Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Headlines Daily Digest
All This Week's Events in One Day
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Senate Passes MAP for Broadband Funding Act
President Trump Nominates FCC General Counsel Adam Candeub to be an Assistant Attorney General
Data & Mapping
AI
Competition
Policymakers
The United States Senate has passed S.2585, which is known as either the “Modernization, Accountability, and Planning for Broadband Funding Act.” It is an effort to study and, if necessary, improve oversight in federal funding for broadband infrastructure. The bipartisan bill, which was introduced about a year ago by Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), tasks the Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration with collecting data in order to most effectively use federal funds for broadband deployment and avoid inefficient use of and fragmentation of funding. The bill mandates that an FCC notice of inquiry exploring optimal functionality and transparency be conducted within 270 days of the bill’s enactment. Any FCC commissioner can ask for a vote on the inquiry.
Chris Fall, the director of the Center for AI Standards and Innovation, is resigning just three months after taking over the federal AI testing institute. The abrupt departure comes as the Trump administration grapples with how to deploy AI safely and the agency hashes out standards. Fall was appointed in April 2026 to lead the Department of Commerce's Center for AI Standards and Innovation after the administration reorganized the agency formerly known as the U.S. AI Safety Institute. Commerce spokesperson Benno Kass confirmed Fall's resignation. "Following Chris's departure, NIST Director Dr. Arvind Raman will continue to oversee CAISI and will serve as Acting CAISI Director," said Commerce spokesperson Kristen Eichamer.
President Donald Trump nominated D. Adam Candeub, of the District of Columbia, to be an Assistant Attorney General. Candeub has served as the General Counsel of the Federal Communications Commission since January 2025. Since 2004, Candeub worked as a professor of law at Michigan State University where he focused on competition, regulatory, and antitrust matters. Previously, he served in government at both the Commerce Department and Justice Department. After graduating from Yale and the University of Pennsylvania’s school of law, Candeub started his career with a clerkship on a federal court of appeals before working in private practice, including at Jones Day in Washington (DC). Candeub is known for his scholarly work and research, which has been cited and relied upon in Supreme Court opinions.
Benton (www.benton.org) provides the only free, reliable, and non-partisan daily digest that curates and distributes news related to universal broadband, while connecting communications, democracy, and public interest issues. Posted Monday through Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments, policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are factually accurate, their sometimes informal tone may not always represent the tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang (headlines AT benton DOT org), Grace Tepper (grace AT benton DOT org), and Zoe Walker (zwalker AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.
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