NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth said Thursday the administration launched a second BEAD deployment round to grant funding to projects connecting locations that were expected to remain unserved after the initial BEAD proposal.

The FCC’s March lowest unit charge guidance extends the political ad discount meant for candidates to political action committees (PACs) and directly contradicts what the U.S. government told the U.S. Supreme Court last year, according to briefs filed at SCOTUS from Campaign Legal Center and the Democratic Party political candidates opposing the LUC guidance Thursday. The LUC rates for the upcoming midterm take effect Friday.

House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C., told us earlier this week that he and other House Commerce Committee leaders are “a lot closer” to an agreement with Senate Commerce Committee heads on a compromise FirstNet reauthorization bill, but that he expects negotiations will extend until after the November midterm elections. Public safety stakeholders in August noted signs of progress to reach a deal between the House-passed First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act (HR-7386) and an expected Senate Commerce proposal (see 2608190059).

This year, 13 states have already passed bills restricting student use of phones during the school day, while two more have bills pending. In Hawaii, while no legislation has passed, the state Board of Education issued a phone ban requirement. While these bills have not been universally successful, with the gains of 2026 added, a total of 43 states and Washington, D.C., now have some form of statewide policy to limit phones in schools.

Blair Levin, who’s leaving New Street, said that despite statements by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, no other major auctions are likely during the Trump administration. The upper C-band will be "the major auction” of this decade, he said. Carr predicted last month the FCC will hold “three big, new” spectrum auctions in 2028 (see 2608060054).