Interconnected TMT

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) announced that it will hold its February Open Meeting on Wednesday, February 18 at 10:30 a.m. ET. Details on the four items expected to be considered at the Open Meeting are summarized and discussed below:

Following the end of the government shutdown and the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC or Commission) full reopening of operations, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr released a tentative agenda on November 25 for the Commission’s December Open Meeting, which is scheduled to take place on Thursday, December 18 at 10:30 a.m. ET. Details on the three items expected to be considered at the Open Meeting are summarized below:

Following a busy October agenda at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) and despite the continuing government shutdown that has halted some of the FCC’s operations, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr released a tentative agenda for the Commission’s November Open Meeting on October 30, 2025.  The draft items for the meeting, which is scheduled to take place on Thursday, November 20 at 10:30 a.m. ET, represent a continuation of the Chairman’s Build America agenda with a focus on freeing up more mid-band spectrum for terrestrial use, modernizing telecommunications relay services, deleting obsolete rules and addressing cybersecurity threats.  Details on the four items expected to be considered at the Open Meeting are summarized below:

On September 9th, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or the Commission) released a tentative agenda for its September Open Meeting, which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, September 30, at 10:30 a.m. ET. The Commission released public drafts of the five items expected to be considered at the Open Meeting, which are detailed below:

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.

On Monday, June 23, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a public notice announcing comment and reply comment deadlines for the Identifying Foreign Adversary Ownership Stakes Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Foreign Ownership NPRM). Comments will be due on July 23, and replies will be due on August 22.

On April 22, 2025, the NTIA issued a Notice of Programmatic Waiver (Waiver Notice) providing a 90-day extension of the Final Proposal deadline in the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. The issuance of the Waiver Notice signals that the Department of Commerce is pressing forward with its review of the BEAD program. The Waiver Notice also provides additional clues about the nature of the changes that the Department is contemplating for the BEAD program.

On May 9, President Donald Trump declared the Digital Equity Act unconstitutional and announced that he would be immediately “ending” the programs created under the law.

Olivia Trusty, nominee for the open Republican Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) Commissioner position, appeared before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Trusty has significant telecommunications experience on Capitol Hill and is a longtime protégé of Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS). She is the Republican staff lead for the Senate Armed Services Committee, working with the Cybersecurity Subcommittee, where she has worked on issues related to spectrum allocated to military and national security uses. She was also a policy director for the Senate Commerce Committee, and specifically worked with the Communications, Media, and Broadband Subcommittee. Additionally, she was previously a legislative assistant to Sen. Wicker, focusing on matters related to communications, technology, innovation and the internet.