Washington Beat

"Striking ... but not surprising." That, in a nutshell, sums up how FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks feels about the results of the just-released Fourth Report on Ownership of Broadcast Stations from the Media Bureau.

The annual public policy summit held in the Nation's Capital by ACA Connects, formerly the American Cable Association, has been scrubbed for 2020 as a result of the continued COVID-19 pandemic.

The FCC on Wednesday at its virtual May Open Meeting revealed that, ahead of the meeting, the Commissioners unanimously agreed to new rules that will bring "a streamlined and standardized set of requirements for broadcast applicants to meet their local public notice obligations" to fruition.

A Wilkinson Barker Knauer Partner who serves as Director of Social Responsibility at the Washington communications law firm has formally started her term as President of the Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA).

At least one LPTV company is ready to go with “Broadcast Internet” service, whatever that may ultimately turn out to be. Here's what Spectrum Evolution has to say on the data side benefits of ATSC 3.0, which is powering NEXTGEN TV, courtesy of a longtime D.C. communications attorney who has formally announced his retirement.

Does Section 230’s "sweeping immunity enable Big Tech bad behavior?" The Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee wants the answer. And, he's asking the question to the CEOs of Twitter, Facebook and Google parent Alphabet Inc. at a hearing scheduled for Oct. 28.

In August 2010, the Korean Gospel Broadcasting Network took on ownership of an AM at 1190 kHz, serving the entire Los Angeles market. In April 2018, it filed an application for an FM translator with the FCC. The Media Bureau eventually said no, leading KGBN-AM 1190's licensee to file an Application for Review. The full Commission has now released its decision.

There's been chatter of late that those who views have been prevented from dissemination via social media can always turn to another media to get their point across to the American public. In fact, that media is perhaps the "first" social media -- radio. Only, it's not open for amateur or private use without a license.

She's widely known as a Partner with Wiley Rein LLP's Washington, D.C. office, where she serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s Telecom, Media & Technology group. Now, this legal eagle is tacking on the title of Secretary and General Counsel of the Broadcasters Foundation of America.

It's only a proposal, and you have about a month to have your say with the FCC. And, your voice may be integral to thwart a regulatory fee increase proposed by the Commission. Among the ways the FCC seeks to get more cash from licensees: assessing regulatory fees for full service broadcast television using population-based methodology once again.

Some 114 applicants are qualified to bid in "Auction 109," the Commission's plan to offer four AM construction permits that will replace deleted facilities in St. Louis and some 135 FM construction permits. However, anyone hoping to bid on a facility in the Catskills region of New York is out of luck.

With the Federal Communications Commission's decision to set aside regulatory fee increases for Fiscal Year 2021, the NAB, which had fought against the FCC's proposal, is pleased.

As 2022 begins, NAB COO Curtis Legeyt will assume the role of President/CEO of the nation's leading voice in Washington for the broadcast media industry. Gordon Smith is winding down a 12-year tenure at the association, and with the cancellation of the 2021 NAB Show, there's only one place radio and TV industry executives will get the chance to personally wish Smith well as he heads into retirement.

The Media Bureau is inviting comment from "interested parties" in regard to the latest in a series of Congressional actions that have revised the Communications Act of 1934 with the intent to "encourage competition and establish parameters for the carriage of television broadcast stations by multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs)."

The U.S. Senate has confirmed three Corporation for Public Broadcasting board members. Two are renominated, while the third is new. And, that new CPB board member happens to be a major entertainment industry executive. Here are the details.