Policymakers

Profiles of the people who make or influence communications policy.

Technology in Service of Human Progress: NTIA in the Biden-Harris Administration

Every day at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), we work to promote technology in the service of human progress. That has been the throughline of our actions on Internet connectivity, spectrum and tech policy.

Sen. Cruz Designated Chairman of Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

The Senate Republican Conference ratified Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Joining the committee are three new Republican members for the 119th Congress: Senators John Curtis (R-UT), Bernie Moreno (R-OH), and Tim Sheehy (R-MT). Remaining on the committee are Senators John Thune (R-SD), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Todd Young (R-IN), Ted Budd (R-NC), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY).

The Republicans Driving Broadband Policy in the 119th Congress

On January 3, 2025, the 119th Congress was sworn in. Republicans now hold majorities in both the House and the Senate. With the incoming Trump administration, Congressional Republicans have a lengthy list of priorities.

New Leadership for House Commerce Committee in the 119th Congress

As the 119th Congress convenes, the House's legislative and oversight agenda for all things broadband will likely start and live with the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Here we look at changes in leadership in this key committee and how the priorities of these new leaders may impact broadband policy. Republicans tapped Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY-2) to chair the Commerce Committee. On December 20, Chairman Guthrie named Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC-09) to be Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology for the 119th Congress.

Chairman-Elect Guthrie Announces House Committee on Energy and Commerce Senior Staff

Congressman Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Chairman-Elect of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, announced the Committee’s Senior Staff members for the 119th Congress:

Elon Musk’s Political Influence Wears Down Global Resistance to Starlink

The global wall of resistance to Elon Musk’s satellite business is crumbling. Even before Musk spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars to help Donald Trump retake the US presidency, SpaceX’s Starlink was picking off swaths of the world country by country.

DoJ’s Jonathan Kanter does not see a ‘complete U-turn on antitrust’ under Donald Trump

Jonathan Kanter has stepped down as one of President Joe Biden’s top antitrust enforcers, but he is hopeful that the next administration will uphold the crackdown on corporate power that he has helped unleash. Since taking the job in 2021, Kanter shook the establishment by rejecting the notion that corporate growth be tolerated so long as consumers were not harmed—a shift from the “consumer welfare” standard that has underpinned US antitrust policy since the 1970s. During his tenure he has successfully blocked several major 

Who Needs 1,000 Social Security Offices?

President-elect Trump has tasked Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk with eliminating federal government waste through the Department of Government Efficiency. We believe there’s a huge opportunity to reduce government spending while improving service—by relocating more federal services online, supported by robust internet connections.

FCC's Carr Again Highlights CBS ‘Bias’ Complaint As Factor in Paramount-Skydance Review

Incoming Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr has once again highlighted how he plans to take seriously complaints about political bias and “news distortion” at CBS News in the agency’s review of 

Trump Puts $4 Billion in Shares of His Media Company in a Trust

President-elect Donald J. Trump transferred all of his shares in the social media company that bears his name to a trust controlled by his eldest son, according to a regulatory filing. The filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission said Mr. Trump had moved his roughly 115 million shares in Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, to the trust.