FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and Senate Commerce Committee member Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., traded barbs Wednesday night and Thursday over their exchange at the panel’s commission oversight hearing (see 2512170070) about what the senator called inconsistent handling of news distortion complaints against media companies. Carr refused during the hearing to commit to Rosen’s request that he open “an investigation into Fox News” for editing a 2024 interview with now-President Donald Trump amid his election contest that showed only part of his answer to a question about whether he would release files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Top Democrats on the Senate and House Communications subcommittees were noncommittal in interviews Wednesday and Thursday about pursuing legislation to address changes that NTIA made to the $42.5 billion BEAD program’s rules in its June 6 restructuring policy notice. The Government Accountability Office ruled Tuesday that the Congressional Review Act (CRA) doesn’t let the Commerce Department unilaterally make such alterations (see 2512170032). Meanwhile, Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., filed the Supporting U.S. Critical Connectivity and Economic Strategy and Security (Success) for BEAD Act on Thursday to allow states to repurpose non-deployment BEAD funding for next-generation 911 technology upgrades and other purposes.
President Donald Trump issued a memorandum Friday night directing NTIA to “immediately begin the process of identifying” the 7.125-7.4 GHz band “for reallocation for full-power commercial licensed use” and study how to reallocate federal systems on the airwaves “to other frequencies,” including the 7.4-8.4 GHz band. Trump framed the reallocation as needed to ensure U.S. leadership in “6G development.” The move came a day after Trump signed off on the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which Congress passed after leaders reached a deal to omit Senate-side language that would have given the defense secretary and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman authority to essentially veto commercial use of the 3.1-3.45 and 7.4-8.4 GHz bands.
The FCC drew controversy Wednesday by removing a description of it as an “independent” U.S. agency from its online mission statement in the middle of a Senate Commerce Committee hearing where commission Chairman Brendan Carr faced questions on the agency's role under President Donald Trump. During the hearing, Carr sparred with sometimes-hostile panel Democrats on his media regulatory actions, including his mid-September threats against ABC and parent Disney, which were widely perceived as bringing about the network’s since-reversed decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air (see 2512170070).
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s appearance at a Wednesday Senate Commerce Committee hearing went largely as expected (see 2512160052), with the GOP official sparring with sometimes-hostile panel Democrats on his media regulatory actions since taking over as agency head in January. The FCC also drew controversy Wednesday when it scrubbed a description of the commission as an “independent” U.S. agency from a mission statement on its website during the hearing, where Carr faced pushback for saying the FCC “is not formally an independent agency” (see 2512170067).
House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C., confirmed after Tuesday's subpanel hearing that there's still no clear funding mechanism for proposed federal grants to pay for next-generation 911 technology upgrades. However, he said he's open to providing a smaller first tranche of money to states and localities while trying to establish a new cost estimate for the full buildout. Witnesses at the hearing praised the Hudson-led Next Generation 911 Act (HR-6505), as expected (see 2512150035), even though it doesn’t include a defined amount of NG911 funding. A previous iteration of the measure in the last Congress allocated $15 billion for the tech upgrades (see 2303240067).
The Senate Commerce Committee’s FCC oversight hearing Wednesday remains likely to feature a heavy emphasis on examining commission Chairman Brendan Carr’s media regulatory actions, including his mid-September comments against ABC and parent Disney, which were widely perceived as inciting the network’s since-reversed decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air (see 2509220059). Carr threatened ABC in a podcast interview, saying the network should discipline Kimmel for comments about the reaction to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk (see 2509170064) or face FCC action.
The National Emergency Number Association and other stakeholders appeared unconcerned ahead of Tuesday's House Communications Subcommittee hearing (see 2512100055) that a refiled version of the Next Generation 911 Act (HR-6505) doesn’t include a defined amount of proposed funding for NG911 tech upgrades. NENA CEO John Provenzano praised HR-6505 in an interview, as do several scheduled hearing witnesses in their written testimony. The bill would set up a NG911 grants program within NTIA to disburse money for fiscal years 2026-30. The hearing will begin at 10:15 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.
President Donald Trump signed off Thursday night on an executive order that directs NTIA to potentially curtail non-deployment funding from the $42.5 billion BEAD program for states that the Trump administration determines have overly burdensome AI laws (see 2512110068). The order is identical to a draft proposal that circulated in November (see 2511190069). Democratic lawmakers and BEAD supporters quickly disparaged Trump’s directive, which already faced potentially multiple legal challenges because it would preempt many state-level AI regulations.
Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Florida, lead GOP sponsor of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (HR-979), acknowledged Tuesday night that the House’s timeline for passing the bill has slipped slightly but insisted that its leaders still plan to bring it to the floor for a vote soon. He and other backers of HR-979 and Senate companion S-315 had expected a fast-track House vote earlier this month on the measure, which would require the Department of Transportation to mandate that future automobiles include AM radio technology.