Washington Beat

The Public Media Summit is returning to a live and in-person affair, and one of the two Democrats in leadership positions at the Federal Communications Commission has been invited to speak at this year's event, scheduled for February 27-March 1 in Washington.

On December 22, 2022, the Media Bureau of the FCC formally commenced the 2022 Quadrennial Review of the Commission’s media ownership rules. But, was that a premature move by the agency, given its need to complete its 2018 quadrennial review?  That's what the NAB is arguing.

America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) has released the results of the just-held election of its board leaders and board members. Chosen as Chair of the advocacy organization supporting noncommercial educational TV stations across the U.S. is the GM and CEO of New Mexico PBS.

The Public’s Radio on Sept. 30, 2021, requested FCC approval of a "minor modification" of the facilities of a noncommercial FM in Portsmouth, R.I.  This change would allow an otherwise prohibited contour overlap with a second-adjacent FM station licensed to the University of Rhode Island. Now the Chief of the Audio Division of the FCC's Media Bureau has decided what WNPK's fate is.

If it were up to Republican FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, it would be prohibited from use in the USA. The House Energy and Commerce Committee, has expressed its concerns, too. But, should Tik Tok be banned? One Conservative D.C. Think Tank says no, ahead of a just-announced on Capitol Hill by Tik Tok's CEO.

Frank Pallone Jr. has shared the full Democratic rosters for each of the six subcommittees in the 118th Congress, including the six subcommittee Ranking Members and the full Committee Vice Ranking Member.

The new leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Communications and Technology Subcommittee — the primary oversight body in Congress of the FCC — have scheduled their first hearing of the 118th Congress. The theme: to ensure America "continues to lead in the burgeoning satellite communications industry."

On January 6, the Media Bureau of the FCC gave an extension of time for filings required to be uploaded into the Commission’s Online Public Inspection File (OPIF) system. Guess what? That deadline has been further extended.

Effective April 1, petitioners/applicants submitting filings to the Audio Division must employ the most recent 2020 U.S. Census data available when determining a particular community’s population in addition to the population served and overlap of service areas to communities and Urbanized Areas.

The man who has served Ohio's fifth district for 15 years has assumed the role of Chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology — a primary venue on Capitol Hill that maintains oversight of the FCC.

The Commission has adopted a Memorandum Opinion and Order comparing applications from some 34 groups of mutually exclusive applications for new noncommercial educational FM station construction permits. We've got the details.

The senior Republican Commissioner on the FCC, an individual whose legislative focus has been on issues of keen interest to the cable and wireline service provider, has been selected to deliver a keynote address at the 30th anniversary summit to be held on March 1 by ACA Connects.

The FCC's Communications Equity and Diversity Council is hosting a Media Ownership Diversity Symposium. The event is scheduled for February 7. What can attendees expect?

He is a former FCC Chairman and Commissioner as well as the agency's ex-General Counsel who has become one of the most prominent media and telecom lawyers in the U.S. On March 6, he'll be honored as the recipient of the Broadcasters Foundation of America's 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award.

In early 2018, Chuck Poppen-controlled Central Plains Media, the licensee for KCPM-27 in Grand Forks, was in the news for agreeing to sell the station to Gray Television. The licensee is tied to G.I.G. Inc., and that entity is now attracting attention. Why? It's been handed a Notice of Apparent Liability and Forfeiture for a pair of FCC violations.