House of Representatives

Given rapid advancements in the American space sector, we appreciate the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) raising questions about how to update its satellite rules to ensure they keep pace with innovation. With recent efforts by Congress and the FCC’s notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), we have an opportunity to continue American leadership in a competitive global satellite marketplace.

Rep Doris Matsui (D-CA) urged Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Alan Davidson to prioritize the important task of reviewing current federal assignments and quantification of spectrum usage within the 7125-8400 MHz (7GHz) band. A National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) review will be crucial to determining how much of the band could accommodate commercial use. To ensure the United States remains the global pacesetter in wireless communications technology, a reliable pipeline of spectrum is needed.

House Republican Leaders sent a letter to US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy regarding the Biden Administration's approach to COVID-19 related misinformation on tech platforms. "We write with significant concerns that the Biden Administration continues to undermine the First Amendment by pressuring technology companies to censor specific users and certain speech," reads the letter sent by Reps Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Jim Jordan (R-OH), Steve Scalise (R-LA) and James Comer (R-KY). "The First Amendment prohibits the government from directly censoring speech it finds objectionable.

Rep. Lori Trahan (D-MA-03), a member of the House Commerce Committee’s Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee, unveiled the Digital Services Oversight and Safety Act (DSOSA), comprehensive transparency legislation to establish a Bureau of Digital Services Oversight and Safety at the Federal Trade Commission that would have the authority and resources necessary to hold powerful online companies accountable for the promises they make to users, parents, advertisers, and enforcers.

Rep Doris Matsui (D-CA), along with seven colleagues, sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to support the development and execution of the Biden Administration’s spectrum policy by bolstering the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and quickly nominating a Chief Technology Officer (CTO). “To ensure agencies have the requisite resources to fulfill their mandates and to maintain US leadership in next-generation communications networks, it is imperative that the Federal government have a unified approach to spectrum policy,” said the letter.

Resolved, That the House of Representatives finds that—