Congress and Telecom Regulation

Sen. Bill Hagerty, R‑Tenn., has filed a formal complaint asking the Federal Communications Commission to sanction Verizon for turning over some of his phone records to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team during the Biden administration’s Trump‑2020 election probe. The complaint, reviewed by Fox, urges Verizon to publicly admit wrongdoing and discipline employees involved in complying with the subpoenas; failing that, it asks the FCC to declare Verizon violated federal law and impose an independent monitor. Verizon previously told the Senate the subpoenas were 'facially valid,' sought only phone numbers, and came with court‑approved gag orders, which it says prevented notifying the targeted lawmakers. Hagerty and other Republicans argue the subpoenas violated the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause, and DOJ has since changed its policy to require prosecutors to tell courts when gag orders target members of Congress. The move escalates GOP efforts to seek recourse after Smith secretly obtained multiple GOP senators’ phone data, and it lands one day before a Senate hearing led by Sen. Marsha Blackburn on 'Arctic Frost Accountability' at which Verizon and AT&T executives are scheduled to testify.