STATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) was named Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media for the 119th Congress. Luján previously served as Chair, formerly named the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, since 2021.
“New Mexicans know the difference between fast internet, slow internet, and no internet. Broadband is a necessity for daily life, and I am proud to once again represent New Mexico on this critical subcommittee to ensure every household in our state and across the country has affordable, secure, and reliable internet access,” Luján said. “Since being elected to the Senate in 2020, I have been proud to chair this subcommittee which has broad jurisdiction over communications policy, including federal spectrum, broadband affordability & accessibility, public safety communications, network resiliency, broadcasting & streaming, and the Internet.
“In this Congress, I look forward to serving as Ranking Member and working closely with Senator Fischer to continue our bipartisan work to expand broadband access, secure communications networks, and enact policies that will benefit all Americans,” Luján continued. “The subcommittee is at the center of critical debates over the future of access to media, including streaming and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Far too many communities throughout the country have been left without broadband access, and I won’t stop working until every New Mexican is connected.”
Background Luján’s work on the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media:
During the 117th and 118th Congress, Luján chaired a total of 11 subcommittee hearings on key issues, ranging from broadband buildout and affordability, to protecting Americans from robocalls, to preventing harms online. In May 2023, as Chair of the Subcommittee, Senator Luján created a bipartisan, bicameral working group to evaluate and propose potential reforms to the Universal Service Fund. During the 117th Congress, as chair of the subcommittee, Luján successfully helped pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that created the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, as well as the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which delivered broadband access to over 55 million Americans.
Background on the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media:
The Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media has jurisdiction over matters relating to communications, including includes telephones, cell phones, the Internet, commercial and noncommercial television, cable, satellite broadcast, satellite communications, wireline and wireless broadband, radio, consumer electronic equipment associated with such services, and public safety communications. The subcommittee is also responsible for oversight of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) at the Department of Commerce, which is the federal agency primarily responsible for the management of government spectrum and advising the President on telecommunications policy.
