Washington Beat

Among the groups that want a say on the rollout of 5G wireless technology is NPR. In a presentation filed with the FCC is a chart that shows how, in its view, various C-Band reallocation proposals including the 5G Plus Plan would meet the needs of public radio stations that rely on the C-Band to deliver programming. ACA Connects has something to say about NPR's chart.

Next week, Richmond Independent Radio will be celebrating 14 years of service to the capital of Virginia. By then, it hopefully will get over the disappointment of an unexpected forfeiture to the FCC for missing an important filing deadline.

Long before featured columnist Ken Benner began writing about "the abuse of the media and, in particular, broadcasting," he focused on consumer financial abuse. This fueled his desire to fight for radio and TV station owners. In this column, his discontent with Capitol Hill leaders continues.

There is applause coming from many low-power TV industry leaders, in reaction to a FCC notice that makes good on a request from two LPTV and TV translator advocacy groups. The groups won an extension of an important deadline for post-Incentive Auction federal reimbursements.

The week of Sept. 23 will likely go down as one of the most contentious ones in the history of the U.S. government, says featured columnist Ken Benner. It began with an excellent speech at the National Press Club by the one person in D.C. Benner has the greatest respect for: Ajit Pai.

The Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has revealed who will succeed Mary Mitchelson as its next Inspector General. Mitchelson retired in April, and as of Oct. 7 the Deputy Inspector General for Investigations at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority will join CPB. 

It's a cold, rainy Wednesday in Brookings, S.D., but Alpha Media is still basking in the warmth of a recent visit to its radio stations by none other than the Chairman of the FCC.

Don't think for a minute that broadcasters have quenched their thirst for FM translators or a booster. The number of translators and boosters surged again in the third quarter, just-released stations totals from the FCC show.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that Evan Swarztrauber has joined his office as a Policy Advisor. Swarztrauber replaces Nathan Leamer, who recently left the Commission.

In this column from AEI Visiting Scholar Mark Jamison, questions the "Journalism Competition and Preservation Act of 2019." The Act would give media companies an antitrust exemption to collectively withhold content and negotiate prices with online distributors with at least 1 billion monthly users.

Three Members of the House of Representatives have added their co-sponsorship to a resolution opposing "any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge" on local broadcast radio stations — the "Local Radio Freedom Act." It has 24 co-sponsors in the Senate, too.

The powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee is welcoming a new member of the senior staff for the committee Republicans: A party-aligned Chief Counsel for the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, which directly oversees the FCC.

The FCC today rewrote the procedures and rules governing the direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service. The decision, the FCC says, aligns the Commission’s DBS processing procedures with its recently streamlined processing procedures for geostationary orbit fixed-satellite service satellites.  

Attending the Radio Show and need to sign off on all regulatory payments to the FCC? Head's up: The FCC says that regulatory fees for fiscal year 2019 must be submitted by 10:59pm Central time on September 27.

The FCC is presently engaged in a review of EEO compliance and enforcement in broadcast and MVPD "programming industries," and a review of its broadcast and cable EEO rules and policies. Some 37 national organizations had something to say.