House Commerce Committee GOP leaders said Wednesday they’ve opened an investigation into recent claims of pro-Democratic Party bias at NPR. Several congressional Republicans filed or are eyeing legislation aimed at ending NPR’s federal funding in response to the bias reports, including the Defund NPR Act (HR-8083) (see 2404190060). Past attempts at halting NPR's portion of CPB federal funding have failed, including a bid during the FY 2024 cycle by Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas (see 2311030069). The House Commerce Oversight Subcommittee summoned NPR CEO Katherine Maher to testify at a May 8 hearing. Panel leaders want her to respond by May 14 to a range of questions about the political viewpoint balance within the broadcasting network. House Commerce “has concerns about the direction in which NPR may be headed under past and present leadership,” said panel Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.), Communications Subcommittee Chairman Bob Latta (Ohio) and Oversight Chairman Morgan Griffith (Va.). in a Tuesday letter to Maher. “As a taxpayer funded, public radio organization, NPR should focus on fair and objective news reporting that both considers and reflects the views of the larger U.S. population and not just a niche audience.” Committee Republicans also “find it disconcerting that NPR’s coverage of major news in recent years has been so polarized as to preclude any need to uncover the truth,” the lawmakers said: “These have included news stories on matters of national security and importance,” including “the COVID-19 origins investigation” and scrutiny into the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop. “On each of these issues, NPR has been accused of approaching its news reporting with an extreme left-leaning lens,” the Republicans said. NPR didn’t comment.

The House on Monday passed legislation requiring that social media platforms report activity related to trafficking and criminal enticement of children. Sens. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Reps. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., and Susie Lee, D-Nev., introduced the Report Act. It requires that platforms flag activity for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Currently, companies must report child sexual abuse material only. The bill passed the Senate in December and now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk. The House approved the measure by voice vote. “Children are increasingly looking at screens, and the reality is that the internet and social media leave more innocent kids at risk of online exploitation,” Blackburn said in a statement. “Under this new law, big tech companies will now be required to report when children are being trafficked, groomed or enticed by predators.” The bill will ensure “tech companies are held accountable to report and remove child sex abuse material and to strengthen protection for kids online,” said Ossoff. NetChoice State & Federal Affairs Director Amy Bos called it an “important” piece of legislation “designed to help law enforcement more effectively stop online predators and provide additional support and resources for victims of these horrific crimes.”

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel will appear before lawmakers twice next week, with the House Appropriations Committee announcing Tuesday that the Financial Services Subcommittee will hold a hearing May 8 on the commission’s FY 2025 funding request. President Joe Biden in March proposed $448 million for the FCC in FY25 and $65 million for NTIA (see 2403110056). The Appropriations Financial Services hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in 2362-A Rayburn. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo will testify at the same time during a Commerce, Justice and Science Subcommittee hearing on the Commerce Department’s FY25 request. Rosenworcel and the four other FCC commissioners are set to testify May 7 at a House Communications Subcommittee hearing on the commission’s FY25 funding request (see 2404190067). That panel will begin at 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.

The Senate Communications Subcommittee has plans for following up the Commerce Committee’s Wednesday markup of the draft Spectrum and National Security Act (see 2404250061) with a Thursday hearing eyeing the future of federal affordable broadband programs. Meanwhile, Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., released a revised version of her draft spectrum bill Friday night as a substitute amendment that increases funding it would loan the FCC to keep the affordable broadband program running through the end of FY 2024. The new bill offers $7 billion, up $2 billion from the original proposal. That puts Cantwell’s legislation in line with the ACP Extension Act (HR-6929/S-3565), which also proposes $7 billion in stopgap funding. Cantwell’s revised spectrum bill also includes language from the Improving Minority Participation and Careers in Telecommunications Act to create an NTIA program to distribute money to historically Black, tribal and minority-serving colleges and universities to develop telecom sector job training (see 2108020061). Cantwell's bill proposes loaning NTIA $200 million for the program. Senate Communications’ Thursday hearing will include testimony from New Street’s Blair Levin and Kathryn de Wit, director-Pew Charitable Trusts broadband access initiative. Also set to testify: Economic Policy Innovation Center CEO Paul Winfree and New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion’s Jennifer Case Nevarez. The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in 253 Russell.

Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts and four other Senate Democrat caucus members wrote CTIA President Meredith Baker and NCTA CEO Michael Powell Friday urging their member companies to voluntarily cover a $16-per-household affordable connectivity program subsidy shortfall for participants in May. The FCC indicated earlier this month that the remaining ACP funds will be enough to pay only $14 of the usual $30 subsidy per participating household in May (see 2404100082). Committing to closing the $16-per-household shortfall “would help maintain subscribers in May, who might otherwise leave the program when faced with even the smallest price increase, while Congress continues to work on a legislative solution to this problem,” the Democrats said in a letter to Baker and Powell. “With both the Senate and House of Representatives in sessions for four weeks in May, this extra time would give lawmakers a critical window to work on and pass a legislative solution. Additionally, if Congress is able to extend the ACP, it would be devastating for ACP households that drop internet service during the period of lapsed funding, forcing them to re-enroll in the ACP, a process that can require significant time and expense.” Pro-ACP lawmakers are eyeing several potential vehicles for providing ACP with stopgap funding for FY 2024, including a proposed $5 billion loan via the draft Spectrum and National Security Act. The Senate Commerce Committee is set to mark up the measure Wednesday (see 2404250061).

Online platforms should provide public notice detailing when and why they remove users or deny services, Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Wednesday. Cruz’s office issued a report “showing how online service providers are weaponizing their terms of service to deny conservative organizations access to essential business technology.” For example, the report claims political bias in Slack’s decision to remove Libs of TikTok’s workspace, reportedly over gender- and sex-related controversies. The report also claims political bias in Eventbrite’s removal of listings related to Matt Walsh’s “What Is a Woman?” documentary and Bonterra’s termination of its relationship with Independent Women’s Forum. The report recommends legislation requiring platforms to publish community standards, written notice when a service is blocked and an annual report detailing when and why service is denied.

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., filed an amendment Tuesday seeking to attach language from his Supporting National Security with Spectrum Act (S-4049) to the House-approved FY 2024 national security appropriations supplemental package (HR-815) as an alternative vehicle for allocating an additional $3.08 billion for the FCC’s Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program. S-4049, which Daines filed in March (see 2403220056), would offset the additional rip and replace funding by authorizing a reauction of the 197 AWS-3 licenses that Dish and affiliated designated entities returned to the commission last year. The Senate rejected a Thursday bid from Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, to open HR-815 up for amendments. “Removing Chinese telecom equipment from our wireless networks is a matter of national security,” Daines said in a statement. “Rural providers must have the resources and ability to remove compromised equipment. Without it, our wireless systems are at severe risk. This service is also critical for many Montanans in eastern Montana who could lose 911 and cell service. We must get this done before it’s too late.” Daines unsuccessfully attempted to attach the funding to the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act FY 2024 minibus spending bill last month (see 2403210067). He also previously considered filing the rip-and-replace language when the Senate was eyeing a version of the foreign aid package in January (see 2401240001). Lawmakers are continuing to eye using a spectrum legislative package to pay for additional rip-and-replace funding (see 2403140066).

NAB hailed refiling of the Broadcast Varied Ownership Incentives for Community Expanded Service Act (HR-8072/S-4158), which would restore the minority ownership tax certificate. Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., and Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., led refiling of the measure last week. HR-8072/S-4158, like previous iterations (see 2108120054), would also direct that the FCC make recommendations on ways for improving ownership diversity. “Reinstating the diversity tax certificate program is a meaningful step to level the playing field and amplify underrepresented voices in media,” said NAB CEO Curtis LeGeyt. “A tax incentive program is a proven solution that significantly diversified the ranks of broadcast owners over its nearly two decades of existence.”

Legislation forcing ByteDance to divest TikTok or face a U.S. ban will “trample” the rights of 170 million users, TikTok said in a statement. The House on Saturday approved a package of foreign aid bills, including the divestment legislation and a bill that would ban data brokers from transferring sensitive data of American users to adversarial foreign nations like China. The Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign Adversaries Act (HR-7520) and the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (HR-7521) were attached to the 21st Century Peace Through Strength Act, which the House passed 360-58. TikTok said Monday: "It is unfortunate that the House of Representatives is using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance to once again jam through a ban bill that would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the U.S. economy, annually." The foreign aid package will “bolster security and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Saturday, urging the Senate to send it “quickly” to his desk. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Democrats and Republicans “locked in an agreement enabling the Senate to finish work on the supplemental with the first vote on Tuesday afternoon.” The Senate is on a path to pass the “same bill soon,” he added. House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., welcomed the inclusion of HR-7520 and HR-7521: The House vote “is a clear victory for protecting Americans online and off.” Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., said he’s “very glad to see progress toward compelling a divestiture of TikTok from its parent company, Byte Dance, which is legally beholden to the Chinese Communist Party. This is a strong step forward to shore up our national security against malign influence, and it couldn’t come at a more important time.”

Disagreements remain over what to include in legislation reauthorizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (see 2404180067), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Friday, suggesting FISA authorities could expire at midnight. “Any one member can halt progress in this chamber, so both sides need to fully cooperate if we want to get FISA done,” said Schumer. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., have said the House-passed FISA bill would expand FISA Section 702 and expose Americans’ to further surveillance abuse. Wyden offered an amendment with Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., on Friday that would strike language from the House Intelligence Committee that he said infringes on civil liberties. The chamber is “being asked to dramatically expand 702 authorities in ways that are almost guaranteed to result in extensive abuses,” Wyden said on the floor. “It is genuinely shocking that, with no public justification, no hearings, no markups, and a single week to even think about it, the U.S. Senate has been asked to give the government sweeping new authorities that could fundamentally change the relationship between Americans and their government.” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., are seeking a warrant requirement in the legislation. Schumer said on the floor that members are trying to see if there’s a path to getting the bill done “quickly.” But he cautioned that members should plan to be in Washington over the weekend “if necessary” to work on both FISA and the foreign aid package, which is set for a House vote on Saturday. The Senate can pass the House bill or “doom the program to go dark” and “give free rein to foreign intelligence operatives and terrorists to target America,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on the floor Friday.