News of the Day

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has voted to build on earlier efforts aimed at reducing outdated, unnecessary, and burdensome pricing regulations in the marketplace for certain broadband services provided to businesses and other entities. The Commission will begin a comprehensive review of its business data services rules with a focus on eliminating ex ante price controls and tariffing obligations.

For years, the Commission regulated the market for business data services that provide dedicated transmission of data at guaranteed speeds and service levels. These services are purchased by businesses, schools, non-profit organizations, and state and local governments. Because incumbent local exchange carriers historically held local monopolies on circuit-switched telephone service, the Commission has long regulated legacy business data services’ rates, terms, and conditions of service. As this market has become more competitive, this approach distorts incentives for private operators to invest in network upgrades and competitively price services.

Recognizing substantial and growing competition in the business data services market, the Commission took significant deregulatory steps beginning in 2017. The Commission streamlined its regulations to remove unnecessary regulatory burdens on legacy circuit-based services and to promote long-term innovation and investment in modern packet-based services. With this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the Commission looks to build on this progress by reducing regulatory burdens, increasing competition, and further spurring economic growth.

This action looks to market competition rather than over-regulation to ensure that rates, terms, and conditions of service are just and reasonable. In light of marketplace and technological developments, today’s action proposes to eliminate ex ante price controls for business data services provided by carriers nationwide. This item alternatively proposes to modernize the competitive market tests used to determine where there is sufficient competition for certain services that would justify further pricing deregulation. In the interim, while the Commission builds and reviews the record in this proceeding, the Order temporarily pauses the triennial updates to the competitive market tests.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently unveiled a package of new initiatives, pilot programs and regulatory changes to the long-haul trucking industry. Wisconsin trucking companies say it’s a welcome relief from the challenges the industry has faced in recent years.

The changes include funding to create more truck parking, withdrawing a proposed rule that would limit truck speed and cracking down on illegal double-brokering.

Dan Johnson is the president and CEO of the Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association, a nonprofit trade association representing about 900 companies in the transportation industry. He told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” that the changes come as Wisconsin trucking companies slowly recover from a post-pandemic freight recession, where capacity for shipping was high but the volume of freight was low.

“The last couple of years have been a little difficult for some of our trucking companies in Wisconsin,” Johnson said. “But we are optimistic that things will start to improve.”

The package includes changes that remove what the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration calls “one-size-fits-all mandates.” One withdraws a proposed rule that would require the use of speed limiters — devices that restrict the maximum speed of a vehicle. Johnson expressed his support for that change.

“It doesn’t necessarily work,” Johnson said. “Driving too slow can also be a problem. And if you have trucks trying to pass each other, and they can’t pass each other because there are speed limiters in place, that could create congestion.”

Pilot programs in the package offer more flexibility to the limit on how long a driver is allowed to be on the road. Currently, a driver can’t drive more than 11 hours at a time and their workday must be completed within a 14-hour window. That rule is meant to prevent fatigue that could lead to road accidents.

One of the pilots introduces a “pause clock” option, which would allow drivers to pause the 14-hour workday window to account for delays, traffic or time spent resting.

Johnson said he doesn’t think it poses a safety issue to allow more flexibility for drivers.

Participation in Wisconsin apprenticeships is at a record high, according to a new report by the Wisconsin Policy Forum.

In 2024, 17,509 people participated in the state Department of Workforce Development’s Registered Apprenticeship Program, up from 9,872 people in 2013. The program offers apprenticeships in about 200 occupations.

Participation was also up for the state’s youth apprenticeship program, designed to give high schoolers one or two years’ coursework and paid work experience, similar to the adult program. In the 2025 fiscal year, the number of high schoolers involved was 11,357, more than double the count of 5,104 in 2019.

“We are seeing increasing participation,” said Joe Peterangelo, research director at the Wisconsin Policy Forum. “But given the demand, there are still opportunities to expand what we have across the state and across different industries.”

The rise in apprentices is good news for industries reporting a shortage of workers, such as construction, manufacturing and health care, the report noted.

But youth enrolled in apprenticeship programs for other fields, such as agriculture, could benefit from more adult apprenticeship options, Peterangelo said.

“We found there are actually not a lot of connections being made from youth apprenticeships to registered apprenticeships that would then provide pathways for those youth into careers,” Peterangelo said. “So there may be opportunities to improve, to strengthen those connections.”

The report authors analyzed state and federal labor data and interviewed more than a dozen “workforce development leaders” to understand apprenticeship participation trends.

A modernized Wisconsin Commercial Building Code will take effect September 1. That’s when the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) will publish the new, upgraded code, which establishes standards for commercial buildings in the state, including
multi-family residential buildings.

Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) Secretary Dan Hereth submitted the required adoption order to the LRB earlier this month to complete the code promulgation process.

To ease any impact of this update on the building industry, DSPS will also accept plans submitted under the current (2015) code through the month of September. Starting October 1, all commercial building plans submitted to DSPS for approval must meet the standards set in the upgraded code. Any supplemental sub-submissions to DSPS (such as fire suppression/alarm, HVAC, boilers, elevators, refrigeration) must be aligned with the code under which the commercial building plan was approved, regardless of how many months later they follow.

The Department has been preparing for this code adoption by updating relevant licensing exam questions and training its staff. DSPS plans to have relevant exams updated to reflect improvements to the code starting October 1. The Department will also offer two virtual webinars to industry professionals to explain key code upgrades and answer questions.

A divided Federal Reserve on Wednesday voted to keep its benchmark interest rate steady.

The Federal Open Market Committee, the group that sets the overnight borrowing rate, voted 9-2 to stay on hold. The federal funds rate will continue to be set in a range between 4.25%-4.5%. The level sets what banks charge each other for overnight lending, but influences a slew of other rates across the economy.

However, the decision met opposition from Governors Michelle Bowman and Christopher Waller, both of whom have advocated for the Fed to start easing in acknowledgement that inflation is under control and the labor market could start weakening soon. This was the first time since late 1993 that multiple governors cast no votes on a rate decision.

The U.S. economy grew at a much stronger-than-expected pace in the second quarter, powered by a turnaround in the trade balance and renewed consumer strength, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday.

Gross domestic product, a sum of goods and services activity across the sprawling U.S. economy, jumped 3% for the April through June period, according to figures adjusted for seasonality and inflation.

Consumer spending rose 1.4% in the second quarter, better than the 0.5% in the prior period. While exports declined 1.8% during the period, imports fell 30.3%, reversing a 37.9% surge in Q1.

The GDP tally showed strength across key areas of the economy, as well as evidence that inflation is ebbing though not eradicated.

The personal consumption expenditures price index, the Federal Reserve’s key inflation metric, showed a gain of 2.1% for the quarter, just above the central bank’s 2% target. Core PCE inflation, which the Fed considers a better gauge for longer-run trends as it excludes volatile food and energy prices, increased 2.5%. The respective numbers for the first quarter were 3.7% and 3.5%.

The Federal Communications Commission today approved  updates to its pole attachment rules that will make it easier and faster to deploy broadband networks.

The FCC’s pole attachment rules prescribe processes and timelines that attachers and pole owners must follow when telecom crews attach communications infrastructure to those poles. Increased funding for broadband projects has led to extensive new deployments in recent years, resulting in a significant increase in attachment applications for large numbers of utility poles.

For too long, a lack of standard rules and timelines for processing large broadband deployment orders have slowed rollouts and led to costly disputes. By encouraging communications companies and pole owners to collaborate on larger broadband deployments and by providing more concrete timelines, today’s action will remove barriers to deployment, encourage investment, and help
achieve high-speed broadband availability for all Americans.

In December 2023, the Commission adopted the Fourth Report and Order, Declaratory Ruling, and Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in which it took steps to make the pole attachment process faster, more transparent, and more cost-effective and sought comment on additional actions it could take to prevent delays and other challenges to broadband deployment. Today’s actions move these proposals forward.

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that the U.S. reached a trade deal with the European Union, following pivotal discussions with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen days before the August 1 tariff deadline.

Trump said that the deal imposes a 15% tariff on most European goods to the U.S., including cars.

Some products, including aircrafts and their components, some chemicals and pharmaceuticals, will not be subject to tariffs, von der Leyen said in a briefing after the agreement was announced. She also said that the new 15% tariff rate would not be added to any tariffs already in effect.

The 15% tariff rate is lower than the 30% rate Trump had previously threatened against the United States’ largest trading partner, but higher than the 10% baseline tariffs the EU was hoping for.

Trump said that the 27-member bloc also agreed to purchase $750 billion worth of U.S. energy and invest an additional $600 billion worth of investments into the U.S. above current levels.

He said that the bloc would also be “purchasing hundreds of billions of dollars worth of military equipment,” but did not provide a specific dollar amount.

“It’s a very powerful deal, it’s a very big deal, it’s the biggest of all the deals,” Trump said Sunday alongside von der Leyen.

“It’s a good deal, it’s a huge deal, with tough negotiations,” von der Leyen said after the meeting.

Governor Tony Evers announced yesterday he won’t seek reelection next year, passing on the opportunity to become only the second governor in Wisconsin history to win at least three four-year terms.

Evers, 73, a former state schools superintendent, announced his decision via a post on social media.

At least a half-dozen Democrats are considered potential successors, including: Milwaukee County Exec David Crowley, Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Attorney General Josh Kaul (44), Lieutenant Gov. Sara Rodriguez and state Sen. Kelda Roys).

Meanwhile, New Berlin businessman Bill Berrien, and fellow Republican Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann have formally announced their bids for Governor. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, a 67-year-old who lives in Minocqua, is among those considering a run for the GOP nomination.

Wisconsin existing home sales rose by significant margins in June as median prices increased at a modest pace. June home sales rose 8.1% compared to closed sales in June 2024, which is the first increase in June sales in four years. Compared to June 2024, the median price increased 4.6% to $340,000.

Evaluating the first half of 2025, home sales were essentially unchanged, rising just 0.1%, relative to the first six months of 2024; and the median price increased 6.7% to $320,000.

All indicators of inventory showed improvement in June compared to 12 months earlier.  New statewide listings rose 5%, total listings rose 4.7% and months of available supply increased 8.1%. Still, this remains a seller’s market with just 4 months of supply. We would need total statewide listings to increase by 53% for the market to reach the six-month supply indicator of a balanced market.

“The Fed’s target for inflation should benefit from moderating home prices. Indeed, the single largest share of expenses in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is owner-occupied shelter, which represents just over 26% of all expenses in the bundle of goods that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks when computing the CPI. Lower housing price appreciation will help move inflation closer to the Fed’s 2% target rate for core inflation, which will increase the likelihood of a rate cut later this year.”

Dave Clark, Professor Emeritus of Economics and WRA Consultant