On July 22, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (the “FCC”) voted to approve a Report and Order (the “Order”) and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (the “FNPRM”) that will rework and modernize the FCC’s satellite licensing regime. Stating that “[a]chieving American space superiority is critical to our nation’s future,” the Order streamlines the FCC’s satellite
Continue Reading FCC Approves Massive Modernization of Satellite Licensing Regime
FCC Simplifies Broadband Consumer Label Requirements
On July 22, the Federal Communications Commission (the “FCC”) approved a Report and Order (the “Order”) to simplify the requirements for the broadband consumer label (the “Label”) that all ISPs have been required to provider to consumers since 2024. The Order is meant to “refocus the rules on ensuring that consumers have the clear, accurate
Continue Reading FCC Simplifies Broadband Consumer Label RequirementsFCC to Vote on Unlocking Spectrum for Direct-to-Device Operation for Unlicensed Equipment
On July 16, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) released a draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) seeking comment on proposals to permit direct-to-device (“D2D”) operations from satellites to unlicensed equipment. Currently, D2D devices that communicate with satellites would need to be licensed in one form or another. The NPRM sets out the following bands
Continue Reading FCC to Vote on Unlocking Spectrum for Direct-to-Device Operation for Unlicensed EquipmentCalifornia’s New AV Rules Open Door to Heavy-Duty Deployment While Imposing Significant New Compliance Obligations
California’s new autonomous vehicle regulations create the state’s first pathway for testing and deploying heavy-duty AVs while imposing a more rigorous permitting, safety-case, reporting, and enforcement framework for all AV manufacturers.
Finalized by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (the DMV) on April 28, 2026, the regulations (the Regulations) introduce significant new safety and oversight
Continue Reading California’s New AV Rules Open Door to Heavy-Duty Deployment While Imposing Significant New Compliance ObligationsU.S. Tech Legislative & Regulatory Update – First Quarter 2026
This update highlights key legislative and regulatory developments in the first quarter of 2026 related to artificial intelligence (“AI”), connected and automated vehicles (“CAVs”), and Internet of Things (“IoT”).
I. Federal AI Legislative Developments
In the first quarter, members of Congress introduced several AI bills related to nonconsensual images, chatbots, support for small businesses, and
Continue Reading U.S. Tech Legislative & Regulatory Update – First Quarter 2026FCC Opens Application Window for New Cyber Trust Mark Program Lead Administrator
On January 6, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (the “Bureau”) announced the application window for a new Lead Administrator for the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark Program (the “Program”). The window will be open from January 7, 2026, through January 28, 2026. The previous Lead Administrator, UL LLC (“UL
Continue Reading FCC Opens Application Window for New Cyber Trust Mark Program Lead AdministratorU.S. Tech Legislative & Regulatory Update – 2025 Mid-Year Update
This update highlights key mid-year legislative and regulatory developments and builds on our first quarter update related to artificial intelligence (“AI”), connected and automated vehicles (“CAVs”), Internet of Things (“IoT”), and cryptocurrencies and blockchain developments.
I. Federal AI Legislative Developments
In the first session of the 119th Congress, lawmakers rejected a proposed moratorium on state and local enforcement of AI laws and advanced several AI legislative proposals focused on deepfake-related harms. Specifically, on July 1, after weeks of negotiations, the Senate voted 99-1 to strike a proposed 10-year moratorium on state and local enforcement of AI laws from the budget reconciliation package, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), which President Trump signed into law. The vote to strike the moratorium follows the collapse of an agreement on revised language that would have shortened the moratorium to 5 years and allowed states to enforce “generally applicable laws,” including child online safety, digital replica, and CSAM laws, that do not have an “undue or disproportionate effect” on AI. Congress could technically still consider the moratorium during this session, but the chances of that happening are low based on both the political atmosphere and the lack of a must-pass legislative vehicle in which it could be included. See our blog post on this topic for more information.
Additionally, lawmakers continue to focus legislation on deepfakes and intimate imagery. For example, on May 19, President Trump signed the Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks (“TAKE IT DOWN”) Act (H.R. 633 / S. 146) into law, which requires online platforms to establish a notice and takedown process for nonconsensual intimate visual depictions, including certain depictions created using AI. See our blog post on this topic for more information. Meanwhile, members of Congress continued to pursue additional legislation to address deepfake-related harms, such as the STOP CSAM Act of 2025 (S. 1829 / H.R. 3921) and the Disrupt Explicit Forged Images And Non-Consensual Edits (“DEFIANCE”) Act (H.R. 3562 / S. 1837).
Continue Reading U.S. Tech Legislative & Regulatory Update – 2025 Mid-Year UpdateFCC Seeks Public Input on Adding Connected Vehicle Technology to the Covered List
On Friday, May 23, the Federal Communications Commission (the “FCC”) released a Public Notice requesting public input on whether certain CAV-related communications equipment and services with connections to Russia and the People’s Republic of China should be added to the “Covered List” – a list maintained by the FCC of communications equipment and services found
Continue Reading FCC Seeks Public Input on Adding Connected Vehicle Technology to the Covered ListU.S. Tech Legislative & Regulatory Update – First Quarter 2025
This quarterly update highlights key legislative, regulatory, and litigation developments in the first quarter of 2025 related to artificial intelligence (“AI”), connected and automated vehicles (“CAVs”), and cryptocurrencies and blockchain.
I. Artificial Intelligence
A. Federal Legislative Developments
In the first quarter, members of Congress introduced several AI bills addressing national security, including bills that would encourage the use of AI for border security and drug enforcement purposes. Other AI legislative proposes focused on workforce skills, international investment in critical industries, U.S. AI supply chain resilience, and AI-enabled fraud. Notably, members of Congress from both parties advanced legislation to regulate AI deepfakes and codify the National AI Research Resource, as discussed below.
- Deepfake Regulation: In February, the Senate passed the Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks (“TAKE IT DOWN”) Act (S. 146), following its unanimous passage by the Senate in 2024. The Act would prohibit the nonconsensual disclosure of AI-generated intimate imagery and require platforms to remove such content published on the platform. The House version of the TAKE IT DOWN Act (H.R. 633) has been referred to the House Energy & Commerce Committee.
- CREATE AI Act: In March, Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) and Don Beyer (D-VA) re-introduced the Creating Resources for Every American To Experiment with Artificial Intelligence (“CREATE AI”) Act (H.R. 2385), following its introduction and near passage in the Senate last year. The CREATE AI Act would codify the National AI Research Resource (“NAIRR”), with the goal of advancing AI development and innovation by offering AI computational resources, common datasets and repositories, educational tools and services, and AI testbeds to individuals, private entities, and federal agencies. The CREATE AI Act builds on the work of the NAIRR Task Force, established by the National AI Initiative Act of 2020, which issued a final report in January 2023 recommending the establishment of NAIRR.
Senate Commerce Committee Questions Trump Tech Nominees
On March 12, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation advanced two nominations key to the Trump Administration’s technology policy: Mark Meador as a Commissioner for the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), and Michael Kratsios as Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (“OSTP”). Both nominees previously had their nomination hearings in front of the Committee on February 25, described below.
Mark Meador
Meador started his career in the healthcare division of the FTC. In his opening statement, he discussed the importance of the FTC in protecting consumers and free market competition. He specifically referenced the need to protect children in the digital environment and stated that the FTC should use its consumer protection powers to safeguard families.
During the nomination hearing, Meador faced questions about consumer protection enforcement mechanisms, “Big Tech” regulation, pharmacracy benefit managers (“PBMs”), antitrust concerns, and the agency’s direction under the new administration.
Continue Reading Senate Commerce Committee Questions Trump Tech Nominees