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The White House in late May proposed a rule that would cement its control over essentially all federal grant making, including research funding and Education Department grants. Among other changes, the proposal from the Office of Management and Budget says political appointees, not peer reviewers, would be the primary deciders of who gets grants, and says officials could yank funding even after it’s

On June 25, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would, for the first time, set nationwide limits on how much time state and local governments may take to approve wireline telecommunications deployments (networks delivered over physical lines such as fiber-optic, copper, or coaxial cable) in public rights-of-way and how much they may charge for that access. The proposals would reach state and local governments at every level that issue permits, right-of-way agreements, or pole attachment approvals for fiber and other wireline

Republican Steve Hilton has found rare common ground with Democrats in an unlikely arena: landline phone service. The GOP candidate for governor is urging the federal government to stay out of California’s push to prevent AT&T from ending landline service via copper wiring to around 184,000 residential customers and 15,000 business customers. The debate stems over a Federal Communications Commission action on June 29 that advanced the company’s plans, over the objection of California regulators, many residents, and California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the FCC will vote at the next Commission meeting on an order that tees up a large swath of prime, mid-band spectrum for auction. Specifically, the FCC will vote on July 22 to hold an auction of 160 megahertz of spectrum in the Upper C-Band (3.98-4.14 GHz) in 2027. The rules would also effectively harmonize terrestrial wireless operations across the entire C-Band to create a single “super-band” spanning 440 megahertz (3.70-4.14 GHz). This sets America up to lead the world in next-gen connectivity.

On June 25, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched a new proceeding that could fundamentally reshape—or potentially end—one of the federal government's primary tools for closing the digital divide. The FCC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on the E-Rate program asks some of the most consequential questions the program has faced in its nearly 30-year history: Has E-Rate fulfilled its mission? Should eligibility be narrowed? Should funding levels change?

Stanley Woodward, a top Justice Department official, has told antitrust enforcers he prefers they stop taking cases to trial and settle them instead. Some lawyers at the department interpreted the comments from the department’s third-ranking official as a directive to resolve any litigation against companies and avoid future litigation. Woodward, who now directly oversees antitrust enforcement, has said internally that he favors avoiding drawn-out, manpower-intensive litigation. Woodward’s posture could weaken the department’s ability to challenge anticompetitive mergers and could put settl

“Today’s FCC vote is a deeply troubling step toward weakening E-Rate, a universal program that has connected millions of students, teachers, schools, and libraries—in urban and rural communities alike—to the internet for 30 years,” said Sen Ed Markey (D-MA). “This rulemaking goes far beyond reviewing the impact of screen time on students and undermines educational equality, harms our economic competitiveness, and threatens to reverse three decades of settled law.

Now that the Federal Communications Commission is freeing up spectrum once again, we have an opportunity to build on that momentum and deliver the 800-megahertz pipeline Congress envisioned—and in a timely way. Doing so is critical to ensuring that AI innovation stays where it belongs: here in the United States. The pressure on timing is real.

Advocates for the E-Rate program are urging the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider and revise a notice of proposed rulemaking that poses questions and seeks comment on that program's administration, continuation and future. The FCC is scheduled to vote on the proposal at its monthly open meeting on June 25.

Groups tied to the artificial intelligence industry are flooding money into the midterms in hopes of shaping future AI regulation. Around the country, groups associated with AI and tech are trying to influence elections from Senate races to local offices, even as Americans register increasing discomfort with the technology's ramifications for jobs, energy bills and society.