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Nebraska Senator’s Chief Counsel Joins Carr’s FCC Team

The Chief Counsel for Nebraska Republican Sen. Deb Fischer is shifting from Capitol Hill to the Portals. She's joining the staff of Commissioner Brendan Carr, taking the role of Chief of Staff and Legal Advisor for wireline issues.

Top House Democrat Asks Digital Giants For Content Policies

Here's a news story that broadcast media executives eager to drive dollars back from digital media should read with keen interest: The Ranking Member of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee has asked the heads of the three largest digital and social media companies to hold a meeting to discuss content management and advertising policies on their respective platforms.

As Expected, FCC ‘Modernizes’ Broadcast Ownership Rules

The Weed Whacker was put to action by a whipper snapper and two of his GOP colleagues at the Commission on Thursday, as the FCC voted 3-2 to eliminate its cross-ownership rules for newspaper and broadcast media and for radio and TV, respectively. The "Eight-Voices Test" is also gone. Democrats were vociferous in their opposition, but further action to stop the changes is now up to Congress -- or, more likely, the courts.
Virginia Flag

Should The Sale Of A Virginia AM Be Denied?

The owner of a silent AM serving an area of Southwestern Virginia some 40 miles from Bristol and Johnson City, Tenn., agreed to sell the station months ago. However, a Petition for Reconsideration by another broadcaster operating in the region was filed with the FCC's Media Bureau in an attempt to get another look at an Application for Review of the Commission's license renewal and transfer OK -- denied in November 2016. An Order on Reconsideration has just been released by the Media Bureau on the matter.

The Dangers That Lurk In Online Public Files

Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner is very nervous about his latest column's content. He notes, "If I were to write what should be written about this subject, I would be jailed for inciting a riot." What is it that has Benner in freak-out mode? Something that, once again, touches on what he considers governmental abuse. It's also something that impacts every radio and TV station, making this a must-read for all media executives.
David Honig

NABOB, MMTC Seek Sway On Top FCC Topics

Monday was a busy day for the FCC's four Commissioners and its Chairman, Ajit Pai. Meetings were held across the day with several advisors in tow, with the discussion ranging from the FCC's AM-FM subcaps rules to rural radio policy repeal and the FCC's Class C4 facility proposal. Participating in these meetings, representing broadcasters, were the leaders of the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB) and the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC).
NAB / National Association of Broadcasters

NAB: ‘White Space’ Vital For Next Gen TV Transition

The NAB on Tuesday filed reply comments with the FCC regarding a further notice of proposed rulemaking on the Next Gen TV transmission standard. The comments from the broadcast media industry's biggest voice in Washington respond to the arguments set forth by Microsoft and others concerning broadcaster use of vacant in-band channels to smooth the transition. "We stress that allowing broadcasters to use vacant channels, where available, could be an important step to minimize disruption," the NAB asserts.

Chairman Pai’s Summer Holiday On Mackinac Island

For broadcasters across The Wolverine State, the home of Sparty, this summer promises to be Grand. That's because the Michigan Association of Broadcasters will be holding its  Advocacy Conference and Annual Meeting on August 13-14 at The Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island, Mich. A national historic landmark featured in Hollywood films across the decades, the Grand will now play host to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.

FCC Moves Forward With FM Translator Interference NPRM

Streamlining the process for filing an FM translator interference complaint, and the remediation procedures used by the FCC to resolve such an issue, is one step closer to fruition. The Commission has issued an NPRM that will allow the public to comment before the FCC votes on its proposed changes.

‘PIRATE’ Markup Planned For Wednesday

Legislation drafted in March by Reps. Leonard Lance (R-N.J.) and Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) is moving forward in the U.S. House of Representatives. The House Energy & Commerce Committee will be conducting a markup on the “Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement (PIRATE) Act," along with three other bills, on Wednesday morning.

FCC Adopts Rosenworcel Plan For False Alert Reporting

While Jessica Rosenworcel offered her fair share of criticism of a NPRM that she fears will largely gut the nation's regulations on children's television programming for commercially licensed stations, she's pleased that one of her proposals has just been adopted by the FCC. It is a big one, and is part of a series of actions to bolster the reliability of the nation's emergency alerting systems and to support greater community preparedness.

Reconsideration Request Gets Round-Filed

It can't hurt to ask, right? An individual recently sought the reconsideration of the FCC's deletion of a license for a low-power TV station in San Antonio. The Commission has spoken on the matter, and it was rather blunt in its response. Why? This matter began nearly three decades ago, prompting an RBR+TVBR OBSERVATION as to why this has dragged on since our editor-in-chief was in high school and Milli Vanilli had the No. 1 hit in the U.S.

D.C. Circuit Court Upholds CRB Music Streaming Rates

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Tuesday (9/18) affirmed music streaming rates established for 2016 through 2020 set by the Copyright Royalty Board — the so-called "Web IV" rates that didn't sit well with the appellant in this case, SoundExchange.

‘It’s Time For A Broadcasters’ PAC’

That’s the suggestion of featured Media Information Bureau columnist Ken Benner, who believes the time has come for a Political Action Committee representing broadcast media. Why? It appears obvious to him that the nation's television industry executives are struggling with how to handle "their massive, unprecedented income from the midterm Congressional elections."

Calendar Quick-Check: FCC Broadcast and Telecom Deadlines

There's plenty of forward-looking at what the new year might bring. To help with that, Fletcher Heald & Hildreth attorneys put their magnifying glass on FCC-related deadlines that await broadcasters.