The Senate Commerce Committee advanced a set of four communications policy bills Thursday on voice votes after panel leaders reached a deal on a compromise version of the Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act (S-3639). The agreement addressed concerns that ranking member Maria Cantwell of Washington and other Democrats raised during a meeting earlier this month (see 2602030059). Meanwhile, the House on Wednesday night voted 218-212, largely along party lines, to pass the Undersea Cable Protection Act (HR-261).
The office of Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., didn’t respond Wednesday to multiple requests for comment on whether he sent a letter that Newsmax says he led with 39 other House Republicans, urging the FCC to oppose Nexstar’s proposed $6.2 billion purchase of Tegna. The FCC is disputing that it ever received the letter, with Newsmax critics noting that the media outlet reported that Meuser sent the letter last week but published a version dated Dec. 17. The letter, if sent when Newsmax claims, would have predated President Donald Trump’s weekend endorsement of Nexstar/Tegna (see 2602090068).
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told us Tuesday that he's still evaluating whether the FCC should raise or eliminate its 39% national TV station audience-reach cap, despite a line of dialogue during a panel hearing in which he voiced skepticism about commission action. Other committee members were largely divided along party lines, with Republicans either outright backing proposals to lift the FCC’s cap or at least not opposing them. Most Democrats strongly opposed the cap's elimination.
House Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., warned FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on Monday that he does “not have the authority to alter or eliminate the 39 percent national television ownership cap.” Pallone raised his concerns in a letter to Carr ahead of the Senate Commerce Committee’s planned hearing Tuesday on the ownership cap (see 2602030070).
House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C., told us Wednesday that there may be some minor changes to the draft First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act (see 2601280054), but bipartisan subpanel members’ apparent support for the measure during a hearing that day makes it unlikely he will make more sweeping revisions in response to criticisms from the Fraternal Order of Police and other groups. FOP said Tuesday that elements of the draft legislation “could foster unnecessary administrative hurdles that slow down FirstNet's functionality” and urged lawmakers to instead consider a clean reauthorization of the public safety broadband network (see 2602030047).
The Senate Commerce Committee postponed planned votes Tuesday on the Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act (S-3639) and three other communications policy bills after the panel lost the member quorum needed to mark up any legislation. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump signed the FY 2026 appropriations package (HR-7148), ending a short government funding lapse that saw the FCC continue to operate as normal (see 2602020060). The House earlier in the day voted 217-214 to pass the package, which allocated the FCC $416.1 million for FY 2026, including $13.5 million for its Office of Inspector General, and the FTC $383.6 million (see 2601120056).
Members of the House and Senate Commerce committees told us they’re aware that some public safety stakeholders’ have concerns about using legislation to renew the FirstNet Authority as a vehicle for making changes to its governance. But thus far, they said, that hasn’t dissuaded them from continuing on that path. The issue is likely to come into focus again at Wednesday's House Communications Subcommittee hearing, which will examine the draft First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act (see 2601280054). The bill would renew FirstNet’s mandate through Sept. 30, 2037.
The FCC said Friday night it “will continue normal operations until further notice,” despite an appropriations lapse that began just after midnight Saturday, as expected (see 2601300058). “The Commission’s public facing filing systems and databases will remain available, and normal filing deadlines under the Commission’s rules will apply,” the FCC said in a public notice. “If the Commission ceases normal operations, further guidance will be provided by a subsequent Public Notice.” During the last shutdown Oct. 1-Nov. 12, the FCC immediately ceased most of its operations and furloughed 81% of its 1,288 staff members (see 2510010065).
The FCC and other federal agencies appeared Friday on the brink of at least a short-term shutdown that could begin at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, even though the Senate was in the midst of voting at our deadline on an FY 2026 appropriations package (HR-7148). HR-7148 would give the FCC $416.1 million for FY 2026, including $13.5 million for its Office of Inspector General, and the FTC $383.6 million (see 2601120056). The Senate was set to vote on amending the House-passed version to excise funding for the Department of Homeland Security because of Democrats’ objections to recent immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr told reporters Thursday that he anticipates that the commission “would be able to continue to operate at least to some degree for some period of time” if federal appropriations lapse at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, as the agency did during the government shutdown in the fall (see 2509300060). The chances of an appropriations lapse substantially increased Thursday after the Senate failed to clear a procedural hurdle to advance a House-passed minibus FY 2026 appropriations package that includes funding for the FCC and FTC (HR-7148).