A bill to impose a carbon border adjustment was reintroduced in the House and Senate this week. The Clean Competition Act is sponsored by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse D-R.I., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee.
Top Democrats on the Senate and House Communications subcommittees were noncommittal in interviews Wednesday and Thursday about pursuing legislation to address changes that NTIA made to the $42.5 billion BEAD program’s rules in its June 6 restructuring policy notice. The Government Accountability Office ruled Tuesday that the Congressional Review Act (CRA) doesn’t let the Commerce Department unilaterally make such alterations (see 2512170032). Meanwhile, Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., filed the Supporting U.S. Critical Connectivity and Economic Strategy and Security (Success) for BEAD Act on Thursday to allow states to repurpose non-deployment BEAD funding for next-generation 911 technology upgrades and other purposes.
The House Commerce Committee plans to take “action” on comprehensive privacy legislation after considering kid bills this spring, a committee staffer said in a statement Friday.
Communications Daily is tracking the lawsuits below involving appeals of FCC actions. New cases are marked with a *.
The District of Columbia would revise its existing 911 surcharge structure, moving to a fee of $1 a month for each access line across non-prepaid technologies, under a bill introduced Monday by Councilmembers Christina Henderson (I) and Matthew Frumin (D). The bill would also increase the prepaid wireless surcharge.
House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C., confirmed after Tuesday's subpanel hearing that there's still no clear funding mechanism for proposed federal grants to pay for next-generation 911 technology upgrades. However, he said he's open to providing a smaller first tranche of money to states and localities while trying to establish a new cost estimate for the full buildout. Witnesses at the hearing praised the Hudson-led Next Generation 911 Act (HR-6505), as expected (see 2512150035), even though it doesn’t include a defined amount of NG911 funding. A previous iteration of the measure in the last Congress allocated $15 billion for the tech upgrades (see 2303240067)
The National Emergency Number Association warned the FCC that allowing correctional facilities to jam cell signals must not interfere with people's ability to call 911, according to a filing posted Monday in docket 13-111. The FCC unanimously approved a further NPRM on cell jamming in September (see 2509300063), and initial comments are due Dec. 26. NENA declined to comment “on the technical merit” of various systems. “However, whichever systems are allowed … and installed in correctional facilities must include careful engineering and assurances that legitimate 9-1-1 calls and public safety traffic won’t be blocked.”
The National Emergency Number Association and other stakeholders appeared unconcerned ahead of Tuesday's House Communications Subcommittee hearing (see 2512100055) that a refiled version of the Next Generation 911 Act (HR-6505) doesn’t include a defined amount of proposed funding for NG911 tech upgrades. NENA CEO John Provenzano praised HR-6505 in an interview, as do several scheduled hearing witnesses in their written testimony. The bill would set up a NG911 grants program within NTIA to disburse money for fiscal years 2026-30. The hearing will begin at 10:15 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.
Three House Democrats introduced a resolution last week to revoke the emergency declaration that added 25% tariffs to Indian goods. That 25% tariff is because Indian firms have been buying Russian oil, and is on top of most-favored nation duties and 25% reciprocal tariffs.
President Donald Trump signed off Thursday night on an executive order that directs NTIA to potentially curtail non-deployment funding from the $42.5 billion BEAD program for states that the Trump administration determines have overly burdensome AI laws (see 2512110068). The order is identical to a draft proposal that circulated in November (see 2511190069). Democratic lawmakers and BEAD supporters quickly disparaged Trump’s directive, which already faced potentially multiple legal challenges because it would preempt many state-level AI regulations.