Leader Thune Poised to Nullify Biden FCC’s Wi-Fi Hotspots Order Today

Senate: Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is expected to lead the effort today to void a signature regulation of the Biden-era FCC: Federal funding in support of the use of Wi-Fi hotspots by students and library patrons at locations distant from actual schools and library buildings. Thune, according to two Senate sources, is expected to bring to the Senate floor a Congressional Review Act resolution that would need a simple majority to pass, meaning Senate Democrats won’t have the filibuster to frustrate Thune’s effort. The Wi-Fi hotspots initiative was advanced last July by FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, appointed by President Joe Biden, as part of her “Learn Without Limits” program that included tapping into the $2.6 billion E-Rate program not just to fund Wi-Fi hotspots but also ensure Wi-Fi was available on public school buses. (Both issues are on appeal in the Fifth Circuit.) Rosenworcel went ahead in both cases over the objections of then-FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr and FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington, Republicans who argued that the E-Rate statute confined support to classrooms and library buildings. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is sponsoring the Senate CRA on Wi-Fi hotspots. When he introduced it in January, he said the FCC’s order “violates federal law, creates major risks for kids’ online safety, harms parental rights, and will increase taxes on working families.” (More after the paywall.)