Transcript Highlights:

• It's been two years since the FCC lost auction authority and three years would restore FCC auction authority
• And in 2020, the FCC also rushed to auction the C-Ban, which was the JCPOA. continue to have this play
• Hazlett served as the chief economist of the FCC and is a noted expert in telecommunications.
• Since Congress authorized the FCC to conduct auctions in 1993, it held 100 auctions that generated $233
• And so I think that it's just important to have Congress. when it reauthorizes FCC auction authority

Keywords: spectrum policy, FCC auction authority, national security, innovation, technology development, 9-1-1 modernization, adaptive technologies, China competition

Summary: The meeting centered on the critical examination of spectrum policy and its implications for innovation and national security. The committee discussed the lapse of the FCC's spectrum auction authority, which has been in effect since March 2023, emphasizing the urgency of restoring this authority to maintain U.S. technological leadership against competitors like China. Witnesses provided testimony regarding the need for adaptive and reconfigurable spectrum technologies to enhance communication capabilities for both civilian and military applications. Senator Klobuchar highlighted the importance of modernizing 9-1-1 systems and ensuring robust emergency communication frameworks leveraging new spectrum innovations.

Transcript Highlights:

• President Biden's FCC made great strides toward actually addressing this issue and helping families stay
• President [clears throat] Biden's<01:58:09.199> FCC Biden's FCC Biden's FCC made<01:58:11.199>
• Um, the FCC has said, with rules that go into effect in April, that the fees for phone calls can only

Bills: HB676

Keywords: HB676, Hawaii correctional facilities, youth correctional facilities, adult correctional facilities, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Office of Youth Services, inmate phone calls, prison phone calls, jail phone calls, free prison calls, free communication services, incarcerated persons, prison reform, reentry, family visitation, recidivism, video visitation, electronic messaging, commissions, ancillary fees

Summary: The committee heard three public safety bills. HB 2235 would appropriate $1.3 million for the Military Affairs and Community Relations Office to strengthen coordination on military and defense issues. Supporters, including the Hawaii National Guard and DBEDT’s military relations office, said the office helps Hawaiʻi understand federal contracting, USA Jobs, and military-related economic impacts. One member questioned why the state should fund a DoD-related office while Hawaiʻi remains under-reimbursed on impact aid; supporters responded that the office serves Hawaiʻi communities and helps prepare residents for federal jobs. The chair said she intended to recommend the bill pass with a HD1, a blank appropriation to be filled in the committee report, technical amendments, a defective effective date, and updated office title language. HB 2263 would expand Hawaiʻi family leave law to cover qualifying military exigencies. The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, DBEDT’s military relations office, and the Hawaii National Guard supported the measure, saying military families often face short-notice deployments, relocations, briefings, and urgent family arrangements that require time away from work, and that aligning state law with federal standards would provide clarity and consistency. The chair said she would recommend passage with a HD1, a defective effective date, and technical amendments. HB 2291 would clarify that certain National Guard Youth and Educational Programs employees are excluded from collective bargaining, rename the program, and codify its Hawaiian name. The Hawaii National Guard said it was a housekeeping bill with no appropriation, but requested an amendment to align the bill with updated authorities and program references; the chair asked for proposed language before the later decision-making. She said she would recommend passage with a defective date and the requested amendment if provided, and then recessed the hearing until 11:30 a.m. for decision-making on all three bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• Commission, but is also similarly situated free and over-the-air local LFL FCC licensed radio broadcasters

Bills: SB260, SB263, SB293, SJR18

Keywords: school safety, Foundation School Program, education funding, student allotment, Texas education, SB 263, Texas franchise tax, cost of goods sold, COGS, broadcasters, television broadcasting, radio broadcasting, media tax, broadcast license, FCC, 47 C.F.R. Part 73, 47 C.F.R. Part 74, film production, television production, tax deduction

Transcript Highlights:

• What, what's missing in the FCC formula?
• Now the FCC doesn't regulate MUY, but Texas chose to apply the FCC formula as a cap for MI poll rates
• And is it the FCC formula or some other formula? GVEC certainly is opposed to the FCC formula.
• We also struggle with the FCC formula.
• Having member co-ops not get phone calls responded to when they're offering an FCC rate and an FCC contract

Transcript Highlights:

• What's missing in the FCC formula?
• Now, the FCC does... regulate MUNIs, but Texas chose to apply the FCC formula as a cap for MUNIs' pole
• FCC? Yes, I certainly can. Good.
• We also struggle with the FCC formula.
• Having member co-ops not get phone calls responded to when they're offering an FCC rate and an FCC contract

Bills: HB3445, HB3448

Keywords: telecommunications, electric cooperative, rights-of-way, infrastructure, provider access, right-of-way, pole attachment, regulatory access, 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The FCC plays a vital role in spectrum policy.
• Instead of checkers, because we need a lot more chess playing at the FCC. Thank you.
• How do you think the FCC should modernize the USF to ensure its long-term safety?
• What do you think the best thing the FCC could do now?
• How do you think the FCC could best help in resolving this issue.

Keywords: state policy, governance, legislative processes, public concerns, policy improvement

Summary: During the committee meeting, various issues surrounding state policy and governance were deliberated. Although the specifics of bills under discussion were not highlighted, comments from several committee members indicated a focus on improving legislative processes and addressing public concerns. The chairman facilitated discussions that included several points of critique as well as suggestions for enhancement of existing laws. The atmosphere remained constructive despite the complexity of the topics at hand.

Transcript Highlights:

• That was faced in 2010 by the FCC and USDA.
• Um, many states have adopted the FCC rules in part.
• Uh, the FCC provides a formula for the annual rent, um.
• Are there, are there complaints related to the FCC fees?
• Uh, than the FCC rate does.

Bills: HB12, HB149, SB229, SB1361, SB1749, SB1897, SB2113, SB2566, SB2677, SB1652, SB2327, SB2344, SB2696

Keywords: artificial intelligence, regulation, biometric data, ethical AI, consumer protection, AI governance, automobile sales, finance, retail seller, motor vehicle purchase, motor vehicle sales, pricing restrictions, third-party financing, education, funding, student assessment, accountability, standards, motor vehicle, financing

Summary: The Senate Committee on Business and Commerce heard testimony on HB 149, the Artificial Intelligence Governance Act. Senator Schwertner described the bill as an outcomes-based AI framework that would require disclosure when people interact with AI, prohibit manipulative or social-scoring systems, address biometric capture, discrimination, and deepfake child exploitation, and give the Attorney General enforcement authority. It would also create an AI Sandbox and AI Council. Witnesses from the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a Houston attorney, TechNet, and the Texas Association of Business strongly supported the bill, praising its stakeholder process and pro-innovation approach, while Texas Appleseed suggested regulators should have more examination authority over sandbox participants. The bill was left pending. The committee then heard SB 229, which would prohibit motor vehicle dealers from conditioning a sale on dealer-offered financing or charging more because a buyer uses outside financing or cash. Senator West said the bill is meant to stop forced financing and bait-and-switch pricing, and he noted the bill passed the committee and Senate in the prior session. The Texas Automobile Dealers Association opposed the bill, arguing it would force dealers to accept any third-party lender or cash transaction on terms they cannot control. The Texas Credit Union Association supported the bill, saying consumers should be able to choose outside financing without hidden fees or pressure. After questions about cash purchases and dealer practices, the bill was left pending. The committee also took up SB 2566, which would clarify legislators’ access to information from executive agencies, including confidential information, by setting response deadlines, limiting confidentiality agreements to statutory terms, requiring a standard AG form, and creating a complaint and penalty process for noncompliance. No witnesses testified, and the bill was left pending. Finally, SB 1749, as substituted, would let certain court-related employees and judicial conduct commission personnel keep personal information such as home addresses and phone numbers confidential, with work addresses used in place of home addresses for certain purposes. District clerk and judicial conduct commission witnesses described threats and harassment as the reason for the bill, and a court administration witness answered questions about how the address protections would work with voter registration and precinct records. That bill was also left pending, and the committee recessed without further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• There have been, I think, 1,000 appeals to the FCC, with the FCC upholding all of those appeals and finding
• There has been, I like 1,000 appeals to the FCC with the FCC upholding all of those appeals and finding
• None with zero appeals to the FCC; the FCC approved.
• So they're taking these phones, the inmates are appealing to the FCC, and the FCC has backed the state
• The inmates are appealing to the FCC, and the FCC has backed the state of Georgia up on every one of

Summary: The committee first filed a report on the executive protection detail and then reviewed a long list of House and Senate bills that were ready for action, with members instructed to hold any items they wanted removed. The committee then took up several agency requests to amend bills: the Auditor of State’s request for a $370 increase for special deputy expense allowance, the Administrative Office of the Courts’ requests for additional funding for court interpreters and substitute court reporters, and requests tied to local sales tax refunds, county property tax redistribution, emergency medical and law enforcement support, and Northwest Arkansas Community College tornado-related repairs. All of those amendments were adopted, and one amendment on House Bill 1034 was held over at Senator Johnson’s request. A major portion of the meeting focused on an amendment for the Department of Corrections to fund a pilot program using mobile technology to identify and disable illegal inmate cell phones at Varner and Cummins prisons. The bill sponsors and Corrections officials described the problem as a serious public safety issue, saying inmates use contraband phones for criminal activity, trafficking, scams, and outside coordination. Members asked about FCC rules, procurement, whether the system would jam or only identify phones, whether it would affect staff or nearby users, how quickly it would work, whether it would be a one-time or ongoing cost, and whether the department had existing budget authority. Officials said the proposal would require an RFP, that current funding was not available in the department’s budget, and that the technology would be a two-year pilot. The committee ultimately adopted the amendment and then gave the underlying bill a do-pass recommendation. The committee also considered an amendment for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, which sought a $4 million increase in appropriation authority. Senators discussed the division’s role in county extension offices, 4-H, research, and salary competitiveness, while others questioned why the division needed more appropriation room when it already had about $10 million in headroom and had requested a different funding level through higher education. Division representatives said the increase would help with salaries and provide flexibility for future funding, and Higher Education staff clarified the original request and recommendation amounts. After extensive discussion, the committee adopted the amendment and gave it a do-pass recommendation. Finally, the committee began acting on governor’s letters, adopting amendments for a homestead property tax credit increase, insurance department conference travel, property appraisal analysis support, career and technical education professional development, regulatory and casino gaming appropriations, a new program integrity line for the Department of Inspector General, consolidation of licensing board appropriations, deletion of a completed Fort Chaffee Readiness Center appropriation, and a revised reappropriation package for prison expansion that included special language limiting use of the funds. Members asked several questions about the prison reappropriation, including whether it still related to the earlier Calico Rock project and whether special language should be considered separately; the committee moved the governor’s letters forward for drafting and further action.

Transcript Highlights:

• Three, the FCC has been sued for ignoring 11,000 pages of evidence of harm, but has failed to respond
• Also, the 2021 court ruling in the U.S., questioning the adequacy of FCC exposure guidelines, has been
• Consider briefly that the FCC guidelines are supposed to guarantee the safety of these smart meters.
• And yet the FCC has not reopened this investigation.
• More meters mean more emissions, more potential violations of FCC guidelines, and a greater need for

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on a range of energy, utility, broadband, and municipal infrastructure bills. Representative Powell supported H 3466, which would create a task force to study public ownership of utilities and alternatives to investor-owned electric and gas systems. Representative Therber supported H 3574, which would use RGGI funds to reimburse cities and towns affected by power plant decommissioning, citing lost jobs, tax revenue, and service cuts in communities such as Somerset, Plymouth, Salem, and Everett. Several witnesses from municipal light plants and related organizations testified in support of mutual aid bills, including H 3486/S 2252 and H 3330/S 2277, saying the measures would clarify protections and liability coverage for MLP workers assisting in emergencies and non-emergency work. Jim Leiden of EMWIC opposed H 3514/S 2295, saying the proposed board and governance changes would reduce local control, add burdens, and weaken confidentiality protections. A committee member asked whether the mutual aid bills had been reviewed for municipal impacts, and the witnesses said they had done due diligence. The committee also heard extensive testimony on H 3551/S 2306, the smart meter opt-out bills. Supporters argued that smart meters emit harmful wireless radiation, that some residents have developed health problems or electromagnetic sensitivity, and that opt-outs should be available without fees or penalties; several witnesses urged notification, consent, and non-transmitting analog meter options. The committee also heard testimony from municipal officials and the Massachusetts Municipal Association in support of H 3462/S 2250, which would strengthen municipal authority to enforce timely removal of double utility poles, citing safety, accessibility, and construction-delay concerns. Derek Leffert of Gateway Fiber opposed H 3450, saying it would improperly shift broadband deployment costs to competitors. At the end of testimony, the chair closed the hearing by motion and vote, with members voting aye and no opposition recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• I also support confirmation of Olivia Trustee to the Federal Communication Commission, the FCC.
• the committee today, I've had conversations with Leader Thune about our ability to continue to move FCC
• Trustee to serve on the FCC.
• role, but I am deeply concerned with this administration's threats to independent commissions like the FCC
• floor if there are not commitments from the White House that they will respect the independence of the FCC

Transcript Highlights:

• WE PARTNERED WITH FCC AND KEY STAKEHOLDERS AND HOSTED A SERIES OF IN-PERSON TOWN HALL MEETINGS THAT WERE
• THROUGHOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAM, THE AGENCY AND FCC IS FOCUSED THROUGHOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION
• OF THE PROGRAM, THE AGENCY AND FCC IS FOCUSED ON AN ENHANCED COMMUNICATION THAT CLEARLY COMMUNICATES
• WAS CAROL GORMLEY, FCC AND A BUNCH OF STAKEHOLDERS. BRIAN MENTIONED MANY OF THEM. IT WAS A TEAM.
• WE HAVE AS PART OF OUR REGULAR FCC PLAN, WE HAVE A VERY ROBUST ESTATE NIGHT WILL STATEWIDE NETWORK.

Transcript Highlights:

• There has been, I think, a thousand appeals to the FCC, with the FCC upholding all of those appeals and
• None with zero appeals to the FCC, our federal FCC approved. So they're taking these phones.
• The inmates are appealing to the FCC, and the FCC has backed the state of Georgia up on every one of
• I will say the FCC right now is working on amending their rule that would allow us.
• Yes, so I think the federal prisons have a little bit more flexibility than we do, but the FCC chair

Summary: The committee first received a report on the executive protection detail, which was filed without questions. Members were then given a long advance list of House and Senate bills ready for consideration, followed by several amendment requests from agencies. The committee adopted amendments for the Auditor of State to increase special deputy expense allowance, the Administrative Office of the Courts for court interpreters and substitute court reporters, and several other items including local sales tax refunds, county property tax redistribution, and local law enforcement funding. It also held one amendment on House Bill 1034 and moved a Northwest Arkansas Community College cash fund increase tied to tornado-related campus repairs. The committee then considered a series of member amendments and appropriation items, including increases for the Public Defender Commission and deputy prosecuting attorneys to cover higher bar license fees, and a $12 million federal appropriation-only item. A lengthy discussion followed on a proposal from Senator Wallace and Representative Tosh to fund a pilot program for prison cell-phone detection/jamming technology at two correctional facilities. Sponsors and Department of Corrections officials said the system would target illegal contraband phones, would be procured through an RFP, and would be a two-year pilot; members raised questions about legality, cost, scope, data, and whether the department should use existing budget authority. The committee ultimately advanced the item by motion. The committee also took up an amendment from Senator Caldwell for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, seeking a $4 million appropriation increase. Testimony emphasized that the division’s extension offices and research functions are underfunded, that salaries are not competitive, and that the request would help with staffing and flexibility; other members questioned why the division needed more appropriation authority when it already had room under current limits and noted that the request exceeded the higher education board’s recommendation. The amendment was adopted after extended debate. Finally, the committee began acting on governor’s letters, adopting amendments for a $150 million increase to the homestead property tax credit, a $23,000 reallocation for the Insurance Department’s conference costs, $100,000 for property appraisal review work, $1.5 million for career and technical education professional development, $300,000 for DFA regulatory federal spending, $5 million for Inspector General fraud investigations, a consolidation of appraiser/abstractor/home inspector appropriations, deletion of a completed Fort Chaffee readiness center appropriation, and a revised reappropriation for corrections capital projects that would add special language restricting use of the $73.7 million prison-expansion reappropriation. The committee also heard a summary of a supplemental appropriations package involving fund transfers for pregnancy resource centers, senior centers, assistance grants, used tires, and UAMS pregnancy/stroke programs.

Transcript Highlights:

• With regards to speeds and confirming the reliability of those speeds, the FCC oversees the Measuring
• Again, we would remind the committee that the FCC has a Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Center that
• of the FCC is they do their own panel of customers.
• The FCC that may or may not exist at the rate that the federal government is moving around this.
• A UCLA-sponsored FCC-funded study that surveyed 600 of medicinal marijuana patients who were receiving

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There has been, I think, a thousand appeals to the FCC, with the FCC upholding all of those appeals and
• There has been, I like a thousand appeals to the FCC with the FCC upholding all of those appeals and
• None with zero appeals to federal FCC approved. So they're taking these phones.
• The inmates are appealing to the FCC, and the FCC has backed the state of Georgia up on every one of
• I will say the FCC right now is working on amending their rule that would allow us.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So the FCC can prescribe what happens in interstate telecom, but the state is responsible for intrastate
• more about the federal process that carriers have to go through to be granted COLR relief from the FCC
• The FCC... ...requires that a carrier seek approval to drop service.
• And I would love to know what the FCC is going to do.
• The application is reviewed at the FCC. They seek comment and move forward one way or the other.

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) to examine its history, current operation, and possible future changes in California. Chair Tasha Berner said the hearing was prompted in part by AT&T’s 2023 request for relief from COLR obligations and by broader concerns about public safety, affordability, universal service, and access to modern broadband and telecommunications. The first panel featured a telecommunications expert who traced COLR back to universal service principles and explained how states have handled COLR differently, including full deregulation, limited rural obligations, or transition pathways tied to competition and customer protections. Members asked about affordability, federal and state processes for service withdrawal, and whether COLR remains necessary given modern competition. CPUC staff then described California’s COLR framework, explaining that universal service rests on access, reliability/quality, and affordability, and that COLR requires carriers to provide basic service, including voice-grade calling, 911 access, relay services, and Lifeline. Staff said AT&T’s application sought relief in nearly all of its territory, but no replacement COLR came forward during the proceeding, and public participation hearings drew thousands of comments and strong concern from rural and vulnerable customers. The CPUC outlined its ongoing rulemaking to reconsider whether the 1996 COLR rules and 2012 basic-service definition still fit current conditions, with workshops and public hearings scheduled and a proposed decision expected later in the year or into 2026. Members pressed staff on geographic outreach, wireless coverage, whether broadband can be part of basic service, public safety during wildfires, and what reporting and complaint processes currently exist. In the final panel, industry and public-interest witnesses sharply disagreed. A U.S. Telecom representative argued COLR is outdated, costly, and copper-focused, and said reform should allow technology-neutral alternatives such as wireless, fiber, and satellite while preserving reliable voice and emergency access. The CPUC Public Advocates Office countered that COLR remains a necessary public safeguard, especially for rural and low-income customers, and argued that any transition should maintain or improve service, with public benefits such as broadband investment and continued protections for 911, disability access, and affordability. Committee members focused on the difference between an obligation to serve everyone and a mere option to serve, and on whether the Legislature should provide clearer guidance as the CPUC’s rulemaking moves forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• Quality, the FCC, you can find a lot of reports that will enumerate how different services, and specifically
• But to me, this is an interesting innovation because whereas the FCC used to characterize each of those
• Now, the FCC has moved to specific services offering specific kinds offered by specific providers, and
• That was faced in 2010 by the FCC and USDA, and there was an outcry at that time from rural constituents
• As I said before, our broadband office has adopted the FCC standard for what is considered broadband

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And if the FCC finds that changes are necessary, the bill requires the FCC to develop recommendations
• communication The FCC established a communication The FCC established a communication security<03
• It has served the FCC another two years.
• So, HR permanent fixture at the FCC.
• 1717 requires the FCC to do just that. 1717 requires the FCC to do just that.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Monday, July 14, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• With regards to speeds and confirming the reliability of those speeds, the FCC oversees the Measuring
• Again, the process and the methodology of the FCC is they do their own panel of customers.
• If the point is you want to confirm the data that the provider is doing, the FCC...
• opening statement, align with how the FCC is currently doing it.
• The FCC that may or may not exist at the rate that the federal government is moving around this.

Summary: The Assembly Business and Professions Committee heard a full agenda of bills focused on reproductive health, professional licensing and sunset reviews, consumer protection, and business regulation. Early testimony centered on AB 260, which would protect access to medication abortion, mifepristone, and telehealth reproductive care in California; supporters emphasized state protections against federal restrictions, while an opponent argued the bill removed safety safeguards. The committee also heard AB 714 on closing a loophole in regulation of low-cost commercial driving schools, AB 968 on allowing pharmacists to prescribe non-hormonal contraception, AB 671 on streamlining restaurant permitting, AB 1027 on strengthening cannabis product testing oversight, AB 1271 on broadband pricing and speed transparency, and AB 1332 on narrowly allowing medicinal cannabis shipments for seriously ill patients. Several sunset bills were also taken up, including AB 1482 on animal shelter and breeder transparency, AB 1501 on the Podiatric Medical Board and Physician Assistant Board, AB 1502 on the Veterinary Medical Board, AB 1503 on the Board of Pharmacy, and AB 1504 on the Massage Therapy Council. Testimony was largely in support of the measures, with many bills drawing co-sponsors or support from industry, consumer, or professional groups. AB 1503 generated the most sustained opposition, with nurses, physicians, and drug industry representatives objecting to expanded pharmacy technician ratios, standard-of-care language, and therapeutic interchange authority; supporters argued the bill would modernize pharmacy practice and expand access. AB 1504 also drew mixed testimony, with massage therapy groups supporting continuation of the council but raising concerns about proposed public records and governance provisions. AB 1271 drew a policy dispute over whether broadband reporting requirements duplicated federal FCC processes, while supporters argued California needed its own consumer-facing data and complaint system. After quorum was established later in the hearing, the committee began taking roll-call votes. AB 1271, AB 1332, AB 1482, AB 1501, and AB 1502 were all reported out on due-pass motions, with AB 1271 amended and the others generally amended or as introduced as noted. Earlier bills including AB 260, AB 671, AB 714, AB 968, and AB 1027 also received motions and were approved once the quorum was present. The chair repeatedly noted the lack of quorum during the hearing, but once one was secured, the committee completed votes on the agenda items and advanced the measures to Appropriations.

Transcript Highlights:

• more about the federal process that carriers have to go through to be granted COLA relief from the FCC
• , and although the FCC has a process, so might not be an effective backstop for consumer protection.
• What the FCC is going to do, but at this point, I have no answer to that question. Thank you, Dr.
• So, no one can pull out of services, whether you're COLA or not, without going to the FCC.
• The application is reviewed at the FCC. They seek comment and move forward one way or the other.

Keywords: 988, house, all