Communications & Technology

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, issued the following statement after the House passed eight bills from the Health, Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, and Communications and Technology Subcommittees’ jurisdictions:  “ Today, a strong bipartisan majority voted to pass legislation to improve product safety, drive investment and connectivity for American communities, and promote safe, accessible care. These bills address widely different parts of Energy and Commerce’s jurisdiction, but they all make our country healthier and more prosperous,” said Chairman Guthrie . “ I thank all our sponsors for their hard work, and I look forward to the Senate’s consideration of these important bills. ”   Background:   The following E&C bills passed the House Floor today:  H.R. 2481 – Romance Scam Prevention Act  H.R. 1679 – Global Investment in American Jobs Act of 2025  H.R. 2269 – WIPPES Act   H.R. 1767 – Awning Safety Act of 2025  H.R. 1664 – Deploying American Blockchains Act of 2025, as amended  H.R. 1520 – Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act  H.R. 1082 – Shandra Eisenga Human Cell and Tissue Product Safety Act  H.R. 1737 – To direct the Secretary of Commerce to submit to Congress a report containing an assessment of the value, cost, and feasibility of a trans-Atlantic submarine fiber optic cable connecting the contiguous United States, the United States Virgin Islands, Ghana, and Nigeria. ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie, Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, issued the following statement after Olivia Trusty was confirmed by the Senate to serve as Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC): “The FCC plays a crucial role in securing our communications networks from bad actors and promoting fast, reliable, and affordable broadband access. Olivia Trusty has a wealth of experience, including time spent as an Energy and Commerce staffer, and she will be an asset to the Commission." said Chairman Guthrie. "I look forward to working with her and the Commission to connect every American to reliable internet access and promote American technological leadership for the decades to come.”

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce issued the following statement after the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced it would be removing Biden-era requirements on the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. "The Trump Administration just took necessary steps to remove the harmful and burdensome Biden-Harris requirements that stopped the $42 billion BEAD program from connecting a single home. These new guidelines will accelerate deployment and provide certainty to states, as we continue our work to connect every American to fast and reliable broadband,”  said Chairman Guthrie.   “I look forward to getting shovels in the ground and delivering on Republicans’ promise to close the digital divide, ensuring rural Americans can access the internet they need to fully enjoy and participate in the 21 st  century economy.” Background:  On March 5, 2025,  Congressman Hudson introduced  the SPEED for BEAD Act to remove harmful requirements that have prevented the $42 billion program from connecting a single home. Also on March 5, 2025, the Committee on Energy and Commerce  held a hearing  to discuss the BEAD program titled  Fixing Biden’s Broadband Blunder. Yesterday, Chairmen Guthrie and Hudson  sent a letter  to President Trump asking to help accelerate the BEAD program and remove unnecessary and burdensome requirements. Today,  NTIA issued  a policy notice announcing the removal of requirements hampering the BEAD program. ###

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Congressman Richard Hudson (NC-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, sent a letter to President Donald J. Trump urging the administration to quickly remove burdensome regulations that have stopped the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program from connecting any American to reliable broadband. KEY EXCERPT: “The Biden administration added unnecessary and burdensome requirements that made participation in the program more expensive and less attractive to broadband providers. These include labor and climate change requirements, as well as rate regulation of low-cost broadband plans that were unlawfully imposed.  “To address these issues, we introduced the Streamlining Program Efficiency and Expanding Deployment (SPEED) for BEAD Act, which outlines necessary reforms to BEAD. We appreciate that Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick is undertaking a review of the program and urge any reforms to be enacted as soon as possible.” BACKGROUND: On March 5, 2025,  Congressman Hudson introduced  the SPEED for BEAD Act to remove harmful regulations that have prevented the $42 billion program from laying even a single inch of fiber to support rural Americans. Also on March 5, 2025, the Committee on Energy and Commerce  held a hearing  to discuss the BEAD program titled  Fixing Biden’s Broadband Blunder. CLICK HERE to read the full letter. ###

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) today sent letters to five independent federal agencies urging the Biden-Harris administration appointees to abandon partisan efforts and instead focus remaining efforts on bipartisan, consensus items.   The letters state, “The results of the 2024 presidential election are now apparent and leadership of the [agency] will soon change. As a traditional part of the peaceful transfer of power, the [agency] should immediately stop work on any partisan or controversial item under consideration, consistent with applicable law and regulation.”    Click below to read each agency’s letter:   Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Federal Communications Commission (FCC)   Federal Trade Commission (FTC)   Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)   Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Note: In the letter, Chair Rodgers urges NRC to continue timely implementation of the ADVANCE Act. 

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), as well as Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chair Bob Latta (R-OH) and Ranking Member Doris Matsui (D-CA),  sent letter s to AT&T , Verizon , and Lumen demanding answers and requesting a briefing following breaches of their communications networks by hackers tied to the Chinese government. Reporting from the  Wall Street Journal  revealed the cyberattack was focused on intelligence collection and may have accessed U.S. wiretapping requests.  KEY LETTER QUOTE :   “We are concerned by the recent reports of a massive breach of AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen’s communications networks by Chinese hackers. These types of breaches are increasing in frequency and severity, and there is a growing concern regarding the cybersecurity vulnerabilities embedded in U.S. telecommunications networks. The Committee needs to understand better how this incident occurred and what steps your company is taking to prevent future service disruptions and secure your customers’ data.” BACKGROUND :   On October 5th,  The Wall Street Journal  reported U.S. broadband providers were breached by a Chinese government-tied hacker organization. The attack appears to be geared towards intelligence collection, and Chinese hackers potentially accessed vulnerable information, including court-authorized network wiretapping requests and internet traffic. AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen are among the U.S. broadband providers breached. According to the  Wall Street Journal , “The widespread compromise is considered a potentially catastrophic security breach and was carried out by a sophisticated Chinese hacking group dubbed Salt Typhoon.” CLICK HERE to read the letter to AT&T. CLICK HERE to read the letter to Verizon. CLICK HERE to read the letter to Lumen.