US Senate

Sen John Thune (R-SD) led his colleagues in sending a letter to Howard Lutnick, secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, requesting the removal of extraneous regulations as Secretary Lutnick conducts his review of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, which is aimed at expanding internet access to Americans in rural areas and other unserved communities. The senators wrote, "We write to thank you for committing to a rigorous review of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program.

Sen Tom Cotton (R-AR) introduced the Cellphone Jamming Reform Act of 2025, legislation which would prevent inmates from using contraband cellphones in prison facilities by allowing state and federal prisons to use cellphone jamming systems. Rep David Kustoff (R-TN-8) is leading companion legislation in the House. The bill would prevent the Federal Communications Commission from stopping the use of jamming equipment in state and federal prisons. 

Five US Senators wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi, raising concerns about reports that Elon Musk’s social media company “X” (formerly Twitter) is leveraging his influential position in the Trump Administration to extract revenue from advertisers. If Musk uses his government position to protect those who engage in business with him—or harm those who do not—then he risks running afoul of criminal ethics laws. The Department of Justice (DOJ) would be responsible for investigating a potential criminal violation of federal ethics laws.

Sens Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) announced the introduction of the Broadcast Freedom and Independence Act, legislation that would prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from revoking broadcast licenses or taking action against broadcasters based on the viewpoints they broadcast. The legislation would reaffirm the importance of the independence of the FCC, including that the President should not mandate the FCC’s agenda.

Sens Peter Welch (D-VT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) in reintroducing the Digital Integrity in Democracy Act (S.840), legislation to increase accountability for social media platforms that knowingly host false election administration information.

Sens Edward Markey (D-MA) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) reintroduced the bipartisan Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0), which would update online data privacy rules for the 21st century and ensure children and teenagers are protected online. Senator Markey first introduced this legislation to update his original COPPA law in 2011 as a member of the House of Representatives and has introduced the bipartisan legislation in every Congress since. Specifically, the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act would:

Under existing law, federal broadband deployment grants are subject to federal taxation, limiting the funds available for recipients to use.