Washington Beat

The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau is reminding Emergency Alert System (EAS) participants of the requirement to submit their Form One identifying information in the EAS Test Reporting System (ETRS) no later than October 3.

The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday voted not to restore government dollars directed toward secular non-commercial radio and TV stations in its FY 2026 appropriations bill. The President/CEO of America's Public Television Stations lamented the latest zero-sum motives of Republicans.

The Television Academy has opted to recognize an organization that is presently winding down operations largely thanks to Republicans on Capitol Hill who voted to rescind its previously authorized federal funding with its 2025 Governors Award.

He had been in poor health and suffered from diabetes, but that didn't stop him from continuing in an iconic role as the Helen Thomas of the internet generation, serving as a longtime member of the White House press corps. Now, journalists, news consumers and politicians are paying tribute to Mark Knoller.

How much will your radio or television station pay the Federal Communications Commission to help fund its fiscal year 2025 budget?  A total of $390,192,000 will come from the assessment and collection of regulatory fees, with a portion of that big total coming from broadcast media.

A D.C. federal appeals court judge has ordered the FCC to abide by a plaintiff request that the agency provide "meaningful access to public records," lest put the ability for the public to remain informed about the Commission's ongoing operations in question.

With the FCC's moves authorizing the permissive use of ATSC 3.0, it seems the FCC accidently hit the delete button a few extra times. As such, the Commission is recodifying language eliminated from three sections of its rules relating to information that must be provided in "non-expedited" applications for the NEXTGEN TV enabler.

FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty has returned from a week-long visit to Alaska, where she met with industry leaders, as well as federal, state, local, and Tribal stakeholders to see firsthand the investments, policies, and hard work driving broadband expansion to some of the nation’s most remote and difficult-to-serve areas.

More than eight years ago, pro-MVPD lobby ACA Connects asked the FCC to review several redundant and outdated recordkeeping and public inspection file rules, including the requirement to maintain a hard copy of "Part 76." The group's wish has been granted.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has appointed a Special Assistant in his office. She will be responsible for managing administrative operations, scheduling, and travel arrangements for the head of the Federal Communications Commission.

The junior United States Senator from California has sent a formal letter to the Chairman of the FCC asking him to "clarify" the terms and conditions for approving the $8 billion merger between Skydance Media and Paramount Global — "including any role played by President Trump or his associates in influencing the FCC’s actions."

The FCC's Media Bureau is proposing the allotment of Channel 226C3 at Enterprise, Utah, as the community's second local service and first competing FM local service. A comment window has opened for the public to chime in on the plan.

With support for the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act continuing to build in the House of Representatives, the buying and selling of kHz-band stations continues. On August 14, several deals were filed with the FCC, seeking its regulatory approval for changes of control on these AM radio stations.

She officially became a FCC Commissioner in mid-June, yet there's already movement in the staff of Olivia Trusty. Specifically, she's welcoming two new people to her staff while making one permanent hire — as one individual is already saying farewell.

As the FCC sees it, New England is the home of the Patriots, not Pirates. As such, it has proposed a pair of fines totaling $45,000 for the illegal use of the FM airwaves in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, respectively.