President Joe Biden signed the Fiscal Responsibility Act debt limit measure Saturday, enacting language that rescinds “unobligated” COVID-19 emergency funding for the FCC and Agriculture Department Rural Utilities Service’s Distance Learning, Telemedicine and Broadband Program enacted as part of the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (see 2305300071). The Cares Act originally allocated $200 million in emergency funding to the FCC and $25 million for the RUS program (see 2003270058). The Senate passed the Fiscal Responsibility Act 63-36 Thursday night; the House approved it earlier in the week (see 2306010080).

Broadcast groups representing all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico urged Congress to pass the AM in Every Vehicle Act (HR-3413/S-1669), which would mandate automakers retain AM radio capability in all future vehicles (see 2305170051). "AM radio serves as the backbone of the Emergency Alert System ... and is therefore a critical source of information in times of crisis," the groups said in a resolution NAB publicized Friday. "AM radio stations play a crucial role serving as the vast majority of Primary Entry Points (PEPs) across the country, designated radio stations whose signals cover 90% of the American population and have a direct connection to" FEMA and the National Weather Service. It "uniquely can reach listeners in a wide geographic area and is available in urban and rural areas, regardless of internet access and without paid subscriptions" and "plays a vital role in serving minority, non-English-speaking and other underrepresented communities with free, in-language and religious programming," the groups said. The House Communications Subcommittee plans a hearing Tuesday on the issue, but it's unclear whether there's sufficient appetite for a mandate (see 2305260034).

The House Oversight Committee is investigating ex-FTC Commissioner Christine Wilson’s allegations about Chair Lina Khan “abusing” her power and “disregarding the rule of law,” Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., announced Thursday. The committee cited Wilson’s decision to resign (see 2303020048) from the agency “after concerns about the integrity of the FTC under Chair Khan’s leadership, citing abuses of power and disregard for the rule of law and federal ethics standards.” Comer is seeking “documents and communications to understand these allegations and Chair Khan’s actions in this role.” The agency confirmed receiving Comer’s letter and said: “Under Chair Khan the FTC is proud to be defending American consumers from harm and ensuring fair competition in the economy. We look forward to working with Congress to dispel former Commissioner Wilson's imaginative allegations.”

The Senate appeared likely to begin votes as soon as Thursday night on the House-passed Fiscal Responsibility Act debt limit measure (HR-3746), which includes language that would rescind “unobligated” COVID-19 emergency funding for the FCC and Agriculture Department Rural Utilities Service’s Distance Learning, Telemedicine and Broadband Program enacted as part of the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (see 2305300071). The Cares Act originally allocated $200 million in emergency funding to the FCC and $25 million for the RUS program (see 2003270058). The House passed HR-3746 314-117 Wednesday.

The House Communications Subcommittee will hold its AM radio hearing (see 2305230047) June 6, the Commerce Committee said Monday. The panel will "examine the role of AM radio following reports that it may be removed in certain vehicles," Commerce said. House Communications Chairman Bob Latta, R-Ohio, will eye whether he will favor pursuing legislation to mandate automakers to keep AM radio technology in future vehicles, like the AM for Every Vehicle Act (HR-3413/S-1669). The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.

The Fiscal Responsibility Act debt limit measure (HR-3746), which the House and Senate are to consider this week, includes language that would rescind “unobligated” COVID-19 emergency funding for the FCC and Agriculture Department Rural Utilities Service enacted as part of the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (see 2003270058). The 2020 law allocated $200 million to the FCC “to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally, including to support efforts of health care providers to address coronavirus by providing telecommunications services, information services, and devices necessary to enable the provision of telehealth services during” the federal government’s COVID-19 emergency period. The statute allocated $25 million to RUS’ Distance Learning, Telemedicine and Broadband Program to “prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally, for telemedicine and distance learning services in rural areas.” HR-3746 would allow Congress to continue making advance appropriations for CPB even as it temporarily bars them for most other programs. The measure would leave nondefense spending levels largely at the same level in FY 2024 as lawmakers enacted in December for FY 2023, though Congress hasn’t passed any appropriations legislation for FY24. The House will vote on HR-3746 Wednesday. Its prospects for passage remained uncertain amid resistance from some members of both parties. The Senate would have to act on the measure before June 5, the day the federal government is expected to hit the current debt ceiling.

The Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration needs to be transparent about its promotion of surveillance technology in foreign markets, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said Friday. He submitted a series of questions to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, asking how the ITA is taking steps to “prevent such technology sales from harming human rights.” He noted ITA informed his office in 2022 it “promoted the sale of surveillance technology, but declined to share which products it promoted, or which foreign markets it targeted.” In March, ITA told his office it “issued a new policy to restrict promotion of surveillance products, but refused to share that policy without a formal letter,” according to Wyden. “Given the Administration’s stated interest in limiting the human rights abuses made possible by these technologies, ITA must be transparent about its past and current promotion of these technologies abroad,” he wrote to Raimondo. He’s seeking answers about how ITA works with companies and the legal restrictions on such action. The department didn’t comment.

The House Homeland Security Committee is seeking a briefing on Chinese state-sponsored malicious cybersecurity activity against American critical infrastructure networks, Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., said Thursday in a joint statement with House Cybersecurity Subcommittee Chairman Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, NSA and FBI released a joint cybersecurity advisory with agencies in Australia, New Zealand and the U.K. Wednesday. The advisory detailed how China has been using “legitimate network administration tools” to blend into local networks and “avoid identification by many endpoint detection and response (EDR) products, and limit the amount of activity that is captured in common logging configurations.” China’s goal is to steal intellectual property and sensitive data from organizations around the world, said CISA Director Jen Easterly. The House Homeland Security Committee is “extremely concerned” about the malicious activity, particularly activity in Guam, where there are heightened threats to the U.S. military, said Green and Garbarino: “We will request a briefing to better understand the scope of this activity and the resources needed to defend against any renewed threat. Congress must do everything it can to empower and equip CISA to support critical infrastructure owners and operators to defend their networks.”

Competitive Carriers Association CEO Tim Donovan endorsed the House Commerce Committee-approved Spectrum Auction Reauthorization Act (HR-3565) Wednesday in a letter to bill lead sponsors panel Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J. The measure, which House Commerce advanced Wednesday on a 55-0 vote (see 2305240069), would renew the FCC’s auction authority through Sept. 30, 2026. It proposes to allocate up to $14.8 billion in future auction proceeds for next-generation 911 tech upgrades and up to $3.08 billion to fully fund the FCC's Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program. “Each of these actions are vital to U.S. competitiveness and national security,” Donovan wrote Rodgers and Pallone. “The lack of spectrum auction authority for the FCC and a strong spectrum pipeline clearly harms CCA members and the customers they serve. Several CCA members are also extremely impacted by the lack of full funding needed” to reimburse providers participating in the rip and replace program. “Beyond the Congressionally-created national security mandate to participate in” rip and replace, “impacted carriers (and the customers and roaming consumers their networks serve) are in imminent jeopardy of network failures and face hard decisions to ‘rip’ but not ‘replace’ due to extreme funding constraints,” Donovan said: The FCC’s upcoming July 15 “deadline to submit a reimbursement claim, triggering the one-year statutory completion timeframe, the continuity of reliable wireless, including emergency services, is at stake in many parts of rural America.”

House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said Friday, following a government report detailing new abuses, he will oppose reauthorization of the intelligence community’s surveillance authority unless there are major changes. DOJ and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released declassified documents Friday detailing unauthorized surveillance of Americans related to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. According to the documents, the FBI did backdoor searches on groups ranging from Black Lives Matter protesters to Jan. 6 rioters. “The FBI says that they have instituted new procedures to make this kind of abuse impossible,” said Nadler. “They have made that promise before. Without significant changes to the law to prevent this abuse, I will oppose the reauthorization of this authority." Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., also condemned the abuse: “These abuses have been going on for years and despite recent changes in FBI practices, these systematic violations of Americans’ privacy require congressional action. If Section 702 is to be reauthorized, there must be statutory reforms to ensure that the checks and balances are in place to put an end to these abuses.”