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  2. December 2024

December 2024

Musk influence sparks fresh talk in Congress on high-skilled immigrants

A Christmas Day social media brawl between President-elect Donald Trump’s backers in Silicon Valley and the MAGA base highlighted the looming battle facing the incoming White House and Congress over high-skilled immigration. Early conversations are already taking place on Capitol Hill, where Republican lawmakers are openly mulling new plans to boost numbers of high-tech immigrants as Elon Musk and other tech billionaires—including many who have named skilled immigration a priority—flex their expanding influence on Trump and the GOP.

FCC Anounces Additional Congressional Funding for the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) and the Office of Managing Director (OMD) announced that on December 23, 2024, the Spectrum and Secure Technology and Innovation Act of 2024 was signed into law as part of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (2025 NDAA).

How a Telecom Bureaucrat Learned to Speak Trump

In mid-November 2024, Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr flew to Palm Beach (FL) to clinch his dream job. The telecommunications lawyer and longtime Federal Communications Commission official dropped by a reception at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and met the incoming president, who recognized Commissioner Carr and praised his work. Two days later, Trump named Carr to lead the agency.

The Slow Process of FCC Appeals

It seems like almost every major action taken by the Federal Communications Commission get appealed these days. In a demonstration of how slow the courts can be, in September 2024, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals largely upheld the original FCC order from June 2020 that made it easier for wireless carriers to locate new towers and transmitters.

With All Funds Obligated, NTIA Takes Additional Steps to Accelerate BEAD Construction

The federal government has obligated all $42.45 billion in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding to states and territories. This means that, subject to the terms and conditions of their awards, Eligible Entities can access their BEAD allocation to connect every resident to affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service.

FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for January Open Meeting

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced that the following are tentatively on the agenda for the January Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, January 15, 2025:

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