Communications and Technology Alert: House FirstNet and Broadband Permitting Bills; FirstNet Audit; Router and UAS Conditional Approvals; Protecting American Consumers from Robocalls Act [Vol. XXIII, Issue 16]
House To Consider FirstNet and Broadband Permitting Bills
Last week, the House of Representatives announced that the full House would consider H.R. 7386, the First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act of 2026. If passed, the bill would re-authorize FirstNet for ten years and keep it under the control of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The House Rules Committee also announced they would hold a hearing on Monday, April 20th at 4:00 PM ET to consider H.R. 2289, the American Broadband Deployment Act of 2026. This bill would clarify that certain requests to modify an existing wireless tower or base station by collocating, removing, or replacing transmission equipment do not require environmental and historic preservation reviews. For more information, please contact Wes Wright (wright@khlaw.com; 202.434.4239) or Tim Doughty (doughty@khlaw.com; 202.434.4271).
Commerce Department Releases Audit of FirstNet Program Oversight
Last week, the Commerce Department Inspector General released an audit finding that the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) has not consistently ensured that only eligible public safety users can access the nationwide FirstNet broadband network. The review warns that weak oversight and limited follow-up verification create risks of ineligible users connecting to the network, potentially inflating device counts tied to performance payments to AT&T. Because AT&T’s multibillion dollar contract includes incentives and penalties based on connection targets, these gaps could lead to unjustified payments or lost penalty revenue for the government. Auditors questioned previously paid costs as unsupported and identified opportunities to save money on future payments unless eligibility can be independently verified. The report makes 11 recommendations to strengthen oversight, recover questionable costs, and tighten eligibility checks that oversight officials say they have agreed to implement. For more information, please contact Wes Wright (wright@khlaw.com; 202.434.4239) or Tim Doughty (doughty@khlaw.com; 202.434.4271).
Commission Announces Conditional Approvals for Routers, UAS
On April 14th, the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) announced that certain routers and uncrewed aircraft systems had been granted conditional approvals, exempting the devices and equipment from the Commission’s Covered List. On December 22, 2025, PSHSB added all “UAS and UAS critical components produced in a foreign county” to the Covered List. Additionally, on March 23, 2026, PSHSB added “routers produced in a foreign country” to the Covered List. In both cases, the Commission, in conjunction with other federal agencies, developed processes for conditional approvals to exempt certain devices and equipment from placement on the Covered List. For more information, please contact Wes Wright (wight@khlaw.com; 202.434.4239) or Tim Doughty (doughty@khlaw.com; 202.434.4271).
House, Senate Democrats Reintroduce Robocall Bill
Last week, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) reintroduced the Protecting American Consumers from Robocalls Act, which would bolster consumer protections from illegal robocalls under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The bill would provide landline and cellular customers with a private right of action for each individual call in violation of the TCPA, and ensure at least $500 in penalties can be levied for every violation of the Do-Not-Call Registry. The bill would also permit small businesses to add their numbers to the Registry, given their reliance on telephone services to generate customer leads. For more information, please contact Tim Doughty (doughty@khlaw.com; 202.434.4271) or Tracy Marshall (marshall@khlaw.com; 202.434.4234).
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