Washington Beat

At 8am Tuesday morning, the House Majority Leader of the 116th Congress will be presented with the 2019 Champion of Public Broadcasting Award from America's Public Television Stations.

On Dec. 28, 2017, RBR+TVBR published what has emerged as one of its most popular Media Information Bureau columns. The title of this piece by John Wells King and Erwin Krasnow says it all. It remains one of our most requested columns, and we are pleased to share it anew.

Pack a sweater, but no umbrella is necessary. With a high of 44 and abundant sunshine, some 600 local radio and TV broadcasters will have good weather -- and hopefully good sessions -- to look forward to come Tuesday. That's when they will be in D.C. for the NAB's annual State Leadership Conference.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai won't be the only member of the Commission to have the podium at the upcoming American Cable Association annual summit, set for March 20 in Washington.

Tucson-based Media Information Bureau columnist Ken Benner just submitted a fresh column focused on FCC Reg.  §73.2080. What is that? You better read this column, because he believes it is important for radio and TV station owners -- and that this rule needs FCC transparency now.

The American Cable Association's annual summit in 2018 saw the FCC's top dog deliver its keynote address. Attendees of its upcoming 26th annual event will now enjoy a sequel that will likely be far from a repeat performance.

For viewers of NBC News, any reporting from the White House will usually involve its Chief Correspondent at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., in Washington. On March 7, Kristen Welker won't be addressing an audience in front of the camera. Rather, she'll be live at the FCC's media diversity symposium.

The ACA has filed with the FCC an ex parte notice memorializing a meeting held Friday between two key lobbying group executives and Alison Steger, Media Advisor to Chairman Pai. In the meeting, ACA encouraged the Commission to take steps to permit cable operators to send certain required notices to broadcasters via email, rather than certified letters.

A January 31 meeting with the FCC Incentive Auction Task Force and Media Bureau saw "broadcast representatives," including those from Sinclair Broadcast Group wholly owned subsidiary Dielectric, offering an update on repack site completions. The output from the FCC meeting was clear.

With another FCC spectrum auction in the books, broadcasters may want to know the value of their spectrum usage rights and the likelihood that they may have an opportunity to monetize their spectrum soon. This column offers some valuable insight into why demand for commercial spectrum remains strong.

In October 2018, Brooke Ericson prepared for two major life changes: a wedding and a new job. She exited as Chief of Staff and Media Advisor for Republican FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly, and we now know who is succeeding her in O'Rielly's office. We also know who the Chief of Staff is for Geoffrey Starks.

While the FCC's current NCE and LPFM procedures have facilitated the grant of several thousand new station construction permits, some of these regulations are "unnecessarily complex" and have caused problems for applicants seeking in good faith to comply with them. The FCC now seeks to remedy that situation.

The new Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee has released a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report recommending that Congress develop comprehensive internet data privacy legislation to enhance consumer protections while maintaining flexibility to address a rapidly evolving internet.

Radio and TV stations are no longer required to file paper copies of Section 73.3613 documents, which are routinely presented to the Commission. But, stations must continue to make the documents available to the Commission and the public. Here's a reminder of how that's done.

Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP has elevated four attorneys to the level of partner. Two have some level of experience working with the FCC, while all will be tackling various levels of issues of importance at the Commission.