Republican lawmakers have begun taking sides publicly and behind the scenes in favor of a range of contenders to succeed departing GOP FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington as he prepared to exit the agency Friday afternoon (see 2506040073). Former Breitbart executive Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, publicly endorsed Gavin Wax, Simington's chief of staff, for the role. Other officials and GOP insiders are eyeing different candidates as the agency enters an indefinite period with only two commissioners. Democratic FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks was also set to leave Friday, leaving the commission with a 1-1 partisan tie.
Senate Commerce Committee Republicans released the panel's portion of a budget reconciliation bill Thursday night with language that proposes mandating that the FCC sell at least 800 MHz of reallocated spectrum, as expected (see 2506050064). Some communications industry groups praised the measure, but observers said they expect other stakeholders to criticize it. Lobbyists said they expect that Senate Commerce Democrats will likely vote against the proposal, as party-affiliated House Commerce Committee members did last month when that panel marked up its part (see 2505140062) of what became the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (HR-1).
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told members of the House Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Subcommittee (CJS) on Thursday that NTIA will likely issue a promised notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for its $42.5 billion BEAD program on Friday. It will require all states to resubmit their applications. Meanwhile, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., who chairs the Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee, told us she remains on the fence about President Donald Trump’s proposal to claw back $1.1 billion in advance CPB funding as part of a rescission package that congressional GOP leaders want expedited (see 2506030065).
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, insisted in a brief interview Thursday that a deal he reached Wednesday with top Armed Services Committee Republicans for spectrum language in the chamber’s budget reconciliation package (see 2506040078) remains in place, despite panel member Mike Rounds, R-S.D., indicating new wrinkles emerged. Senate Commerce planned to release its reconciliation language Thursday but hadn’t by our deadline. Meanwhile, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, National Emergency Number Association and other groups urged Senate Commerce to allocate some future auction proceeds in its reconciliation proposal for next-generation 911 tech upgrades.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and member Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said in interviews Wednesday night they were close to a deal with Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on spectrum language for the Cruz-led panel's imminent budget reconciliation proposal that will exclude certain bands from possible sale. Cruz in recent weeks had signaled he wanted to pursue a spectrum reconciliation title without band exclusions if possible (see 2505130059).
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said during a Senate hearing Wednesday that NTIA will issue a new notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for its $42.5 billion BEAD program and will require all states to resubmit their applications. But the agency would still be able to dole out much of the money before year-end, he told the Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Subcommittee. Meanwhile, Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., expressed reservations about President Donald Trump’s proposal to claw back $1.1 billion in advance CPB funding as part of a rescission package that congressional GOP leaders want expedited (see 2506030065).
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, insisted in a brief interview Thursday that a deal he reached Wednesday with top Armed Services Committee Republicans for spectrum language in the chamber’s budget reconciliation package remains intact, after panel member Mike Rounds, R-S.D., indicated that new wrinkles had emerged. The deal ensured the spectrum title would exclude the 3.1-3.45 GHz band and parts of the 7 and 8 GHz bands from possible sale through the entirety of a proposed restoration of the FCC’s lapsed auction authority, which would run through Sept. 30, 2034. Rounds, Communications Subcommittee Chair Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., pushed for exclusions on the 7 and 8 GHz bands.
Top Senate Republicans told us Wednesday that they're likely to prioritize confirmation votes for GOP FCC nominee Olivia Trusty much earlier than expected as a result of Commissioner Nathan Simington’s abrupt exit. Simington said Wednesday he plans to depart the FCC “at the end of this week,” as we reported (see 2506030069). Democratic Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said he will resign Friday, also as expected (see 2505220043). The departures mean the FCC's party makeup will stand at a 1-1 tie by week’s end. That will also leave the commission below the statutory three-commissioner quorum, posing potential problems for Chairman Brendan Carr’s agenda heading into the commission’s planned June 26 meeting (see 2506040061).
House GOP leaders are hoping to tee up votes next week on the Trump administration’s promised budget rescission proposal that would claw back CPB’s advance funding for FY 2026 and FY 2027 (see 2505280050), congressional aides and lobbyists told us Tuesday. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, told reporters that the White House had transmitted its rescission proposal to Congress on Tuesday, as expected (see 2506020056). Meanwhile, Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said Tuesday he’s filing legislation to codify President Donald Trump’s May executive order blocking CPB from distributing funding for PBS and NPR (see 2505020044).
The Trump administration proposed an increase in the FCC’s annual funding for FY 2026 but simultaneously sought in its budget request, released Friday night, to cut appropriations for NTIA and Agriculture Department broadband programs, including ReConnect. It also confirmed plans to rescind much of CPB’s advance funding for FY26 and FY27 (see 2505280050). Meanwhile, PBS and a Minnesota public TV station sued the administration Friday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to stop President Donald Trump’s executive order blocking CPB from distributing funding for PBS and NPR (see 2505020044).