Policymakers

On March 5, the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing titled “Fixing Biden’s Broadband Blunders.” This title, chosen by wordsmiths in the Republican majority, hints at the policy direction the current Congress and Administration might take: undermining the progress the U.S. is making towards universal connectivity.

The trade group ACA Connects kicked off its annual summit with what’s on the forefront of everyone’s mind right now – the state of the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. Changes to BEAD are imminent, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick plans to eliminate the program’s fiber preference. But Sen John Curtis (R-UT) didn’t talk about that in the opening keynote.

Stephen Cox was enjoying retirement in Florida when the opportunity to become Indiana’s broadband director arose. Like Michael Jordan, Cox is back better than ever after his initial retirement. Unlike Michael Jordan, he did not have big shoes to fill—when he came back to Indiana, the state broadband office was just Cox and one other person. Cox said the $868 million Indiana received for their Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program broadband expansion is “right in the ballpark” of what the state wanted.

Reps Bob Latta (R-OH-5) and Robin Kelly (D-IL-2) reintroduced the 

Brendan Carr, newly minted chair of the Federal Communications Commission, has been plenty busy making his mark in the telecommunications regulatory landscape. Here's a look at the most notable events that have transpired during Carr's first 30 days—and what we can expect in the months to come:

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been looking at the key Members of Congress who will driving policy for electronic communications—including voice, video, audio and data; emergency and public safety communications; cybersecurity, privacy, and data security; the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced the Subcommittee assignments for the 119^th Congress. Chairman Cruz and Ranking Member Cantwell are ex officio members on each subcommittee.

Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Chairman

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.)

Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.)

Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.)

Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.)

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.)

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition appointed Joseph Wender as its new Executive Director, effective March 10, 2025, succeeding founding Executive Director John Windhausen. This transition comes at a pivotal moment in broadband policy, including a pending Supreme Court decision on the future of the Universal Service Fund (USF). Since its founding, SHLB has led efforts to ensure that every school, library, healthcare provider, and anchor institution has access to affordable, high-speed broadband.

It is the policy of my Administration to dramatically reduce the size of the Federal Government, while increasing its accountability to the American people.  This order commences a reduction in the elements of the Federal bureaucracy that the President has determined are unnecessary.  Reducing the size of the Federal Government will minimize Government waste and abuse, reduce inflation, and promote American freedom and innovation. The non-statutory components and functions of the following governmental entities shall be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, and su

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar (R-TX) recommended federal officials change requirements for billions of dollars in broadband funding, including eliminating the low-cost requirement. Hegar suggested the change in a letter to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who is the chairman for the Senate committee that oversees the federal agency responsible for allocating federal broadband funds. In the letter, Comptroller Hegar says removing the requirement may increase provider participation.