The Federal Emergency Management Agency denied that it has frozen reimbursement payments to public broadcasters in response to CPB’s request that the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (docket 1:25-cv-00740-TJK) intervene (see 2503140060). A docket entry Monday said that the court had denied CPB's motion for a temporary restraining order. “The Agency is taking no such action -- there has been no withholding of funding,” said FEMA in a filing opposing CPB's request Saturday. “Rather, the Agency has modified its process for the review of payment requests.” The “hold toggle” lets the agency manually review reimbursement requests before sending them out, FEMA said. “The Agency will process payment requests and approve them for payment as appropriate, simply with an added level of internal controls to ensure that payment requests are reviewed prior to payment being released.”
NTIA's outgoing BEAD director warned of the "significant risk" of program changes that would saddle rural America with subpar broadband access but benefit SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. In a 1,100-word letter sent over the weekend to colleagues and friends after his last day on Friday as head of BEAD, Evan Feinman said changes coming down the pike from Commerce include a limit on per-location BEAD spending and some kind of pause, as well as an increase in low earth orbit (LEO) satellites and a reduction in fiber use. States already face BEAD uncertainty in light of Commerce this month dropping the fiber preference and saying it was undertaking a review of other program rules (see 2503060047).
The Treasury Department included its Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI) in the Trump administration’s hiring freeze but is now considering giving it relief from the pause due to its national security role, the department told lawmakers.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, reintroduced a bill March 6 that would eliminate a requirement that the Energy Department authorize liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, leaving the independent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as the sole authority for the approval process.
States face less certainty and clarity about the BEAD program in light of Commerce axing its fiber focus and indicating more rules changes could be forthcoming, according to broadband policy experts. Earlier in the week, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the agency is launching a review of BEAD rules and dropping its emphasis on fiber (see 2503050067).
Although the Bureau of Industry and Security recently resumed processing certain license applications that it had paused in early February as part of a broader export control policy review, the agency is still holding applications for a range of items destined to countries outside a group of about 40 U.S. allies and other trading partners, two people with knowledge of the holds said.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Wednesday he’s launching a “rigorous review” of NTIA's $42.5 billion BEAD program and will be “ripping out … pointless requirements” that the Biden administration included in the initiative’s original notice of funding opportunity, which Republicans repeatedly criticized last year. House Communications Subcommittee members divided sharply along party lines during a Wednesday hearing over Republicans’ push to revamp BEAD, including the newly filed Streamlining Program Efficiency and Expanding Deployment (Speed) for BEAD Act from subpanel Chairman Richard Hudson of North Carolina and other GOP lawmakers.
Vehicles that meet the USMCA rules of origin will be able to enter the U.S. duty-free again, for one month, two White House spokespeople said March 5.
ACA Connects CEO Grant Spellmeyer and two other communications industry executives set to appear at a House Communications Subcommittee hearing Wednesday urge lawmakers in written testimony to revamp the NTIA-administered, $42.5 billion BEAD program. Some also say they want quick congressional action on a potential U.S. Supreme Court overturn of USF’s funding mechanism. Sarah Morris, acting deputy NTIA administrator during the Biden administration, is also set to testify. Her written statement wasn’t available Tuesday afternoon. The panel will begin at 2 p.m. in 2123 Rayburn.
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