Washington Beat

"Auction 114" is scheduled for February 2, 2027, and the Commission has moved forward with sharing information tied to filing requirements, minimum opening bids, upfront payments and other procedures of note.

"NAB’s addition significantly strengthens Radio Ready’s presence across North America and the United States, bringing the leading advocate for America’s broadcast industry into the growing international coalition working to keep radio front and center for drivers," the group said on Thursday.

Days before the FCC’s August Open Meeting vote to loosen national television ownership reach limits, the NAB is using its seat at the table for that fight to also push regulators toward the same relief for radio’s own decades-old ownership caps as part of the 2022 Quadrennial Review.

Lobbying disclosures uncovered by Streamline Publishing's Radio Ink offer fresh insight into just why there's nonmovement on the widely supported bipartisan legislation President Trump has urged Congressional approval of. For starters, Toyota, Honda and General Motors have emerged as major opponents of the mandate.

He has served as the General Counsel of the Federal Communications Commission since January 2025 and for 22 years has served as a law professor at Michigan State University.  Now, he's President Trump's nominee to serve as Asst. Attorney General at the Department of Justice.

Both companies have pressed the issue repeatedly this year. In June, Connoisseur CEO Jeffrey Warshaw and Beasley met separately with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. Beasley also took its case to the Media Bureau. They renewed their push for ownership rule modernization for Radio again last week.

Some 47 Republican Members of the House of Representatives have written to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to express their "strong support" of the Commission's ongoing review of TV parental guidelines "to ensure that children are not being indoctrinated with radical gender ideology behind their parents' backs."

While Commissioner Anna M. Gómez had much to say about a proposal released early Wednesday from Chairman Brendan Carr that would erase the 39% national television ownership cap, creating a case-by-case look at proposed deals. Her words will likely hold little sway, with a August 6 passage coming over Gómez's objections.

There were fewer commercially licensed radio stations — regardless of band — at the end of Q2 2026 than there were at the end of 2025 and Q1 2026. Noncomm FMs gained in rank while the number of AM radio stations fell again as the "AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act" plays second fiddle to a permanent Daylight Saving Time bill.

A Cato Institute fellow states, "the FCC is correct that Congress and the courts have allowed the agency to wield power that can trample broadcasters’ expressive rights." Fortunately, he adds, the Commission's own Public Notice that “reminds broadcasters of their public interest obligations" also illustrates "how weak the case for that power is."

NOAA's National Weather Service has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with SpectraRep LLC, an affiliate company of BIA Advisory Services, to evaluate how broadcast television datacasting can provide "a resilient, redundant pathway" for delivering NOAA Weather Radio audio and data during emergencies.

The NAB has launched a redesigned Spot Center, a move the association says makes it easier for local radio and television stations to access "high-quality public service campaigns from trusted nonprofit organizations."

Updated guides providing broadcasters with practical guidance for conducting self-inspections of their stations have been released for AM, FM and both UHF and VHF television stations by the NAB. The guides are a free member benefit to NAB and SBE members.

Six former FCC vote-makers were joined by the current junior Republican Commissioner at the agency on Thursday at the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council's annual symposium. Exceptional activity from the agency led for 18 months by Brendan Carr has much to do with increased interest in the event, MMTC President Bob Branson noted.

From AI to updates to rules and regulations deemed outdated, the Carr Commission has taken aggressive approach to deleting what is no longer necessary to keep on the books. An AEI session with the FCC's Senior Counsel kicking off the discussion touched on how the "multi-modal future" is being addressed.