Senate Public Works Committee Chair Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., is pressing the Commerce Department and Secretary Howard Lutnick “to expedite not only the review and release of updated guidance” for NTIA's $42.5 billion BEAD initiative, “but the program as a whole.” Capito, who's also a Commerce Committee member, previously raised concerns that the review of BEAD, which Lutnick started, could unnecessarily delay NTIA's rollout of funding to West Virginia (see 2503050067). Senate Commerce Democrats have sharply criticized the Trump administration's BEAD plans, citing them in April as a reason to vote against NTIA administrator nominee Arielle Roth (see 2504090037).
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, questioned Tuesday whether the 1961 Sports Broadcasting Act (SBA), which granted the NFL and other professional sports leagues antitrust immunity to negotiate nationwide broadcast rights, is still fulfilling its “intended goals,” given fans’ frustration with fragmented access to games. “The shift to streaming isn’t just frustrating -- it can be expensive,” Cruz said during a committee hearing. “Between league-specific packages and games behind different streaming paywalls, it can cost hundreds of dollars a year for a hardcore fan wanting to watch all of a league’s games.”
Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday “to guard the critical spectrum resources currently assigned to” DOD, which has proposed reallocating some military-controlled bands (see 2504040068). Cantwell said any DOD reallocation in response to congressional Republicans’ push for a spectrum pipeline as part of a coming budget reconciliation package would put “short-term corporate gain ahead of our nation’s long-term security.”
Supporters of the FCC's July 2024 order allowing schools and libraries to use E-rate support for off-premises Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless internet services told us they will continue campaigning after the Senate cleared an initial procedural hurdle in considering a Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval (S.J.Res. 7) to undo the rule. The Senate approved a motion Tuesday to proceed to the CRA measure on a 53-47 party-line vote, confounding some E-rate supporters’ expectations that a handful of Republicans would cross party lines to oppose it (see 2505060032).
Supporters of the FCC's July 2024 order allowing schools and libraries to use E-rate support for off-premises Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless internet services are eyeing several Republican senators they believe could oppose a Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval (S.J.Res. 7) to undo the rule, which the chamber is set to begin considering Tuesday. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told us Monday night he's optimistic the chamber will advance an initial procedural hurdle on the CRA measure.
House Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., and Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told us in recent days that negotiations on potential compromise spectrum legislative language for a budget reconciliation package remain in flux. They emphasized it's still uncertain there will be a deal to obligate an airwaves pipeline as part of the measure. Their comments contrasted with the optimism that Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., voiced in recent interviews about the prospects of a spectrum deal that would satisfy pro-DOD legislators, who have resisted reallocating military-controlled midband airwaves.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told us Monday that he will tee up floor votes this week on a Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval (S.J.Res. 7) to undo the FCC's July 2024 order allowing schools and libraries to use E-rate support for off-premises Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless internet services. Senate Democrats have already vowed to fight S.J.Res. 7 if leaders bring it up for a vote, in part eyeing a handful of potentially reluctant Republican senators (see 2503060059).
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told us Thursday that his “expectation” remains that President Donald Trump will move on minority party nominees to the FCC and other commissions, despite Democrats’ concerns that the administration will choose to leave such seats empty (see 2504010053). Several Senate Commerce Committee Democrats who voted Wednesday to advance Republican FCC nominee Olivia Trusty said they won’t back her final confirmation unless the Trump administration commits to maintaining Democratic FCC seats, including picking a party-affiliated nominee to succeed retiring Commissioner Geoffrey Starks (see 2504300047).
Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Maria Cantwell of Washington and other Democrats used a Thursday confirmation hearing for deputy commerce secretary nominee Paul Dabbar to restate their concerns about the Trump administration’s commitment to the Commerce Department doling out appropriated broadband and semiconductor funding. Cantwell and Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also emphasized their diverging views on repurposing DOD airwaves for commercial 5G use, an issue that’s been a major sticking point in negotiations to include a spectrum title in a coming GOP-sought budget reconciliation package (see 2504180027).
The Senate Commerce Committee advanced Republican FCC nominee Olivia Trusty on a bipartisan vote Wednesday, as expected (see 2504290058), but Democrats made clear they won't allow a smooth confirmation process on the floor unless the Trump administration commits to picking a party-affiliated candidate to replace retiring Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. Ranking member Maria Cantwell of Washington and five other panel Democrats voted for Trusty on Wednesday, even as misgivings about Starks' replacement and the FCC's independence during the Trump administration led seven caucus members to vote against the nominee.