Report on past event

The U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee overwhelmingly approved 17 bipartisan bills and the nomination of Howard Lutnick to be Secretary of Commerce. The legislation passed touches almost all aspects of the Commerce Committee’s wide jurisdiction including transportation, weather and emergency forecasting, consumer protection and fee transparency, manufacturing and supply-chain resilience, oceans and fisheries, promoting tourism, and protecting children online. In addition to the nomination of Howard Lutnick, the committee approved bills including:

Howard Lutnick, a wealthy donor to President Trump who has been chosen to lead the Commerce Department, defended Mr. Trump’s plans to impose broad tariffs and said he would take a tough stance on technology sales to China during his Senate confirmation hearing. If confirmed, Lutnick would lead on trade policy and oversee a broad portfolio of government programs touching on business promotion, technology and science.

Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan released a summary of the agency’s key accomplishments over the last four years that have improved Americans’ everyday lives and stopped illegal consolidation that raises prices and hampers innovation. These accomplishments include:

President Joe Biden used his final address from the Oval Office to deliver a somber warning about the threat posed by the “dangerous concentration of power” in the hands of wealthy and well-connected individuals, a thinly veiled reference to billionaire technology executives who have been increasingly signaling their desire to work closely with President-elect Donald Trump. “Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead,” President B

Based on today’s presentations, I don’t think there is any question that, on every count, we did the work and delivered for the people of the United States. Working together, we were able to build the largest broadband affordability effort in our Nation’s history. Working together, we launched the first-ever Space Bureau and created a Single Network Future that is going to change communications around the globe. Working together, we built broadband maps that are light years ahead of anything that came before.

The incoming Trump administration should not pause the government’s $42.5 billion effort to end the digital divide, said Brandy Reitter, head of Colorado’s broadband office. There’s been speculation the Trump administration might alter some Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) rules the GOP has been strongly critical of, from its fiber preference to its low-cost service requirement for low-income households served on subsidized infrastructure.

On December 31, 2024, Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel released a note reflecting on the agency's work over the course of 2024. "The end of the year is always a time for reflection," Chairwoman Rosenworcel said. "That’s especially true for me in 2024 as my service at the Federal Communications Commission is coming to a close. It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve in this role and a special privilege to be the first woman confirmed to do so." The Chairwoman categorized her time at the FCC into five core values:

Rep Bob Latta (R-OH) said he hoped the Federal Communications Commission’s authority to auction off spectrum could be restored in a budget reconciliation bill in 2025. Latta chairs the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee, which deals with telecommunications issues. It’s part of the House Commerce Committee, which Rep Latta said is “going to play a large part in” a reconciliation bill. Budget reconciliations allow lawmakers to bypass the Senate’s filibuster and move spending bills with a bare majority.

In my first public remarks on the space economy after becoming Chairwoman, I laid out three priorities for the FCC’s space agenda.

The next four years of telecommunications policy will be unlike anything Wall Street and other stakeholders have ever seen, according to one long-time analyst and former Federal Communications Commission staff member who has seen his share of changes and administrations over the past three decades. “The questions for investors are, what does the President want to have happen, and then how does that get implemented? How do the governors react to that?” said Blair Levin, U.S. Policy and Regulatory Advisor, New Street Research.