The Senate Commerce Committee said Wednesday night that it will mark up two telecom measures during an April 30 meeting that will also consider Republican FCC nominee Olivia Trusty (see 2504230051). Lawmakers will vote on the Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act (S-259) and Enhancing First Response Act (S-725). The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. in 253 Russell. S-259 and its House companion (HR-906), which was advanced by that chamber's Commerce Committee, would require the FCC to publish a list of communications companies with FCC licenses or other authorizations in which China or other foreign adversaries’ governments hold at least a 10% ownership stake. Congressional leaders included an earlier version of the measure in a scuttled December continuing resolution (see 2412180033). S-725 and the similar 911 Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services Act (HR-637) would reclassify public safety call takers and dispatchers as a protective service.

The House Communications Subcommittee plans an April 30 hearing examining telecom infrastructure security, as expected (see 2504020078), the Commerce Committee said Wednesday. The subpanel previously planned to hold the panel April 8. “Our adversaries continually seek to exploit vulnerabilities in our communications infrastructure to jeopardize our national security, disrupt critical services, and steal Americans’ data,” said House Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., and Communications Chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C.

House Judiciary Committee Democrats on Wednesday decried reports that Bill Owens, the longtime executive producer of CBS’ 60 Minutes, is resigning (see 2504220070) as the network faces Trump administration pressure over the program’s interview last fall of former Vice President Kamala Harris. CBS faces a $10 billion lawsuit from President Donald Trump, as well as an FCC news distortion proceeding (see 2504140044 and 2502050063). CBS’ parent company, Paramount Global, also needs FCC approval to finalize its $8 billion purchase by Skydance (see 2503210049).

The Senate confirmed Republican Mark Meador as an FTC commissioner Thursday on a party-line 50-46 vote amid fierce opposition from chamber Democrats over President Donald Trump’s disputed March firing of Democratic Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter (see 2503190057). Bedoya and Slaughter are suing to overturn their dismissal. Democrats are concerned that Trump may seek to fire the FCC’s two Democrats or refuse to name someone to replace party-affiliated Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, who plans to resign this spring (see 2503180067).

The House Commerce Committee easily advanced the NTIA Reauthorization Act (HR-2482) and 10 other tech and telecom bills Tuesday, despite pushback from panel Democrats over SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's actions that led chamber leaders to jettison a December continuing resolution that included near-identical versions of most of the measures the committee was considering (see 2412170081).

The House Commerce Committee said Tuesday it plans to vote Wednesday on the newly refiled NTIA Reauthorization Act (HR-2482) and 10 other tech and telecom bills. The markup session will begin at 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn. Also on the docket: the Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act (HR-633), Informing Consumers About Smart Devices Act (HR-859), Removing Our Unsecure Technologies to Ensure Reliability and Security Act (HR-866), Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act (HR-906), Communications Security Act (HR-1717), OpenRAN Outreach Act (HR-2037), Rural Broadband Protection Act (HR-2399), Future Uses of Technology Upholding Reliable and Enhanced Networks Act (HR-2449), Secure Space Act (HR-2458) and Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act (HR-2480). House leaders included previous versions of all the bills except HR-1717 and HR-2037 in a scuttled December continuing resolution package (see 2412170081).

Senate Communications Subcommittee Chair Deb Fischer, R-Neb., pressed the nominee for Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, retired Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, during his Armed Services Committee confirmation Tuesday on whether he thinks DOD should have a “meaningful co-leadership” role “in any interagency determinations about the future use of federal spectrum.” A leading opponent of efforts to use a coming budget reconciliation package to repurpose any DOD-controlled spectrum for commercial wireless use, Fischer has repeatedly brought up the matter during other military nominees’ confirmation hearings (see 2502270064). Her views on DOD spectrum put Fischer in conflict with Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas (see 2502190068).

House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Doris Matsui, D-Calif., said Monday that she, Vice Chairman Rick Allen, R-Ga., and Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., refiled the Future Uses of Technology Upholding Reliable and Enhanced Networks Act. The measure, which passed the House in past Congresses (see 2409180049), would direct the FCC to establish a 6G task force that provides recommendations about ensuring U.S. leadership in developing that technology’s standards. House leaders included the Future Networks Act in an ultimately scuttled December continuing resolution, which would have also enacted several other telecom measures (see 2412170081).

The Senate voted 74-25 Tuesday to confirm Michael Kratsios as White House Office of Science and Technology Policy director, as expected (see 2503170057). Earlier Tuesday, the chamber invoked cloture on Kratsios by a similarly lopsided 73-25 margin. Eight Senate Commerce Committee Democrats, including ranking member Maria Cantwell of Washington, were among the 21 caucus members who backed Kratsios. Cantwell and the other seven panel Democrats who supported Kratsios on the floor, including Communications Subcommittee ranking member Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, voted to advance him during a panel meeting earlier this month (see 2503120069). CTIA and USTelecom CEO Jonathan Spalter hailed Kratsios' confirmation.

Deregulation of the telecom industry “is key” to making the industry more competitive and reducing the price of service, House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C., told a Free State Foundation conference Tuesday. Hudson said his goals are to also “modernize and streamline rules so that the telecom industry in America can thrive.” BEAD and other federal programs were supposed to help close the digital divide, “but they’re being slow-rolled over onerous requirements and regulations.”