Senate Commerce Committee Democrats appeared set Tuesday afternoon to pillory Republican FCC candidate Olivia Trusty during her confirmation hearing Wednesday over concerns about the commission's independence from the Trump administration and Chairman Brendan Carr’s actions since he took the gavel Jan. 20. Congressional Democrats have amplified concerns about the FCC’s future independence since President Donald Trump’s disputed firing of both party-affiliated FTC commissioners (see 2504010053). Trusty’s hearing will immediately follow a scheduled 10 a.m. Senate Commerce meeting to vote on NTIA administrator nominee Arielle Roth, which is likely to see her advance with strong GOP support and little to no Democratic backing (see 2504080059). Both events will occur in 253 Russell.
Globalstar promotes Vice President Tamer Kadous to add general manager and head of the terrestrial spectrum and network solutions business to his responsibilities; names Daaman Hejmadi, ex-7Rays Semiconductors, vice president, general manager and leader of wholesale satellite capacity business … Infrastructure construction firm MasTec taps Chris Mecray, formerly DuPont de Nemours, as vice president-investor relations, replacing Marc Lewis, who is retiring but remains an adviser during the transition … Comviva Technologies appoints Bhagwati Shetty, formerly Mahindra Group, as chief human resources officer … The Internet Society names Yogesh Khanna, formerly Sev1Tech, as executive vice president and managing director, succeeding Sally Wentworth, now president and CEO.
New tariffs from the Trump administration could increase the price of smartphones in the U.S. by as much as 48.8%, warned the IPC, which represents electronics manufacturers. “Reciprocal tariffs have far-reaching consequences beyond just higher prices on finished imported goods,” Shawn DuBravac, IPC's chief economist, said in an emailed statement Friday. “Trade is essential to supply chain resilience, innovation, and cost competitiveness.”
The National Treasury Employees Union is seeking a preliminary injunction to block the White House’s order ending collective bargaining at numerous federal agencies, including the FCC. If the order proceeds, NTEU will “imminently lose two-thirds of the employees that it represents and more than half its revenue stream,” the union said in a motion filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the D.C. Circuit. NTEU said some federal agencies have already halted payroll deductions for union dues requested by employees. The executive order goes against Congress’ intent when it authorized widespread collective bargaining for federal employees and is intended to make federal employees easier to fire, NTEU said.
While FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has indicated that the agency envisions more steps to retire copper networks, beyond a series of orders issued in March, we're told it's unclear what big regulatory burdens remain. The agency last month called its steps "initial" and promised additional action (see 2503200056). Carr used similar language at last week's FCC meeting (see 2503270042). His office didn't comment further.
As the spectrum wars continue, WifiForward released a study Wednesday that found Wi-Fi was responsible for more than 7 million U.S. jobs in 2023. It projected that the figure would grow to more than 13 million by 2027 and 21 million by 2032. “This growth is driven by significant direct employment derived from the economic value of Wi-Fi, coupled with substantial indirect employment from upstream supply chains and a Wi-Fi-facilitated boost in consumer spending,” the analysis said. Telecom Advisory Services wrote the study.
House Oversight Foreign Affairs Subcommittee Republicans tried to keep a Wednesday hearing focused on how to strengthen U.S. telecom networks’ security after the 2024 Chinese government-affiliated Salt Typhoon hacking incident (see 2411190073). But it quickly shifted to a series of partisan barbs over Trump administration officials’ leaked communications about plans for an airstrike in Yemen on messaging app Signal. Republicans have been attempting to pivot from the week-plus fallout over “Signalgate,” with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling reporters Monday that “this case has been closed … as far as we are concerned.”
With the FCC launching a notice of inquiry last week (see 2503270042) on alternatives to GPS for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT), several options will likely move forward, experts said during an FCBA webinar Wednesday. But the U.S. faces a significant risk of remaining too dependent on GPS, they warned.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has extended a temporary restraining order barring the federal government from enforcing a March 25 executive order targeting Jenner & Block, said an order Tuesday. That executive order revoked the firm’s security clearances and barred it from conducting business with the government. Tuesday’s court order extends the temporary restraining order until final judgment in the case. The White House has issued similar orders against Perkins Coie, WilmerHale and others (see 2503120049), and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has targeted Cooley and numerous other law firms over diversity programs (see 2503180055).
Top Senate Commerce Committee Democrats told us they are considering, but aren't yet committed to, scaling back or ceasing cooperation in advancing Republican nominees to federal entities ahead of a likely imminent panel confirmation hearing for GOP FCC nominee Olivia Trusty. Democrats are eyeing the tactic shift in response to President Donald Trump’s disputed March firing of Democratic FTC Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter (see 2503190057) and other actions against independent agencies. Any roadblocks Democrats place against GOP picks would be largely symbolic and likely only delay Senate confirmations, given Republicans' 53-47 majority in the upper chamber, observers said.