New tech policy law runs through one place: The Senate Commerce Committee.
Sure, President-elect Donald Trump’s regulators can change the tech landscape. In fact, we’ll get into their plans below. The House has plenty of ideas too.
But ultimately, the administration and even the House know they need to contend with the Senate. The Commerce Committee is going to be the most important stop for new tech ideas. It’ll be largely up to Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to decide how to handle them and resolve any intra-GOP tensions.
First, a word on Cruz: Industry is certainly OK with potential deregulation but isn’t totally thrilled that the Texan has the gavel. Companies worry Cruz doesn’t want to continue investing in advanced tech as a way to beat China. K Street also thinks he’ll dilly-dally on passing a national privacy law, which has been at the top of their priority list for many years now.
Cruz has said his priorities are job creation and reducing regulations. We heard from Cruz, his colleagues and K Street, though, about what specifically he’s ready to tee up:
Spectrum: Cruz said shortly after the election that he wants to get more wireless spectrum that’s currently reserved for the government into the hands of the private sector. Above all, that’s going to mean reauthorizing the Federal Communications Commission’s authority to auction off the spectrum bands.
AI: Cruz’s contribution to the problem of non-consensual, AI-enabled nudes is his bill to force the takedown of such images, which passed the Senate Tuesday night. The House version hasn’t made it out of committee, though, so Cruz may have to bring the bill back next year.
Otherwise, on AI, he’s told us he wants “a light-touch regulatory approach with the private sector driving innovation.”
Broadband: Cruz has promised to dig into the National Telecommunications and Information Administration for its broadband equity program. The incoming chair said he wanted to look into “rate regulation; unionized workforce and DEI labor requirements; climate change assessments; [and] excessive per-location costs.”
He’s also warned NTIA of his view that a digital grant program “impermissibly discriminates based on race.”
Energy: Not surprisingly, Cruz says he wants to boost energy production, though he hasn’t provided many details. Tech companies are scrambling to lock in energy from all kinds of sources for AI projects but are less interested in Texas oil and gas.
Nominees: Cruz will also be handling a slew of nominees, though we expect him to take particular interest in Federal Trade Commissioners. Cruz is a former FTC official himself and a big critic of current Chair Lina Khan.
Cruz isn’t alone. There’ll be more than a dozen Republicans on the panel next year. Some of them just have different priorities. Some of them will fundamentally disagree with Cruz.
The AI Safety Institute: Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) told us that he’ll be focused next year on his legislation to formalize a key administration effort to measure AI safety and efficiency and detect fake content.
That’s interesting because, supposedly, Young’s bill is still a live possibility for the end of the year. Cruz, though, isn’t a fan of AISI. That may put a damper on the bill this year — and cause some friction in 2025.
Yes, privacy. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) called recently for a comprehensive data protection bill to finally advance. She’s also a prime force behind a bill to regulate the design of social media services in a way that protects young users. The effort is falling short in the House but will undoubtedly return.
Aviation. That’s a top priority for Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), who told us he’s also going to be interested in broadband issues.
Chinese telecom gear. The chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, who will be Cruz’s main negotiating partner in the other chamber, will be decided in the coming days. Both candidates are interested in the effort to continue clearing Chinese tech out of U.S. networks. Meanwhile, one contender, Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio), loves autonomous vehicles, while the other, Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), is big into health.
