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Trump and Telecom: The Latest Developments

Jan. 22, 2025
Four quotes that highlight the flurry of talk about Trump's second term and telecom.

What's happening so far for telecom under Trump's second term? These four quotes sum up some of the lastest news.

1. "They have to produce a lot of electricity, and we'll make it possible for them to get that production done very easily at their own plants if they want…"

- President Trump, announcing AI investments

Today, President Trump rescinded Biden’s 2023 AI executive order that addressed risk, and announced private investments in AI infrastructure. Trump announced that a joint venture called “Stargate” is being formed by OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank and the executives have committed to $500 billion towards the project.

"I'm gonna help a lot through emergency declarations, because we have an emergency, we have to get this stuff built. So they have to produce a lot of electricity. And we'll make it possible for them to get this production done easily, at their own plants if they want.," said Trump.

2. “The heads of all agencies shall review all existing regulations, orders, guidance documents, policies, settlements, consent orders, and any other agency actions (collectively, agency actions) to identify those agency actions that impose an undue burden…”

- President Trump's executive order

On day one, Trump signed a slew of executive orders. One of them directs federal agencies to reduce permitting requirements, partly in the hopes of accelerating energy production. The Department of Commerce made the list which oversees the NTIA, which administers the BEAD program.

The order also calls for new guidance on the National Environmental Policy Act, which also applies to BEAD projects.

"The FCC has important work ahead on issues ranging from tech and media regulation to unleashing new opportunities for jobs and growth through agency actions on spectrum, infrastructure, and the space economy. We will also advance America's national security interests and protect consumers."

- FCC chair Brendan Carr

In a post on X, FCC chair Brendan Carr announced his official appointment and reiterated his goals for the FCC.

Now, with the nomination of Olivia Trusty, the FCC has a Republican majority.

Joe Kane, director of broadband and spectrum policy at ITIF told Fierce Network that a Carr FCC could mean “shoring up a Title I approach to broadband, perhaps with a more explicit attempt to preempt state laws, and rolling back the disparate impact portions of the digital discrimination rules…”

“What Trump’s record does mean is that the magnitude of deregulatory impact from his second administration is going to be dampened significantly unless agency lawyers can provide stronger legal support for their clients’ efforts.”

- Robert E. Litan and  Peter M. Shane, the Brookings Institution

Trump, as well as the DOGE team of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have been championing deregulation. With the recent striking down of Net Neutrality by the courts, and no likely resurrection under Carr, telecom deregulation advocates are in a position to rejoice. However, some believe that under his second term, Trump and Doge may have a harder time than they think in making their deregulatory ambitions come true.

“The Brookings Institution’s Center for Regulation and Markets also examined important regulations rescinded during Trump 1.0 and concluded that his deregulatory efforts ‘fared quite poorly in court,’” wrote Litan and Shane in a commentary published at the Brookings Institution.

About the Author

Joe Gillard | Executive Editor

Joe Gillard is a media professional with over 10 years of experience writing, editing, and managing the editorial process across a spectrum of innovative industries. Joe strives to deliver the best possible editorial product by focusing on the needs of the audience, utilizing the data available, and collaborating with a talented team.