The Organized Village of Kasaan, a tribe in Alaska, urged the FCC to preserve regulations in the National Environmental Policy Act and National Historic Preservation Act that are important to protecting tribal interests. The FCC is looking at changing how it enforces both laws (see 2508180012). Kassan village is “home to the only remaining Haida longhouse in the United States, and our lands contain burial sites, carving sheds, and traditional food harvesting areas,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 25-217. Previous infrastructure projects “have disrupted salmon spawning grounds and crab habitats, which are central to our food security and cultural practices.”
The U.S. renewed its motions to pause proceedings in two appeals on the legality of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit following the Supreme Court's decision to hear a pair of cases on the same issue. Plaintiffs in both appeals, the State of California and members of the Blackfeet Nation indigenous tribe, opposed the renewed motions (Donald J. Trump v. V.O.S. Selections, U.S. 25-250) (Learning Resources v. Donald J. Trump, U.S. 24-1287).
The U.S. opposed the intervention of members of the Blackfeet Nation indigenous tribe in the lead case on the legality of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act before the Supreme Court, arguing that the members don't identify anything "rare, unusual, or extraordinary that would warrant intervention here" (Learning Resources v. Donald J. Trump, U.S. 24-1287).
The FCC’s direct final rule process and planned deletion of rules could disproportionately affect rural Alaska, and the agency should consult with tribal nations on any deletions, the Knik Tribe said in comments posted Wednesday in docket 25-133.
Members of the Blackfeet Nation tribe challenging the legality of tariffs issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act asked to intervene in the lead case on the issue a day after the Supreme Court decided to take up the matter. The Blackfeet Nation members said their claims "overlap" with the claims from the existing parties, though their case also raises questions about "fundamental constitutional principles and a unique body of federal Indian law" (Donald J. Trump v. V.O.S. Selections, U.S. 25-250) (Learning Resources v. Donald J. Trump, U.S. 24-1287).
The House Appropriations Committee voted 35-28 Wednesday night to advance the Financial Services Subcommittee’s FY 2026 funding bill, which would maintain the FCC’s annual allocation at $390.2 million and proposes reducing the FTC’s funding to $388.6 million (see 2507210064). The panel earlier voted 32-27 against an amendment from Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Ind., to strike language in the bill’s report that directs the FCC to study alternatives to the commission’s lapsed affordable connectivity program (ACP) “to ensure that low-income Americans stay connected.”
State broadband leaders outlined Wednesday the hurdles they have faced and the progress made in adapting to NTIA’s revised BEAD guidelines. During a Broadband Breakfast webinar, just one day before new final proposals are due, officials acknowledged the difficulties but emphasized that the process is advancing states toward universal coverage.
The FCC will hold a workshop Sept. 11 for tribes and native Hawaiian organizations during the Coalition of Large Tribes quarterly meeting in Prior Lake, Minnesota, the agency announced Friday. Among the topics to be discussed are proposed changes to the commission’s National Environmental Policy Act rules (see 2508150050), which have raised tribal concerns. FCC staff will also offer updates on proposed pole attachment changes and “technology transitions,” the notice said. The meeting is scheduled from 1:15-4 p.m. at the Mystic Lake Center. Afterward, staff will be available for in-person consultations.
FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty said she will work with agency colleagues to address the digital divide in Alaska after a weeklong visit to the state, said a news release in Tuesday’s Daily Digest. Trusty’s trip involved meetings with “industry leaders, as well as federal, state, local, and Tribal stakeholders” on broadband expansion “to some of the nation’s most remote and difficult-to-serve areas,” the release said.
CPB said Monday it can no longer administer the next-generation warning system (NGWS), which, America’s Public Television Stations said, could threaten public safety. The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced a $40 million NGWS grant to states and tribal nations earlier this month. “With CPB’s closure imminent, FEMA should assume responsibility for disbursing the funds as Congress intended,” said a CPB release. If FEMA doesn’t assume the program, “most of the FY 2022 funding -- and all funds from FY 2023 and FY 2024 -- will go undistributed,” CPB added. That would leave communities, “especially those in rural and disaster-prone areas, without the upgrades Congress intended.”