Washington Beat

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.

The ACA is urging the FCC to eliminate rate regulation rules for small cable operators. More specifically, it wants the Commission to provide deregulatory relief, at a minimum, to systems serving 15,000 or fewer subscribers that are owned by cable companies serving 400,000 or fewer subscribers. 

In a “Seminar Notes” booklet prepped over a decade ago, definitions to phrases concocted by Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner, along with suggestions he offered, came with a guarantee. If followed, he promises, comes "extraordinary success for any Radio or TV licensee."

The hearing will examine what Congress should do to address risks to consumers and implement data privacy protections for all Americans. Given the push into digital by radio and TV, this hearing could prove meaningful to broadcasting companies.

Now that Geoffrey Starks has become a FCC Commissioner, the MMTC met with his acting legal advisor in person to share their thoughts on what it considers to be “errors of fact, policy and law” in a Jan. 3, 2019 “White Copy.” MMTC also shared its thoughts on proposals for a new Class C4 FM station.