The Donald Trump administration’s tariffs and conflicts with traditional allies in North America and Europe could complicate U.S. preparations for the next World Radiocommunication Conference in 2027, experts said Tuesday during a Technology Policy Institute spectrum webinar. The U.S. has traditionally worked through the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL), which represents the Americas region, but relationships with other CITEL members are increasingly in question, speakers said.
AT&T CEO John Stankey is optimistic that the FCC under new Chairman Brendan Carr will make more spectrum available for full-power, licensed use, though the business leader sounded a note of caution about the round of tariffs that President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday.
President Donald Trump urged lawmakers Tuesday night to “get rid” of the 2022 Chips and Science Act, which allocated $52 billion for domestic semiconductor manufacturing (see 2207280060). The law “is a horrible, horrible thing,” Trump said during his Tuesday night speech to a joint session of Congress. He asked House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to use “whatever’s left over” in unobligated Chips and Science Act funding “to reduce debt or any other reason you want to.” Trump was sharply critical of the statute during the 2024 presidential campaign, saying subsidies were a bad idea (see 2412090046). Johnson drew heat himself during the closing days of the campaign by first calling for Congress to repeal the Chips and Science Act and then quickly reversing course (see 2411040062).
Permitting reform has bipartisan support, which bodes well for substantial action soon, speakers said Wednesday at ACA Connects' annual Washington summit. Yet while there's support, "nobody can quite figure out what [reform] looks like,” said Senate Commerce member John Curtis, R-Utah. Besides broadband, other sectors, such as energy, also have permitting woes, he added. Speakers said they believe BEAD, with some rules changes, will move forward. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the agency is launching a review of BEAD rules and dropping its fiber focus (see 2503050067).
TV broadcast executives during Q4 earnings calls last week were bullish on merger and acquisition opportunities under the new White House and FCC leadership, but several also mentioned “softness” in some advertising categories, possibly connected to tariffs. Concern with tariffs is “putting a natural chilling effect upon advertising in the automobile sector” but should eventually “settle out,” said Gray Media co-CEO Hilton Howell.
The Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the U.S. Telecommunications Services Sector, also known as Team Telecom, notified the FCC this week that it's reviewing Bell Canada's proposed acquisition of Ziply Fiber (see 2412090045). The deal is straightforward, and “there is no significant risk to the transaction being approved,” New Street's Blair Levin said Thursday. But, he added, approval may get caught up in President Donald Trump’s pursuit of tariffs.
While the White House increasingly wields tariffs as an economic policy tool, parts of the tech, media and telecom universe see a growing risk of getting enmeshed in trade fights. Some communications technology could be particularly exposed, Telecommunications Industry Association Director-Global Policy Patrick Lozada told us. Broadcasters, meanwhile, are bracing for tariffs that could potentially result in lower advertising spends. SpaceX's temporary loss of a $100 million contract over a U.S./Canada tariff fight also could point to satellite communications getting caught in the thicket of U.S. trade disputes (see 2502060004).
SpaceX's temporary loss of a $100 million contract with Ontario over a U.S./Canada tariff fight could be a harbinger of satellite communications services increasingly enmeshed in U.S. trade disputes. Some see non-U.S. satellite operators potentially benefiting from the Starlink contract episode.
The loss of funding under the Chips and Science Act of 2022 could mean companies will retreat from investments they’re making in the U.S., experts said Thursday during an Information Technology and Innovation Foundation webinar. Advanced chips are critical to smartphones and many other devices made and sold in the U.S., they noted. Few smartphones are made in the U.S., but chips are integral to other wireless gear manufactured here. Experts also said investment in chip research helps drive innovation in the communications sector.
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.