US Senate
Sens. Luján, Thune Announce Bipartisan Working Group on the Universal Service Fund and Broadband Access
Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and John Thune (R-SD) announced a bipartisan Senate working group to evaluate and propose potential reforms to the Universal Service Fund (USF). The goal of this working group is to create a bipartisan forum to guide education, awareness, and policy-making on this topic.
Senator Schmitt Introduces Legislation Aimed at Stopping the Federal Government’s Collusion with Big Tech to Censor Speech
Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) introduced the Curtailing Online Limitations that Lead Unconstitutionally to Democracy’s Erosion (COLLUDE) Act, in order to halt the collusion between Big Tech and the federal government which has led to censoring Americans’ speech. The COLLUDE Act prevents Big Tech companies from colluding with government to censor free speech, by stripping them of their Section 230 protection if they commit such actions. Specifically, the bill:
Sens. Hickenlooper, Capito Reintroduce Bill to Create Cybersecurity Office Related to Critical Infrastructure
Senators John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) reintroduced the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act, a bipartisan bill to modernize and codify the NTIA’s work in cybersecurity.
Sens. Schatz, Cotton, Murphy, Britt Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Help Protect Kids From Harmful Impacts Of Social Media
Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Katie Britt (R-AL) introduced new legislation to help protect children from the harmful impacts of social media. The Protecting Kids on Social Media Act would set a minimum age of 13 to use social media apps and would require parental consent for 13 through17 year-olds. The bill would also prevent social media companies from feeding content using algorithms to users under the age of 18. The Protecting Kids on Social Media Act would:
Sens Thune, Luján Request GAO to Review Broadband Regulatory Structure
A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report uncovered that “federal broadband efforts are fragmented and overlapping, with more than 100 programs administered by 15 agencies.” We request that GAO build upon this work and conduct an additional review of federal, state, and local broadband efforts to determine the effectiveness of each program.
Sens. Hickenlooper, Fischer Lead Effort to Finish Removal of Chinese Communications Equipment from the United States
Senators John Hickenlooper (R-CO) and Debra Fischer (R-NE) introduced the Defend Our Networks Act. The Federal Communications Commission confirmed in 2022 that the Rip and Replace program was $3.08 billion short in fulfilling eligible applications, disproportionally impacting smaller carriers in rural areas that possess more at-risk network gear.
Republican Senators Demand NTIA Remove Liberal Wish-List Items From Its Broadband Funding
Sen. John Thune (R-SD) led 10 colleagues in a letter to National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Assistant Secretary Alan Davidson expressing concerns with the $42.45 billion Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program’s Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).
Sens Rosen and Thune Introduce Accurate Map for Broadband Investment Act
US Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and John Thune (R-SD) introduced the Accurate Map for Broadband Investment Act, bipartisan legislation to ensure that the Federal Communications Commission has time to update and fix the National Broadband Map before the Department of Commerce fully allocates broadband infrastructure funding.
Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Access to Rural Broadband
On March 28, lawmakers from both the House of Representatives and US Senate reintroduced bipartian legislation to expand broadband access to rural communities. The Reforming Broadband Connectivity Act would strengthen funding mechanisms for the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Universal Service Fund (USF), which promotes universal access to broadband and other telecommunications services. Currently, the USF is primarily funded through landline fees, disproportionately impacting seniors, who are more likely to use landlines than other Americans.