- On July 2, Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) Chairman Brendan Carr announced his Build America Agenda in a speech in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
- The Build America Agenda outlines multiple FCC priorities for U.S. growth in the telecommunications industry. These priorities include permitting reform, spectrum availability, space and satellite initiatives, as well as deregulation and modernization of agency operations, national security efforts and workforce development.
- With a Republican majority at the Commission and several proposals already under consideration, Chairman Carr is likely to succeed in implementing much of his Build America Agenda.
Chairman Carr delivered a speech in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on July 2 titled “A Build Agenda for America” in which he laid out the FCC’s priorities for the remainder of President Donald Trump’s term. In citing to what he refers to as President Trump’s “new Golden Age for America,” Chairman Carr indicated he believes the telecommunications sector needs reform through his Build America Agenda. This agenda aims to create new growth and opportunity in telecommunications, helping the United States surpass global competitors.
Chairman Carr outlined the following priorities:
- Streamlining High Speed Infrastructure Build Regulations. The FCC will consider rulemaking items that will support the upgrade of copper line networks to high-speed networks, and will seek to update the Commission’s pole attachment rules to improve the speed of deployment. The ultimate goal of this effort is to “streamline the many regulations that stand in the way of new infrastructure projects.” In this spirit, Chairman Carr stated that the FCC will review its authority under the Communications Act of 1934 to determine how it can streamline non-FCC regulatory processes.
- Restoring American Leadership in Wireless. In an effort to restore the United States’ leadership in wireless by freeing up spectrum resources, Chairman Carr highlighted that this effort would lead to job creation, increased competition, and lower prices for consumers. Chairman Carr, stating that “more spectrum means more building,” then outlined the FCC’s recent actions including its ongoing proceedings related to facilitating terrestrial and additional satellite services in the Upper C band and in the 37 GHz band. Chairman Carr also announced an upcoming vote on an order that will expedite auctioning defaulted spectrum licenses in the AWS-3 bands, which “have been lying fallow for years.” By statute, the proceeds from the auction will support “rip and replace” efforts to remove telecommunications equipment produced by certain foreign manufacturers from U.S. networks, which Chairman Carr indicated is a national security goal. Chairman Carr additionally praised efforts by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) to establish a spectrum pipeline and restore the FCC’s auction authority through President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.
- Expanding America’s Space Economy. Calling satellites an “essential tool in America’s national economic and geopolitical strategy,” Chairman Carr discussed his desire for U.S. companies to “dominate in orbit” and outlined certain guiding principles to achieve this goal: “speed, simplicity, security, and satellite spectrum abundance.” According to Chairman Carr, the Commission will continue to reduce satellite application backlogs and processing times, eliminate unnecessary regulations that restrict the growth of the satellite industry, focus on security through proceedings like the ongoing inquiry into backup Global Positioning Systems and improve satellite spectrum abundance through rulemakings related to reallocating spectrum for satellite broadband.
- Modernizing FCC Operations. Chairman Carr has long championed a goal of eliminating regulations that are “unlawful, outdated, or simply no longer necessary.” Emphasizing the ongoing “Delete, Delete, Delete” proceeding, which seeks comment on regulations that should be eliminated to reduce regulatory burdens, Chairman Carr congratulated the FCC for undergoing the “largest deregulatory effort in FCC history.” Chairman Carr also noted the recent Commission vote to eliminate certain cable regulations from the FCC’s rules, and announced that the Commission will consider an item that streamlines the process for removing regulations identified through the “Delete, Delete, Delete” proceeding in the upcoming July Open Commission Meeting. At the July meeting, the Commission will also vote to directly delete 40 rules/requirements from the Commission’s rules. Finally, Chairman Carr stated that the FCC continues to focus on modernizing its own internal processes, citing a “lot of room to make progress” on its licensing systems and other databases.
- Prioritizing National Security and Public Safety. Chairman Carr, stating that the FCC must “remain vigilant to keep America’s networks secure,” is prioritizing national security efforts to protect U.S. networks from foreign adversaries. Highlighting recent FCC rulemakings that adopt or seek further comment on rules related to foreign ownership, Chairman Carr discussed how he intends to meet his goals related to promoting national security and helping the United States compete with China in the “race for critical technologies” and become “the gold standard around the world” on 5G, 6G, and artificial intelligence.
- Developing America’s Telecommunications Workforce. Chairman Carr’s final goal for his Build America Agenda is to develop a strong U.S. workforce in the telecommunications industry through reforms that will create a “more sustainable environment for America’s tower and telecom crews.” While Chairman Carr did not indicate any specific FCC actions on this front, he stated that workforce growth is likely to continue with the Trump administration’s focus on the American worker.
Chairman Carr aims to enact this agenda by “implementing smart policies while carrying out a massive and comprehensive deregulatory agenda.” With the recent Senate confirmation of Republican Commissioner Olivia Trusty, Chairman Carr has both the Commission quorum and voting majority for his proposals and will likely be able to implement many policies to further his Build America Agenda.
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