s Internet Policy Task Force will host a meeting on Friday titled “Developing the Digital Marketplace for Copyrighted Works” at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office at 8:30 a.m.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg proclaimed on Thursday that fake news did not swing the election.

The State of Georgia is claiming that Homeland Security is responsible for a voter registration database hack. 

In a set of policy guidelines for lawmakers and regulators, Airbnb said that it would be willing to work with cities on tax collection.

The Department of Justice will propose a legislative fix to allow the agency to demand data stored on foreign soil. 

The Senate on Thursday passed a final defense bill that will elevate the U.S. military cyber unit to a full combatant command.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is issuing a new rule that would require airlines to disclose their policies regarding cellphone use on commercial flights.