Foundation for American Innovation Senior Fellow Evan Swarztrauber, a former FCC policy adviser to Chairman Ajit Pai, urged the Senate on Thursday night to “quickly confirm” Republican FTC nominee Mark Meador. President Donald Trump announced plans in December, before taking office, to nominate Meador, a former antitrust staffer for Senate Antitrust Subcommittee ranking member Mike Lee, R-Utah, to the FTC seat of then-Chairwoman Lina Khan (see 2412100073). For Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress “to succeed in their goals of supercharging the economy and unleashing technological innovation, America needs a strong [FTC, and] Meador’s confirmation would deliver a Republican majority at the agency,” Swarztrauber said in an opinion piece for the Washington Reporter. “Meador’s impressive resume makes him the perfect candidate for the moment,” including his role as a Lee aide in writing legislation “to break Google’s monopoly over the advertising technology market.” Meador “understands well the challenges posed by Big Tech, where consumer harms are often shrouded in opaque terms of service and ‘freemium’ business models that hide monopoly rents behind sleek user interfaces,” Swarztrauber said.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, acknowledged Wednesday that newly announced NTIA administrator nominee Arielle Roth may draw panel Democrats’ ire during her confirmation process over potential changes from the Trump administration and Congress to the $42.5 billion NTIA-administered BEAD program. Senate Commerce advanced commerce secretary nominee Howard Lutnick to the floor 16-12 Wednesday, as expected (see 2502040056), against near-uniform Democratic opposition aimed in part at his positions on BEAD. The panel also cleared a revised version of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (S-315) and three other tech and telecom bills: the Rural Broadband Protection Act (S-98), Insure Cybersecurity Act (S-245) and Kids Off Social Media Act (S-278).
Law professor Adam Candeub, who was an attorney in the FCC's Media and Common Carrier bureaus as well as acting NTIA head, is returning to the commission as general counsel. Candeub brings with him strong criticisms of Big Tech. In response to a post on X about Candeub not being the GC that Big Tech executives would have preferred, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr replied that the agency "will work to dismantle the censorship cartel and restore free speech rights to everyday Americans." He added: "I look forward to Adam Candeub serving as the FCC's General Counsel. He is going to do great things!"
CTA CEO Gary Shapiro warned Wednesday of a potential “brain drain” in the federal government should the Donald Trump administration continue its assault on the bureaucracy. The Joe Biden administration lacked enough officials who understood how business works, and Trump's don’t understand government, Shapiro said during a Broadband Breakfast webinar. Unions that represent federal employees, including at the FCC, slammed the latest Trump actions.
New FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s decision to pull all items on circulation for a vote by commissioners wasn’t a surprise, industry officials said. Since taking office a week ago, President Donald Trump has pushed a deregulatory agenda and issued a regulatory freeze among a slew of executive orders on his first day (see 2501210070). Among the FCC items withdrawn was a controversial NPRM that former Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel circulated in March on banning bulk broadband billing in multi-tenant environments (see 2408010064).
Olivia Trusty, President Donald Trump’s intended nominee for the FCC seat former Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel vacated last week, faces a uncertain confirmation timeline amid a glut of higher-profile nominees the Senate must process in the coming weeks. Trump said shortly before his return to office that he intended to pick Trusty for an FCC seat (see 2501160064) but as of Friday afternoon had not formally nominated her. It’s possible that the Senate Commerce Committee could hold a confirmation hearing for Trusty in February, but it's likelier to wait until the panel can pair her with a Trump NTIA administrator pick and other subcabinet nominees, some lobbyists told us.
The National Treasury Employees Union, which represents FCC and FTC employees, is challenging the White House's Schedule F executive order aimed at reducing federal worker protections against firing. The EO -- one of a slew the new Trump administration issued Monday (see 2501210070) -- expressly applies to career employees, who typically remain in their jobs after a presidential transition, NTEU said in a complaint filed this week with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (docket 1:25-cv-00170). NTEU said the EO runs contrary to Office of Personnel Management rules that limit transferring positions into new categories. The EO "will radically reshape the civil service by drastically increasing the number and type of employees who are in a new category of excepted service and be at risk of dismissal without adverse action rights," the union said. It asked the court to enjoin President Donald Trump from instituting or enforcing the EO.
With the FCC considering an NPRM and notice of inquiry as the agency's next steps on AI, the issue of AI and robocalls will only grow in importance, experts said Thursday during an FCBA webinar. They also agreed that generative AI could yield new tools that can help curb unwanted and illegal texts and calls.
President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday he plans to nominate Senate Armed Services Committee Republican staffer Olivia Trusty to the FCC seat that current Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel will vacate Jan. 20. Multiple former FCC officials and communications sector lobbyists told us they expected Trump would also announce as soon as Thursday that Senate Commerce Committee Republican Telecom Policy Director Arielle Roth is his pick for NTIA administrator. A range of ex-FCC officials and other observers previously named Trusty and Roth as top contenders for the Rosenworcel seat, although some believed Roth’s ties to Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, made her a slight front-runner (see 2412110046).
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., said Wednesday he's retaining the chairmen of subcommittees with jurisdiction over the FCC, FTC, NTIA and other Commerce Department agencies, the DOJ Antitrust Division and CPB. Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Ohio, will continue leading the Financial Services Subcommittee. Former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., will remain ranking member. Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., will keep the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Subcommittee. Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., is the subpanel's new ranking member. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., will retain his post as Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee chairman. Aderholt spearheaded bids in 2023 and 2024 to end CPB's advance appropriations (see 2407100060). House Appropriations ranking member Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut will continue as the subpanel's lead Democrat.