Senate Republicans on Wednesday signaled they want Donald Trump to rescind President Joe Biden’s AI executive order if the former president wins the November election.

The Senate voted 91-3 on Tuesday to approve a pair of kids’ online safety bills, shifting attention to the House, where the legislation awaits committee consideration.

The mega constellation boom -- and satellites' maneuvering capabilities -- demonstrates the need for a global system of information sharing among satellite operators, according to Richard DalBello, director of Commerce's Office of Space Commerce. He spoke Tuesday during a Politico space commerce event. At the same event, Sens. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., and Jerry Moran, R-Kan., warned about increased space threats the U.S. faces, particularly from China and Russia.

NTIA released the first of six data dashboard tools Monday that will help publicly "monitor the progress of construction and implementation related to projects" the agency's broadband programs fund. The just-released tool will provide "increased transparency" of reporting requirements. The agency also released additional guidance about compliance with its build America, buy America waiver.

Carriers are working on implementing 988 georouting and the FCC needn't interfere with mandates and rules, telecom trade groups said in docket 18-336 comments this week. Commissioners in April adopted an NPRM proposing the georouting requirement (see 2404250054).

The three major U.S. tower companies reported Q2 results, with Crown Castle the last to go, on Tuesday. All three companies' CEOs said that despite some slowing in 5G deployments, major U.S. carriers still have a ways to go to build out their networks. In addition, they expressed optimism despite a downturn in deployments in recent quarters (see 2402290050).

Texas received $1.4 billion from Meta Tuesday, settling claims the Facebook parent captured biometric information in violation of state law. The same day, tech industry groups sued Texas over a kids’ online safety law. NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) said the 2023 law (HB-18), which requires that social media companies verify users’ ages and get parental consent for children younger than 18, violates the First Amendment in a way similar to a 2021 Texas social media law that went to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Members of the congressional Universal Service Fund revamp working group are considering whether, and how much, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling will affect their rollout of a framework for overhauling the program. The court ruled last week that the FCC's USF contribution factor is unconstitutional (see 2407240043). Experts believe lawmakers will likely factor the ruling into the framework, but it could be moot should the U.S. Supreme Court reverse the decision on appeal (see 2407260044). Uncertainty about USF’s future will likely extend the working group’s already lengthy process, lobbyists told us.

Satellite operators continue urging the FCC to phase-in any regulatory fee hike stemming from the Space Bureau's creation. Docket 24-86 reply comments this week also saw CTIA pushing back on broadcasters' arguments that favor charging regulatory fees for equipment authorizations. Previously, the space community and broadcasters raised concerns about regulatory fee shock in initial comments in the proceeding (see 2407160049).

A case before the U.S. Supreme Court, Consumers' Research, et al. v. Consumer Product Safety Commission, potentially has major implications for the FCC and FTC, and could permit a president to fire a commissioner at will, industry lawyers said. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other conservative groups are asking SCOTUS in amicus filings to grant the writ of certiorari from Consumers' Research.