Sergio Romero

At a House Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing, members of both parties said the law helped open markets to competition but has not kept pace with today’s internet-driven economy. Lawmakers said Congress must modernize U.S. communications law as broadband, mobile technology, and digital platforms have reshaped the industry since the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was enacted. Chairman Richard Hudson (R-NC) said the hearing would examine what parts of the law worked and how Congress can update it to promote investment and innovation in modern networks.

lllinois State Sen Rachel Ventura (D-Joliet) has introduced legislation directing regulators to set broadband price protections for low-income residents, though the bill text leaves key details to be determined later.The measure joins those in other states, including Connecticut, Maryland, and Minnesota, that have introduced measures aimed at capping broadband prices for qualifying households.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick touted the Trump administration’s success in halving the $42 billion price tag for broadband deployment under the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, and confirmed that the government has no intention of keeping states from receiving all allocated funds, non-deployment as well as deployment. But lawmakers pressed Sec Lutnick on why BEAD has not yet connected any households, how quickly states can move from approved plans to funding, and what the National Telecommunications and Information Administration plans to do with more than $20 bill