House Democrats are raising conflict-of-interest questions regarding SpaceX and CEO Elon Musk. In a letter Tuesday to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro, the lawmakers said Musk's role as head of the Department of Governmental Efficiency conflicts with SpaceX's role as a government contractor, given the influence DOGE has over agencies' contracts and contract bids. They said there's also a conflict of interest regarding DOGE's influence over regulators that oversee SpaceX. They called for a probe of whether SpaceX has received or could get special treatment due to Musk's role in the Trump administration. There also are questions about whether SpaceX used offshore accounts to mask the identities of Chinese investors, the lawmakers said.

The House China Committee urged the FCC on Wednesday to add Chinese company Unitree Robotics to its covered entities list to block its equipment’s use on U.S. telecom infrastructure. Committee Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., and other panel members cited Unitree’s “well-documented ties to [China’s People’s Liberation Army]-affiliated institutions and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) entities. Reporting indicates that Unitree has participated in military-civil fusion programs, received [Chinese] state funding, contributed to defense research, and produces robotic systems with clear military utility -- including autonomous mobility, surveillance, and payload capabilities.”

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, this week urged the wireless industry to rally behind his push to make a spectrum title part of the budget reconciliation package before Congress. Cruz was among the last of the speakers at CTIA’s 5G Summit on Tuesday (see 2505060036).

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, questioned Tuesday whether the 1961 Sports Broadcasting Act (SBA), which granted the NFL and other professional sports leagues antitrust immunity to negotiate nationwide broadcast rights, is still fulfilling its “intended goals,” given fans’ frustration with fragmented access to games. “The shift to streaming isn’t just frustrating -- it can be expensive,” Cruz said during a committee hearing. “Between league-specific packages and games behind different streaming paywalls, it can cost hundreds of dollars a year for a hardcore fan wanting to watch all of a league’s games.”

Disruptive Analysis Director Dean Bubley said Sunday that President Donald Trump’s high-profile promise of a Golden Dome that will protect the U.S. from missile attacks, similar to Israel’s Iron Dome defense system, “should lead policymakers to rethink the wisdom or feasibility of clearing” the DOD-controlled 3.1-3.45 GHz band for commercial 5G use. DOD supporters’ concerns about repurposing the lower 3 GHz band are the main sticking point in talks to mandate a spectrum pipeline as part of a coming budget reconciliation package (see 2505020047). DOD in March proposed making 420 MHz from current military-controlled frequencies available for FCC auction while maintaining the Pentagon’s grip on the lower 3 GHz band (see 2504040068).

House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Doris Matsui, D-Calif., and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., criticized President Donald Trump on Friday for issuing an executive order instructing CPB to cease funding NPR and PBS (see 2505020044).

The House voted 415-9 Tuesday night to pass the Informing Consumers About Smart Devices Act (HR-859), which would require manufacturers to inform consumers about cameras or microphones on internet-connected devices. House leaders included a previous version of the measure in a scuttled December continuing resolution (see 2412180033). The chamber earlier this week approved the Senate-passed Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act (S-146) and seven other tech and telecom bills (see 2504290032).

The House voted 409-2 Monday night to approve the Senate-passed Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act (S-146), which President Donald Trump is likely to sign into law. In addition, the House cleared five other tech and telecom bills Monday night on voice votes: the Removing Our Unsecure Technologies to Ensure Reliability and Security Act (HR-866), Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act (HR-906), Rural Broadband Protection Act (HR-2399), Future Uses of Technology Upholding Reliable and Enhanced Networks Act (HR-2449) and the Secure Space Act (HR-2458). The chamber earlier Monday passed two other measures (see 2504280055): the Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act (HR-2480) and NTIA Reauthorization Act (HR-2482).

The House passed the Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act (HR-2480) and NTIA Reauthorization Act (HR-2482) Monday on voice votes. HR-2480 and its Senate Commerce Committee-approved companion (S-97) would direct the Commerce Department’s SelectUSA program to work with state-level economic development organizations on strategies to attract investment in U.S. semiconductor manufacturers and supply chains (see 2503120069). HR-2482 would renew NTIA's mandate through the end of FY 2026 and elevate the NTIA administrator's role to also be a Commerce Department undersecretary. Rep. April McClain Delaney, D-Md., a deputy NTIA administrator during the Biden administration, was among the lawmakers who backed HR-2482 on the floor Monday.

The House plans to vote as soon as Monday night on the NTIA Reauthorization Act (HR-2482) and eight other telecom and tech bills that the Commerce Committee advanced earlier this month (see 2504080070), the office of Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said Friday. Also on the House’s agenda: the Senate-passed Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act (S-146), 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), 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). The House Commerce Committee advanced S-146’s identical House companion (HR-633) earlier this month. Previous versions of all nine measures on the House agenda were part of a scuttled December continuing resolution (see 2412180033).