Senate Commerce sets up votes on Republican FCC nominee, telecom cybersecurity bill

18 markup to fill a GOP seat on the Federal Communications Commission and consider a bipartisan bill to address cybersecurity threats in the telecom sector. The committee held a Nov. 10 confirmation hearing for Thumann Severs where the nominee was questioned on the future of the FCC’s E-Rate program and her independence from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr if confirmed.

Thumann Severs is currently senior counsel to Carr, with a focus on the Wireline Bureau, the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau and the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. The FCC is currently at 2-1 with Carr and GOP Commissioner Olivia Trusty, and Anna Gomez as the lone Democrat on the commission. Several stakeholders have urged President Trump to renominate Gomez and announce another Democrat nominee to fill the empty seat reserved for Democrats.

The FCC is required to have three commissioners to reach a quorum. If Thumann Severs is confirmed by the Senate, some stakeholders have argued that Trump could decide to fire Gomez. The committee will also vote on S.

5508, the Telecommunications Cybersecurity and Resilience Act, from Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Cruz (R-X) and Intelligence ranking member Mark Warner (D-VA). The bill would create a voluntary framework for addressing cyber threats in the communications sector, building on lessons learned from the Salt Typhoon hacks that impacted major telecom providers in 2024. Another bill on the agenda is S.

3301, the CHIP Equip Act, sponsored by Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). The bill would prohibit “companies that receive certain federal funds from purchasing specified semiconductor manufacturing equipment made by foreign entities of concern (e.g., companies owned or controlled by China, Iran, North Korea, or Russia) or their subsidiaries for the federally funded project,” according to a summary.