Washington Beat

It's a busy month, as Wilkinson Barker Knauer attorney David Oxenford notes. Radio License Renewal, Quarterly Issues Programs Lists and Children’s Television Reports, Repacking and EEO Dates, and Comments on the Quadrennial Review — all are things to consider in April.

On February 14, it was announced that NBC News, MSNBC and Telemundo will host the first democratic presidential primary debate of the 2020 cycle live. We now know where the back-to-back evening debates will be staged.

Should a radio or television broadcasting company point fingers at an alternative inspector in cases where violations are found, leading the licensee to fess to the Commission? The latest column from featured columnist Ken Benner shows why doing so is the wrong move.

It's a well-known fact that FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is a huge sports fan. Pai's likely planning to watch the championship game on Monday, April 8. This could involve a Las Vegas venue, because he's booked for 3pm the next day on the main stage at the 2019 NAB Show.

One of the most frequent inquiries received by RBR+TVBR columnist Ken Benner is the following question, “What are the most frequent violations found during the inspections you conduct?” Given the Entercom/Buffalo news, we are pleased to share it again.

What are the most important broadcast deadline your radio and/or TV stations need to know about during the second quarter of 2019? Fletcher Heald & Hildreth has a handy checklist we're pleased to share with you.

Four seasoned federal legislators – two Democrats and two Republicans – will co-chair the Public Broadcasting Caucus in the 116th Congress. One of these individuals will be very familiar to those who followed the actions of the powerful House E&C Committee of late.

Reps. Dave Loebsack recently introduced legislation that would create a competitive grant program, administered through the FCC, to establish or expand training programs for communications tower jobs. This was cheered by one FCC Commissioner in particular.

The FCC will lift the nine-year old freeze on applications for displacement relief and digital companion channels by LPTVs, and applications will be accepted starting April 18. Peter Tannenwald has much to share on what this new filing opportunity means for applicants.

Here's some advice to radio station owners from featured columnist Ken Benner: "Don’t forget your license to microwave your signal from your studio to transmitter, your individual translators, etc." If not, kiss those AE bonuses and a salary bump goodbye.

The American Cable Association is recommending modest changes to a proposal by the NAB and NCTA – The Internet and Television Association to amend the FCC’s broadcast carriage election rules. Those parties represent the interests of large broadcasters and cable operators, and ACA seeks to ensure the proposal does not unduly burden small operators.

Since 1997, Ken Benner has conducted thousands of alternative FCC inspections for broadcast media properties. He thought he'd had everything memorized. But, he recently decided to brush up on his skills. What he discovered absolutely stunned him.

By way of a Public Notice issued Friday, the Media Bureau released essential information on the upcoming 2019-2022 radio license renewal cycle. Here are all of the basics you and your entire executive team should have printed out and kept in an easily accessible place.

The FCC has adopted new rules to encourage the development of new communications technologies and expedite the deployment of new services in the spectrum above 95 GHz.  Rapid advancements in radio technology make the bands ripe for development.

Remember Tom Wheeler? The person who served as the press secretary to the former FCC Commissioner has a new job. This individual went on to the Federal Trade Commission and, later, CTIA. Now, he's joining a Washington law firm.