Changes wrought by President Donald Trump’s return to the White House are already affecting telecom industry financials. Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg noted the risks from tariffs on a call with analysts Tuesday after the company released Q1 results. The nation’s largest wireless provider reported a net loss of 289,000 monthly postpaid phone subscribers in the quarter, after adding 568,000 in Q4 2024.
The U.S. trade war and resulting geopolitical tensions are a short-term not a long-term worry, a trio of satellite executives said Wednesday during a panel discussion. They were also bullish about their prospects in the face of competition from SpaceX and, soon, Amazon's Kuiper.
The U.S. reliance on tariffs should have minimal impact on most fiber broadband equipment pricing and deployments, Dell'Oro Group's Jeff Heynen wrote Monday. Key U.S. fiber broadband equipment providers have onshored most of their manufacturing and assembly so they can qualify for BEAD's Build America Buy America provisions, he said. Most commonly deployed components have already been self-certified by vendors and seen big increases in domestic manufacturing.
Global smartphone shipments increased 1.5% year over year in the first three months of 2025, despite potential headwinds looming, IDC said Monday. Shipments rose to 304.9 million units, said an IDC report, which came after a confusing weekend for smartphones and the Trump administration's China trade policy.
The USF's future is one of the biggest issues for Competitive Carriers Association members, CEO and President Tim Donovan said in an interview. The organization is “cautiously optimistic” following U.S. Supreme Court arguments in the Consumers' Research case (see 2503260061), he said.
The FCC and FTC are moving toward trying to rein in what they see as overly broad applications of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and to reverse what their agency leaders call censorship by social media platforms. Agency watchers said they expect the FCC to issue an advisory opinion soon, though some see such an opinion as more performative than practical. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has repeatedly said that addressing "the censorship cartel" is one of the agency's priorities (see 2411210028). His office and the FTC didn't comment. FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez has been critical of the possibility of a Section 230 advisory opinion (see 2502240062).
President Donald Trump should “fully revoke” tariffs in the wake of his 90-day pause announcement Wednesday, said Consumer Technology Association CEO Gary Shapiro in a statement. “We appreciate President Trump's willingness to pause most tariffs,” but the additional 10% universal baseline tariffs, which are still in effect, and the “continued uncertainty” are “already hurting American small businesses,” Shapiro said. The pause doesn’t affect China, and in a post Wednesday on Truth Social, Trump announced an increase in tariffs on that country’s imports to 125%. Many consumer electronics are manufactured in China, including most iPhones. “CTA urges President Trump to focus his efforts on what he does best, dealmaking,” Shapiro said. “Now is the time to reposition the United States with our allies as a reliable trading partner while growing the American and global economy."
LAS VEGAS -- Broadcasters are optimistic about ownership deregulation and concerned about tariffs, while NAB is looking to broaden the NAB Show’s appeal, according to speeches and interviews at NAB Show 2025, which kicked off Saturday and runs until Wednesday. The show is set to feature almost no FCC presence compared with previous years, as only Commissioner Anna Gomez planned to attend.
New tariffs from the Trump administration could increase the price of smartphones in the U.S. by as much as 48.8%, warned the IPC, which represents electronics manufacturers. “Reciprocal tariffs have far-reaching consequences beyond just higher prices on finished imported goods,” Shawn DuBravac, IPC's chief economist, said in an emailed statement Friday. “Trade is essential to supply chain resilience, innovation, and cost competitiveness.”
FCC commissioners will consider a long-anticipated order on sharing in the 37 GHz band at their meeting April 28, Chairman Brendan Carr announced Friday. In addition, the commission will vote on satellite spectrum sharing and an item designed to crack down further on robocalls. Foreign ownership rules round out the agenda.