House Commerce Committee

House Commerce Committee Democrats launched an investigation into Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr’s attacks on the First Amendment and his weaponization of the independent agency.

House Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY-2) and Rep. John Joyce, M.D. (R-PA-13) announced the establishment of a comprehensive data privacy working group. The partisan working group welcomes input from a broad range of stakeholders. Stakeholders interested in engaging with the working group can reach out to PrivacyWorkingGroup@mail.house.gov for more information. The working group will also include:

Republican members of the House Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications and Technology for the 119^th Congress:

Rep Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, announced the Committee’s Subcommittee Chief Counsels for the 119th Congress. Kate O’Connor Harper will serve as Chief Counsel for the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, where she has served for the past 5 years. Kate previously served as the Chief of Staff for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, where she worked on legislative and communications policy focused on spectrum and broadband issues.

Congressman Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Chairman-Elect of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, announced the Committee’s Senior Staff members for the 119th Congress:

House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) applauds the passage of three communications and technology bills. 

Dear Chairwoman Rosenworcel:  The results of the 2024 presidential election are now apparent and leadership of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will soon change. As a traditional part of the peaceful transfer of power, the FCC should immediately stop work on any partisan or controversial item under consideration, consistent with applicable law and regulation. There are many bipartisan, consensus items that the FCC could pursue to fulfill its mission before the end of your tenure. I urge you to focus your attention on these matters.

In a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Reps Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Bob Latta (R-OH), and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) requested information about the agency’s internet domain name registry agreement with Verisign. “With both a role in advising ICANN and as a party to the Cooperative Agreement, the NTIA bears responsibility for supporting a domain name system that enables the growth of online commerce. Both individual consumers and businesses depend on responsible management of the .com system.

On May 15, the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing titled “The Fiscal Year 2025 National Telecommunications and Information Administration Budget.” House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee Chair Bob Latta (R-OH), and Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Alan Davidson all delivered remarks.

A delegation of US Congress members part of the Congressional Western Caucus and House Commerce Committee was in Bakersfield (CA) on May 10. At a nearly two-hour field hearing, Central Valley farming representatives joined rural internet service providers in highlighting the importance of high-speed connectivity to precision agriculture as well as poor communities reliant on computers for health care, education and remote work. While there was little question how vital internet service has become to rural areas, the underlying question was what role the government should have in not only he