What the government said this fortnight about the things you build

Agencies AI Names the sector

Request for Information (RFI) on Modernizing the National Vulnerability Database in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

So whatThe U.S. government repository of standards-based vulnerability management data is being rebuilt, and NIST has opened a stakeholder input window on what it becomes — so anyone whose security tooling reads the NVD can put a view on the record while the design is still open.

Same document“NIST seeks stakeholder input on opportunities, challenges, an…”

Selection rule: Matched on "artificial intelligence" in the title, in the Federal Register issue of 2026-08-12.

Commerce Department · National Institute of Standards and Technology 91 FR 52042 FR Doc. 2026-16371 published 2026-08-12 federalregister.gov ↗official PDF ↗

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Agencies AI Names the sector

NIST seeks stakeholder input on opportunities, challenges, and priorities for modernizing the NVD in an evolving cybersecurity landscape increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-consumable security data.

So whatThe agency itself puts machine-consumable security data at the center of what the vulnerability feed turns into — a database read by software rather than by analysts — and it says the opportunities, challenges, and priorities behind that shift are still unsettled, which is what the comment window is for.

Same document“Request for Information (RFI) on Modernizing the National Vul…”

Selection rule: Matched on "artificial intelligence" in the abstract, in the Federal Register issue of 2026-08-12.

Commerce Department · National Institute of Standards and Technology 91 FR 52042 FR Doc. 2026-16371 published 2026-08-12 federalregister.gov ↗official PDF ↗

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Agencies AI Names the sector

At this meeting, the IAC will discuss topics including crypto assets, artificial intelligence, and prediction markets, along with recent CFTC activity in these markets.

So whatA federal market regulator has put artificial intelligence on the agenda of its Innovation Advisory Committee, next to crypto assets and prediction markets — and the session is not closed-door, so the discussion that precedes any CFTC position on these markets is one outsiders can sit in on.

Selection rule: Matched on "artificial intelligence" in the abstract, in the Federal Register issue of 2026-08-11.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission 91 FR 51697 FR Doc. 2026-16328 published 2026-08-11 federalregister.gov ↗official PDF ↗

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Agencies Venture capitalBig tech Regulates an input

9-11 Response and Biometric Entry-Exit Fee for H-1B and L-1 Visas

MechanismH-1B and L-1 petitions are the principal channel through which venture-backed startups and large technology companies sponsor skilled foreign hires, and this rule sets what those employers must pay per petition.

So whatThe 9-11 Biometric Fee is charged per petition on H-1B and L-1 filings, not per employee hired — so for a company that sponsors at any scale, this rule is a line item that moves with filing volume, and this document is where its terms are set.

Same document“The regulatory changes correct DHS's interpretation of statut…”“The 9-11 Biometric Fee continues to apply unchanged to petiti…”

Selection rule: Read by hand from the Federal Register issue of 2026-08-10. No term search finds this one: the rule never names a sector, and the route runs through the visas a company sponsors.

Homeland Security Department 91 FR 51360 FR Doc. 2026-16231 published 2026-08-10 federalregister.gov ↗official PDF ↗

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Agencies Venture capitalBig tech Regulates an input

The regulatory changes correct DHS's interpretation of statutory language to require that covered employers submit the 9-11 Biometric Fee for all extension of status petitions, regardless of whether the related fraud prevention and detection fee applies, which includes extension of status petitions that do not involve a change of employer.

MechanismH-1B and L-1 petitions are the principal channel through which venture-backed startups and large technology companies sponsor skilled foreign hires, and this rule sets what those employers must pay per petition.

So whatThis is the sentence that widens the base: covered employers owe the fee on all extension of status petitions, including extension of status petitions that do not involve a change of employer — the routine renewal a company files to keep someone it already employs. The charge now tracks a sponsor's standing visa population, not just its new hires.

Same document“9-11 Response and Biometric Entry-Exit Fee for H-1B and L-1 V…”“The 9-11 Biometric Fee continues to apply unchanged to petiti…”

Selection rule: Read by hand from the Federal Register issue of 2026-08-10. No term search finds this one: the rule never names a sector, and the route runs through the visas a company sponsors.

Homeland Security Department 91 FR 51360 FR Doc. 2026-16231 published 2026-08-10 federalregister.gov ↗official PDF ↗

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Agencies Venture capitalBig tech Regulates an input

The 9-11 Biometric Fee continues to apply unchanged to petitions seeking an initial grant of status.

MechanismH-1B and L-1 petitions are the principal channel through which venture-backed startups and large technology companies sponsor skilled foreign hires, and this rule sets what those employers must pay per petition.

So whatThe other half of the same rule, and the one that bounds it: petitions seeking an initial grant of status are priced as they were. What changed is the extension side, which means the added cost falls on companies renewing people already on the payroll rather than on first-time sponsorship.

Same document“9-11 Response and Biometric Entry-Exit Fee for H-1B and L-1 V…”“The regulatory changes correct DHS's interpretation of statut…”

Selection rule: Read by hand from the Federal Register issue of 2026-08-10. No term search finds this one: the rule never names a sector, and the route runs through the visas a company sponsors.

Homeland Security Department 91 FR 51360 FR Doc. 2026-16231 published 2026-08-10 federalregister.gov ↗official PDF ↗

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Agencies AIBig tech Regulates an input

Adjusting Imports of Polysilicon and Its Derivatives Into the United States

MechanismPolysilicon is the refined silicon feedstock that wafer producers process into the chip-grade wafers chip makers cut into the processors AI systems run on, and this proclamation changes the terms on which that feedstock enters the United States.

So whatAdjusting imports of polysilicon and its derivatives into the United States lands four steps upstream of anyone buying compute — feedstock, wafer, chip, accelerator — which is why nothing in this title mentions AI and why it reaches AI anyway. It is a proclamation rather than a rulemaking, so there is no docket to file into: the terms are set at the top of the chain and travel down it.

Selection rule: Read by hand from the presidential documents in the Federal Register issue of 2026-08-11. The document carries a title and no abstract, so the title is the quote.

Executive Office of the President 91 FR 51975 FR Doc. 2026-16400 published 2026-08-11 federalregister.gov ↗official PDF ↗

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Agencies Big tech Names the actor class

Backup Withholding on Third Party Network Transactions

Mechanism"Third party network transactions" is the tax-code term of art for the payment-platform business model — an app or service that settles payments between its own buyers and sellers on its network.

So whatBackup withholding on third party network transactions means the platform holds money back out of what it pays its own sellers and sends it to the IRS — cash a marketplace routes but never gets to pass straight through. A rule at this title level is a rule about the payout pipeline itself.

Same document“The final regulations reflect recent changes to the statutory…”

Selection rule: Read by hand from the Federal Register issue of 2026-08-10, for a document naming an actor class these firms belong to. Here that class is third party settlement organizations.

Treasury Department · Internal Revenue Service 91 FR 51391 FR Doc. 2026-16269 published 2026-08-10 federalregister.gov ↗official PDF ↗

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Agencies Big tech Regulates conduct

The final regulations reflect recent changes to the statutory law that affect the backup withholding requirements for third party settlement organizations who make payments in settlement of third party network transactions.

MechanismThird party settlement organizations are payment platforms, and this sets the withholding and information-reporting conduct they must carry out on the payments they settle for others.

So whatThe backup withholding requirements name third party settlement organizations as the party that carries them — the platform, not the seller being paid. These are final regulations, so the engineering and the exposure both sit on the platform's side of the transaction now, not at some future compliance date.

Same document“Backup Withholding on Third Party Network Transactions”

Selection rule: Read by hand from the Federal Register issue of 2026-08-10, for a document setting reporting duties on an actor class these firms belong to.

Treasury Department · Internal Revenue Service 91 FR 51391 FR Doc. 2026-16269 published 2026-08-10 federalregister.gov ↗official PDF ↗

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The President AIBig tech Regulates an input

Adjusting Imports of Polysilicon and its Derivatives into the United States

MechanismPolysilicon is the feedstock the silicon wafers a semiconductor is cut from are grown from, and a proclamation setting the terms on which it enters the country sets the landed cost of that feedstock for every buyer downstream of it.

So whatA proclamation dated 2026-08-06 is Adjusting Imports of Polysilicon and its Derivatives into the United States, and terms set at the border apply to the importer of the material and to the importer of the products made from it alike.

Selection rule: Read against the sector rule from the White House feed. This proclamation is in the archive twice: here as signed on 2026-08-06, and again in the Federal Register on 2026-08-11, quoted separately on this page. Downstream keeps both rather than merging them. A document is identified by its own text, and the five days between the two dates are a fact about publication, not about the action.

The President Proclamation published 2026-08-06 whitehouse.gov ↗federalregister.gov ↗ also printed in the Federal Register

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The President AIBig tech Regulates an input

Adjusting Imports of Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Unmanned Aircraft Systems Components into the United States

MechanismAn autonomous flight product is assembled from imported airframes, flight controllers and sensors, and a proclamation setting import terms on the components sets them for the parts the company building that product buys.

So whatImport terms for Unmanned Aircraft Systems and for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Components are what this proclamation adjusts, so the price of the hardware an autonomy product is built out of is set at the border rather than by the buyer.

Selection rule: Read against the sector rule from the White House feed. Presidential actions are quotable here from their titles, which is why the quote is the title.

The President Proclamation published 2026-08-13 whitehouse.gov ↗federalregister.gov ↗ also printed in the Federal Register

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The President Big tech Regulates an input

Winning the 6G Race

MechanismA wireless generation is defined by spectrum allocation and by the standards written around it, and both are inputs every network operator and every device maker selling onto that network depends on.

So whatFiled by the White House under Presidential Memoranda, Winning the 6G Race states the executive branch's posture on the next wireless generation. It was never printed in the Federal Register, which for a memorandum is a choice rather than a lapse.

Selection rule: Read against the sector rule from the White House feed. Carried partly for what its citation shows: the Federal Register never printed it, and for a memorandum that is a choice rather than an omission. Anybody watching only the Register would not know this document exists.

The President Presidential Memoranda published 2025-12-20 whitehouse.gov ↗ not printed in the Federal Register. Publication there is ordered, not required

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The President Big tech Regulates an input

Securing America’s Defense Supply Chains and Ensuring Domestic Acquisition of Critical Materials

MechanismCritical materials is the category the refined minerals and rare earths in a semiconductor package and in data-centre power equipment fall under, and an order steering federal acquisition of them steers who may buy them and on what terms.

So whatThis executive order covers Defense Supply Chains and Domestic Acquisition of Critical Materials, putting federal purchasing behind domestic sources of the same materials commercial buyers are bidding for.

Selection rule: Read against the sector rule from the White House feed. Presidential actions are quotable here from their titles, which is why the quote is the title.

The President Executive Order published 2026-07-20 whitehouse.gov ↗federalregister.gov ↗ also printed in the Federal Register

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Congress AI Names the sector

SBA Artificial Intelligence Utilization Act of 2026

So whatThe Small Business Administration's own use of Artificial Intelligence is what this bill is titled for, and the House put it on the calendar for the week of 2026-06-22 under suspension of the rules, the route that takes two-thirds rather than a simple majority.

Selection rule: Every measure on the House floor schedule read against the sector rule. This one matched on "artificial intelligence" in the bill title, and it is one of only three that any term search finds.

U.S. House of Representatives H.R. 8881, 119th Congress H.R. 8881 scheduled 2026-06-22 docs.house.gov ↗ taken up under suspension of the rulessponsored by Rep. Finstad, Brad [R-MN-1], 1 cosponsor

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Congress Big tech Regulates an input

to amend the National Marine Sanctuaries Act to prohibit requiring an authorization for the installation, continued presence, operation, maintenance, repair, or recovery of undersea fiber optic cables in a national marine sanctuary if such activities have previously been authorized by a Federal or State agency

MechanismSubsea fibre is the physical link between regions of every large network, and removing a permitting step for laying and repairing it changes what that capacity costs to build and how long it takes to restore.

So whatInstalling, repairing or recovering undersea fiber optic cables in a national marine sanctuary would stop requiring a fresh authorization where one has already been given, which is a permitting step removed from the path of the cable itself.

Selection rule: Read by hand from the floor schedule. A rule resolution spells out the bill it sets terms for, so H. Res. 1042 carries the description of H.R. 261 that the bill's own one-line entry, "Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025", does not.

U.S. House of Representatives H. Res. 1042, 119th Congress H. Res. 1042 scheduled 2026-02-09 docs.house.gov ↗ taken up on the schedulesponsored by Rep. Langworthy, Nicholas A. [R-NY-23]

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Congress Big tech Names the actor class

to prohibit payment card networks and covered entities from requiring the use of or assigning merchant category codes that distinguish a firearms retailer from general-merchandise retailer or sporting-goods retailer

MechanismPayment card networks are the settlement layer every card-accepting platform and marketplace sits on, and a statute telling those networks which merchant category codes they may assign is a statute about how that layer classifies the businesses on it.

So whatWhat payment card networks may require or assign in merchant category codes would be set by statute, so the classification every card-accepting business is sorted into stops being the networks' own to decide.

Selection rule: Read by hand from the floor schedule. Found through the rule resolution rather than the bill: H.R. 1181 appears on the calendar as "Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act", which names neither the actor nor the mechanism.

U.S. House of Representatives H. Res. 1377, 119th Congress H. Res. 1377 scheduled 2026-06-22 docs.house.gov ↗ taken up on the schedulesponsored by Rep. Jack, Brian [R-GA-3]

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Congress Big tech Regulates conduct

Remote Access Security Act, as amended

MechanismRemote access is how a cloud or SaaS estate is administered, and a statute setting security requirements for it sets requirements for the way those systems are reached and by whom.

So whatThe House listed a Remote Access Security Act for the week of 2026-01-12 under suspension of the rules. The schedule carries the title and nothing else, so what the bill requires is in the text the House posted, not on the calendar.

Selection rule: Read by hand from the floor schedule. No term search finds this one. The calendar entry is a short title carrying no keyword at all, which is why the worklist prints the records nothing matched.

U.S. House of Representatives H.R. 2683, 119th Congress H.R. 2683 scheduled 2026-01-12 docs.house.gov ↗ taken up under suspension of the rulessponsored by Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17], 17 cosponsors

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Congress AIBig tech Regulates an input

Securing America’s Critical Minerals Supply Act

MechanismRefined critical minerals are inputs to semiconductor fabrication and to the power equipment a data centre runs on, so a bill aimed at securing their supply is aimed at the availability of those inputs.

So whatA Critical Minerals Supply Act sat on the House calendar for the week of 2026-02-09, listed under a rule. The same materials it names are the ones a proclamation and an executive order in this archive also reach.

Selection rule: Every measure on the House floor schedule read against the sector rule. The calendar carries a bill title and the week it may come up, and nothing else, so a bill reaches this page only when the title states enough to name a route.

U.S. House of Representatives H.R. 3617, 119th Congress H.R. 3617 scheduled 2026-02-09 docs.house.gov ↗ taken up under a rulesponsored by Rep. James, John [R-MI-10], 4 cosponsors

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Congress Venture capital Regulates an input

Protecting Prudent Investment of Retirement Savings Act

MechanismRetirement plans are limited partners in venture funds, and a statute about what counts as prudent for those plans is a statute about which asset classes their capital may be committed to.

So whatA Protecting Prudent Investment of Retirement Savings Act would set what counts as prudent for the plans holding that money, and it was listed for the week of 2026-01-12 under a rule.

Selection rule: Every measure on the House floor schedule read against the sector rule. The calendar carries a bill title and the week it may come up, and nothing else, so a bill reaches this page only when the title states enough to name a route.

U.S. House of Representatives H.R. 2988, 119th Congress H.R. 2988 scheduled 2026-01-12 docs.house.gov ↗ taken up under a rulesponsored by Rep. Allen, Rick W. [R-GA-12]

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Agencies Venture capital Names the actor class

this final rule not only continues to exempt reporting companies from having to report the BOI of U.S. person beneficial owners and U.S. person beneficial owners from having to provide BOI to reporting companies

MechanismA reporting company under the Corporate Transparency Act is the ordinary form a newly incorporated startup and a fund's holding vehicle both take, so a rule narrowing what those entities and their U.S. owners must file is a rule about the paperwork of forming one.

So whatReporting companies stay exempt from reporting the BOI of U.S. person beneficial owners, and those beneficial owners stay exempt from providing it. The filing obligation on newly formed entities and their domestic owners is narrowed rather than removed.

Selection rule: Read by hand from the Federal Register issue of 2026-08-14. No term search finds this one. "Beneficial ownership" is in no term list, and the route runs through what a reporting company is rather than through a keyword.

Treasury Department · Financial Crimes Enforcement Network 91 FR 52508 FR Doc. 2026-16576 published 2026-08-14 federalregister.gov ↗official PDF ↗

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Agencies Venture capital Names the actor class

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA or the Agency) is proposing new size standards for 338 industry groups and industries.

MechanismAn SBA size standard is the test that decides which companies count as small, and that test gates federal contracting set-asides and the SBA-licensed investment programmes a young company can be financed through.

So whatNew size standards for 338 industry groups and industries are proposed, and the size standard is what decides whether a company is small enough for the programmes that turn on that definition.

Selection rule: Read by hand from the Federal Register issue of 2026-08-20, the most recent day in the archive.

Small Business Administration 91 FR 53741 FR Doc. 2026-17042 published 2026-08-20 federalregister.gov ↗official PDF ↗

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Agencies Big tech Regulates conduct

the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) eliminates or modifies certain broadband label requirements to ensure that consumers have clear, accurate, and concise information when shopping for broadband plans

MechanismThe broadband label is a disclosure a provider has to publish at the point of sale, so changing what it must contain changes the disclosure obligation of every company selling internet access.

So whatCertain broadband label requirements are eliminated or modified, so what a provider has to put in front of somebody shopping for broadband plans is set by this rule rather than by the provider.

Selection rule: Read by hand from the Federal Register issue of 2026-08-13, after matching on "broadband" in the abstract.

Federal Communications Commission 91 FR 52251 FR Doc. 2026-16503 published 2026-08-13 federalregister.gov ↗official PDF ↗

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Agencies AIBig tech Regulates an input

increases the threshold for national security controls on certain UAVs from an endurance of 30 minutes to an endurance of 3 hours

MechanismExport control classification decides which customers a hardware or software product may be sold to at all, so moving a threshold moves a class of drones and the software written for them out from under that control.

So whatThe threshold for national security controls on certain UAVs moves from an endurance of 30 minutes to an endurance of 3 hours, which changes which airframes and which associated software carry the control.

Selection rule: Read by hand from the Federal Register issue of 2026-08-14, after matching on "export control" in the title.

Commerce Department · Industry and Security Bureau 91 FR 52501 FR Doc. 2026-16628 published 2026-08-14 federalregister.gov ↗official PDF ↗

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Agencies AI Names the sector

the chosen topic of artificial intelligence and its application in voting administration

So whatA federal advisory committee is planning a briefing on artificial intelligence and its application in voting administration, and it is a public meeting via Zoom. The room is open to anybody who wants to hear what is said in it.

Selection rule: Read by hand from the Federal Register issue of 2026-08-18, after matching on "artificial intelligence" in the abstract.

Civil Rights Commission 91 FR 53400 FR Doc. 2026-16772 published 2026-08-18 federalregister.gov ↗official PDF ↗

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Agencies AIBig tech Regulates an input

Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Export Control Regulations

MechanismThe Export Administration Regulations run on the authority this declaration carries, and those regulations are what decide which chips, tools and software may be sold to which buyers abroad.

So whatThe National Emergency With Respect to Export Control Regulations is continued, which keeps in force the authority the export control system itself operates under.

Selection rule: Read by hand from the Federal Register issue of 2026-08-14. A presidential document reaching this page through the Federal Register rather than the White House feed. The two sources overlap, and neither contains the other.

Executive Office of the President 91 FR 53179 FR Doc. 2026-16748 published 2026-08-14 federalregister.gov ↗official PDF ↗

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Agencies Big tech Names the actor class

the importation into the United States, the sale for importation, and the sale within the United States after importation of certain mobile electronic devices

MechanismA section 337 investigation runs against the importers and sellers of a named class of goods, and the class here is mobile electronic devices, the category the phone and tablet businesses sit in.

So whatA complaint asks the Commission to reach the importation into the United States and the sale within the United States after importation of certain mobile electronic devices, and the remedy asked for is a limited exclusion order and cease and desist orders.

Selection rule: Read by hand from the Federal Register issue of 2026-08-14. Earlier trade-commission notices were left off this page because the text named no respondent. This one institutes an investigation and names both the class of goods and the remedy sought, which is enough to name the actor class and still not enough to call it an open docket.

International Trade Commission 91 FR 52712 FR Doc. 2026-16667 published 2026-08-14 federalregister.gov ↗official PDF ↗

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