D.C. Memo: Trump Post Warns House GOP 'GRANDSTANDERS' Not to Tank OBBBA
◾ FBA's Bolton Keeps Dissing BEAD Rules ◾ NTCA Concerned about False BEAD Maps ◾ Trade Groups Trash NAB's ATSC 3.0 Plan ◾ NYCDOE Bails on FCC Cybersecurity Pilot ◾ CBS to Pay $16M to Settle with Trump
OBBBA: Trump’s happy and so is Thune, and Ajit Pai is over the moon. So, what’s with the long faces at NCTA – The Internet & Television Association? Answer: The Senate yesterday passed Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (with a key assist from Vice President JD Vance) filled with positive vibes for AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. For key NCTA members Comcast and Charter, the results could not have been worse for their evolving business model largely predicated on spectrum sharing of unlicensed airwaves to drive innovation in the Wi-Fi space. The Senate bill potentially exposed some, if not all, of the 6 GHz and CBRS bands to auction or reallocation. Those airwaves have been cable’s arena for growing their Wi-Fi and licensed services that now looks threatened, depending on FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s ultimate strategy. “While the cable industry strongly supports restoring the FCC’s auction authority, other provisions in the OBBBA related to spectrum policy disappointingly tilt the spectrum playing field towards the three large cellular companies,” NCTA said in a statement soon after the Senate vote. The Senate bill, featuring provisions advanced by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas), restored the FCC’s spectrum auction authority and required the agency to raise $85 billion from spectrum auctions certain to feed the 5G maw of the Big 3 wireless carriers who dominate the CTIA trade group headed by Pai since April 1. With Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) getting the job done for the White House in the Senate, the burden has shifted to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to keep the House GOP majority unified. “This bill is President Trump’s agenda, and we are making it law. House Republicans are ready to finish the job and put the One Big Beautiful Bill on President Trump’s desk in time for Independence Day,” Johnson said in a statement. After the Senate vote, Trump immediately put heat on the House GOP via a post on TruthSocial. “We can have all of this right now, but only if the House GOP UNITES, ignores its occasional “GRANDSTANDERS” (You know who you are!), and does the right thing, which is sending this Bill to my desk. We are on schedule — Let’s keep it going, and be done before you and your family go on a July 4th vacation. The American People need and deserve it. They sent us here to, GET IT DONE!”
