The following are short summaries of recent CBP NY rulings issued by the agency's National Commodity Specialist Division in New York:
Top Democrats on the Senate and House Communications subcommittees were noncommittal in interviews Wednesday and Thursday about pursuing legislation to address changes that NTIA made to the $42.5 billion BEAD program’s rules in its June 6 restructuring policy notice. The Government Accountability Office ruled Tuesday that the Congressional Review Act (CRA) doesn’t let the Commerce Department unilaterally make such alterations (see 2512170032). Meanwhile, Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., filed the Supporting U.S. Critical Connectivity and Economic Strategy and Security (Success) for BEAD Act on Thursday to allow states to repurpose non-deployment BEAD funding for next-generation 911 technology upgrades and other purposes.
The Congressional Review Act (CRA) doesn't let the Commerce Department unilaterally change BEAD's rules, as it did in its June 6 restructuring policy notice, without running it past Congress, the Government Accountability Office said Wednesday. But that decision may not ultimately change the course and momentum of the program, broadband policy experts said. NTIA didn't comment.
WISPA filed a letter at the FCC on Monday asking the agency not to move the citizens broadband radio service (CBRS) operations to another band or otherwise make major changes to the rules (see 2512050029). In other comments posted Monday in docket 17-258, wireless ISPs said they may be forced to shut down if the rules are changed.
Wireless ISPs continue to urge the FCC not to relocate citizens broadband radio service operations from any portion of the 3.55-3.70 GHz band to another band. CBRS advocates have been pushing against any major change to the band. NCTA is encouraging service providers to file comments at the FCC opposing proposals to increase power levels (see 2511130037).
President Donald Trump signed off Thursday night on an executive order that directs NTIA to potentially curtail non-deployment funding from the $42.5 billion BEAD program for states that the Trump administration determines have overly burdensome AI laws (see 2512110068). The order is identical to a draft proposal that circulated in November (see 2511190069). Democratic lawmakers and BEAD supporters quickly disparaged Trump’s directive, which already faced potentially multiple legal challenges because it would preempt many state-level AI regulations.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a safety standard for water bead toys and toys that contain water beads, according to a notice. The rule is effective March 12.
The following are short summaries of recent CBP NY rulings issued by the agency's National Commodity Specialist Division in New York:
The FCC should retain its current citizens broadband radio service (CBRS) rules, said Cambium Networks in a letter posted in docket 17-258 Monday. “Increases to permitted power in some or all of the band would undermine deployments that are providing vital services to American communities.” Reallocating portions of the CBRS band or increasing the maximum power would require Cambium to replace its equipment “at significant operator and consumer expense,” the company said. “Further, permitting significantly higher power levels would lead to waste in [the] BEAD program, as existing CBRS equipment supporting fixed wireless BEAD deployments would need to be replaced and such costs have not been included in BEAD,” Cambium added. “It is inconsistent for the federal government to make billions of dollars available for broadband deployment and expect recipients to invest their own capital, at the same time that it calls into question the usefulness of the most relied-upon spectrum for broadband deployment.”
The House plans to vote this week on a compromise version of the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, released Sunday night. The compromise bill omits Senate-passed language from its earlier version (S-2296) that would have given the DOD and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman authority to essentially veto commercial use of the 3.1-3.45 and 7.4-8.4 GHz bands (see 2510160057). The House’s NDAA version (HR-3838) didn't include similar language. The compromise NDAA, filed as an amendment to shell bill S-1071, also omits language to preempt states’ AI laws amid GOP divisions on that issue (see 2512030038).