Jimm Phillips

The White House National Security Council led a 6G summit Friday at the National Science Foundation’s Alexandria, Virginia, headquarters aimed at ensuring the U.S. leads the coming wireless technology’s standards research development and deployment. Officials in part cited a need to prevent China from gaining a foothold on the emerging technology like it has on 5G. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel pushed during the summit for restoring the FCC’s spectrum auction authority as one means of cementing the U.S.' 6G role.

Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member John Thune of South Dakota, Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz of Texas and nine other panel Republicans pressed NTIA Thursday to “revise or issue a new” notice of funding opportunity for the $42.5 billion broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program “to address” a range of GOP concerns. They want the agency to respond by May 4 (see 2304200001). Many of the BEAD NOFO concerns Senate Commerce Republicans raised in its Thursday letter to NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson echoed what they cited during a June hearing (see 2206090072).

Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member John Thune of South Dakota, Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz of Texas and nine other panel Republicans pressed NTIA Thursday to “revise or issue a new” notice of funding opportunity for the $42.5 billion broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program “to address” a range of GOP concerns. They want the agency to respond by May 4. NTIA’s existing BEAD NOFO previously drew Senate Commerce Republicans’ ire during a June hearing.

House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Doris Matsui of California and other Democrats opposed many of the 32 bills and legislative drafts aimed at revamping connectivity permitting processes that the subpanel examined during a Wednesday hearing, arguing the current proposals are too broad and suggesting lawmakers gather more input before moving forward. Subcommittee Chairman Bob Latta of Ohio and other Republicans framed the measures as a necessary component of the federal government’s push to improve broadband connectivity that Congress failed to include in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Top Republicans on the House and Senate Communications subcommittees told us their recent broadband oversight moves weren't unfairly partisan and they seek a more critical assessment of the Biden administration’s implementation of connectivity programs from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and COVID-19 aid measures to prevent appropriations misuse. The subpanels' top Democrats and other stakeholders told us they’re not particularly concerned so far about the tone of GOP queries but are continuing to monitor how they compare with Congress’ past oversight of the controversial Broadband Technology Opportunities Program and other initiatives.

A White House Office of Science and Technology Policy official supported restoring the FCC’s spectrum auction authority but also emphasized during a Media Institute event Wednesday that all federal agencies need “an opportunity to be heard” before the commission makes a major spectrum policy decision. The FCC’s mandate expired last month amid efforts to delay congressional action on repurposing parts of the 3.1-3.45 GHz band for commercial use until after a DOD study of its systems on the frequency (see 2303090074). Austin Bonner, OSTP's assistant director-spectrum and telecom policy, also noted optimism about the trajectory of work on a national spectrum strategy, after NTIA’s Tuesday listening session at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

The White House is eyeing former acting NTIA Administrator Anna Gomez, ex-Wiley, and to a slightly lesser extent NASA Chief of Staff Susie Perez Quinn as the most viable potential candidates to replace ex-nominee Gigi Sohn as President Joe Biden’s pick fill the long-vacant third Democratic FCC seat, lobbyists and others said in interviews. Officials cautioned that the Biden administration is also looking at other potential candidates and several remained viable Tuesday, including Narda Jones, chief of staff to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.

House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, want the FCC to explain the Media Bureau’s February hearing designation order on the $8.6 billion proposed Standard General/Tegna deal, seen as a de facto denial of the transaction (see 2302240068). Standard, Tegna and NAB are challenging the HDO in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (see 2303310055). Cruz and Rodgers want the FCC to provide information by April 19 on the commission’s handling of the deal, including why the Media Bureau issued the HDO on its own instead of seeking a vote from Rosenworcel and the other three commissioners.

Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, urged Agriculture Committee leaders Thursday to “consider” making changes to the Agriculture Department's ReConnect program before allocating it “any new funding” as part of the 2023 farm bill. Cruz noted his priority of “rigorous oversight of the massive amounts of federal taxpayer money -- calculated at over $175 billion -- dedicated to broadband over the last five years” via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and other legislation. Cruz and Communications Subcommittee ranking member John Thune, R-S.D., in recent months repeatedly raised concerns about broadband spending (see 2301260055).

House Commerce Oversight Subcommittee Republican and Democratic members took widely divergent views Wednesday of Commerce Department implementation of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act-funded broadband programs and money from the 2022 Chips and Science Act. Subpanel Chairman Morgan Griffith, R-Va., made clear the hearing was only the initial stage in their plans. Griffith and other Oversight Republicans repeatedly criticized President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats for signing off on IIJA and the Chips law, saying both meant unrestrained spending and don’t have enough checks to prevent waste, fraud and abuse. Democrats conversely trumpeted the measures as crucial to helping Americans amid the COVID-19 pandemic.