Washington Beat

Don't think having Democrats in charge of the House of Representatives makes a difference for PBS and NPR? The House Appropriations Committee has proposed $495 million in advance funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in fiscal year 2022.

"I never thought we’d see the day the pleadings of [my group] would ever be addressed by the NAB, despite my many years of pleading for its assistance," featured columnist Ken Benner writes."You have got to see this to believe it!" he exclaims. What's he so excited about?

A proposal “to fine-tune the FCC’s collection of regulatory fees” was scheduled to round out Thursday's May Open Meeting. However, there was no need for debate, and an NPRM was adopted Tuesday. Here are the Comment Date and Reply Comment Date details.

Five Members of the House of Representatives and two Senators have added their co-sponsorship to a resolution opposing "any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge" on local broadcast radio stations. 

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on Tuesday offered a general assessment of what the Commission has accomplished in recent months while presenting a fiscal 2020 budget request that trims its 2019 dollars by a few million dollars.

In mid-April, it became known that Univision wants the FCC's approval to give a Mexico-based wholly owned subsidiary direct ownership of Univision Radio. A foreign ownership ruling was requested, and the FCC just said yes. Here's when Comments are due.

A Pittsburgh-based group is voicing its dissent to a deal that would see Sinclair Broadcast Group grab regional sports networks (RSNs) being spun in order for The Walt Disney Co. to complete its purchase of Twenty-First Century Fox.

Among the media industry leaders testifying Friday at a DOJ public workshop on competition in TV and digital advertising was TEGNA's Dave Lougee. What did he have to share? His GOP-friendly "light-touch" approach to media rules.

The FCC's official agenda for its May Open Meeting was released, and it will be held May 9 — the same day as several Q1 2019 earnings calls and a press conference from Telemundo focused on its 2019-2020 Upfront presentation.

A House Appropriations Subcommittee on Tuesday recommended $495 million in advance funding for public broadcasting in fiscal year 2022, the first increase for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in 10 years.

The American Television Alliance (ATVA) has provided the FCC with "overwhelming evidence" that so-called top-four duopolies lead to higher prices for consumers. The group also asked the FCC to not only reject any consideration of relaxing its “top-four prohibition” but also eliminate all existing loopholes and investigate “sidecar” sharing arrangements among broadcasters.

A major tug of war is shaping up between broadcasters in favor of deregulation and those against it, with the NAB and Republican FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly fueling a dramatic loosening of lower ownership caps. Entercom is in this camp. The opposition is building.

Ensuring 5G's rollout is done smartly and efficiently will see the private sector take the lead. That's according to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, who said so in an editorial appearing in the April 26 edition of The Kansas City Star.

With the June 3 filing deadline fast approaching for license renewals for radio stations, LPFMs and translators included, in the Washington, D.C., DMA, properties licensed to any community in the region should prepare their applications now. Noted D.C. attorney David Oxenford shares tips.

Congressional debate over the expiration of the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act Reauthorization (STELAR) has led the NAB to respond to what it calls "non-answers" from the nation's two direct broadcast satellite (DBS) providers.