Senators Looking for Briefing from NTIA on SpaceX Rider
The company had sought exemptions from certain BEAD rules.
The company had sought exemptions from certain BEAD rules.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2026 – Senators are looking to meet with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to discuss SpaceX’s efforts to exempt itself from certain provisions of the agency’s $42.45 billion broadband grant program.
Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., said at a Tuesday markup that she was willing to withdraw her proposed amendment to a satellite licensing bill if as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, would “commit to having NTIA engage with members of this committee, either a briefing or a meeting, on the Starlink rider and how they plan to uphold the integrity of the BEAD program.”
Cruz responded, “And we’re happy to arrange that discussion.”
Industry, labor, and business groups urge FCC to reject the proposal.
Also on the agenda: subsea cable security licensing, 911 reliability, and emergency alerts.
A veteran fire commander who lost two firefighters in a 2014 Boston blaze is urging the FCC to fast-track indoor 3D location technology.
NCTA said its suppliers need to swap components in already approved router designs amid AI-induced shortages