Energy and Climate

Network performance is never more front-of-mind than when a natural disaster strikes and connectivity is a lifeline to first responders, family and friends. But many service providers operate in regions where extreme heat or cold can create year-round challenges to managing their network infrastructure. Kim Bowman-Scott, VP of field operations, west; and Ron Wilson, director of network service operations for Optimum, say extreme heat can cause the most network management headaches.

Over Valentine's Day weekend 2025, parts of Appalachia, many still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Helene just 5 months earlier, were battered by another round of heavy rain and flooding.

Sometimes, less is better. That applies to the assets Verizon brought to the Los Angeles (CA) area during the devastating wildfires these past couple weeks. Verizon often deploys its Tactical Humanitarian Operations Response (THOR) vehicle when reacting to disasters like hurricanes and wildfires. But not so in LA.

At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and state officials, the Federal Communications Commission has boots on the ground through the deployment of spectrum survey teams to assess the impact to cellular communications in Los Angeles County. This data is used to identify communications gaps, which informs emergency response activities and identifies where communications assets are needed.

Chairman-Elect Brett Guthrie (R-KY) announced the House Commerce Committee Subcommittee Chairs and Vice Chairs for the 119^th Congress: 

• Vice Chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee- John Joyce (R-PA)

House Commerce Committee Chairman-Elect Brett Guthrie (R-KY) welcomes the ten new members selected by the House Republican Steering Committee to serve on the Energy & Commerce Committee in the 119^th Congress. The new Republican members of the committee are:

House Commerce Committee Chairman-Elect Brett Guthrie (R-KY) announced that two long-time aides will lead the Energy & Commerce Committee as Staff Director and Deputy Staff Director. Megan Jackson will serve as Staff Director of the Energy & Commerce Committee. Sophie Trainor Khanahmadi will serve as Deputy Staff Director of the Energy & Commerce Committee. Megan is a Kentucky native and trusted advisor who worked for Guthrie on his first Congressional campaign in 2008. She then spent more than eight years as his Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director.

Sen Edward Markey (D-MA) today reintroduced the Generating Resilient and Energy Efficient Network (GREEN) Communications Act to sustainably defend communications networks against climate change and extreme weather disasters. The GREEN Communications Act would specifically:

Sens Edward Markey (D-MA) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Rep Alma Adams, Ph.D. (D-NC) introduced the Public Archives Resiliency Act, which would authorize grants to promote preservation, climate resilience, adaption, and continuity of vital government records and protect other records of historical or cultural significance.

From communities in Appalachia and Florida to the Hawaiian Islands, no part of the US is untouched by the increased climate-related disasters we’ve seen in the past few years. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is updating and publishing a disaster response framework, and the National Digital Inclusion Alliance submitted comments to advocate for stronger integration of digital inclusion activities into post-disaster efforts. NDIA's key recommendations fall under five main categories: