Federal Agency

Though the broadband grant funding debate has occurred in earnest on this community for years and amongst the telecommunications and fiber industries, it’s hardly become a mainstream issue for water cooler conversation—until now.

The Supreme Court held oral arguments in Federal Communications Commission v. Consumers' Research, a case challenging the legality of the Universal Service Fund framework.

Reps Rick Allen (R-GA-12) and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-9) introduced the Telling Everyone the Location of Data Leaving the U.S. Act (TELL Act) to protect American data from the Chinese Communist Party. The TELL Act would enable the Federal Trade Commission to endorse rules that would make it easier for Americans to know if China has compromised their data and if it is being stored, transferred, or exposed to China or companies owned by the Chinese Communist Party.

The Senate Commerce Committee convened on March 27 to consider Arielle Roth, President Donald Trump's nominee to head the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) kicked off the hearing voicing his strong support for for Roth: "As folks here know, Arielle is an esteemed member of the Republican staff on this committee.

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.

The Universal Service Fund has done little or nothing for universal service. Mobile phones and the internet have become ubiquitous in rural areas and among those of low income. Most schools, libraries, and healthcare facilities have been hooked up for years (to the dismay of many teachers). This is thanks to the alacrity of today’s high technology, massive private investments, profound improvements in service quality and proficiency, and constantly falling prices.

The Federal Communications Commission proposed rules to help ensure that emerging Next Generation 911 networks are reliable and interoperable, which will help first responders save lives. The nation is transitioning from legacy 911 technology to NG911, which will use Internet Protocol-based infrastructure to support new 911 capabilities, including text, video, and data.

The Federal Communications Commission proposed improvements to its wireless 911 location accuracy rules, which reduce emergency response times and ultimately save lives by enabling 911 call centers and first responders to quickly identify the location of people who call 911 from wireless phones. In a Sixth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the FCC is proposing measures to address concerns  about precision while balancing the needs of industry and promoting technical flexibility and innovation, including seeking comment on:

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. 

The state of California is opening its Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program application window for prequalification and application submissions, and ending on October 2 for submission of the final proposal to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which administers the program federally. The BEAD Program has allocated $1.86 billion to California for bringing high-speed internet to unserved and underserved residents. Applicants must meet a 25 percent match requirement on proposals.