Washington Beat

Courtesy of Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth, RBR+TVBR is pleased to provide list of deadlines* facing broadcasters and telecommunications providers during February, March, and April. Why the asterisk? The temporarily halted partial government shutdown may affect many of these deadlines.

Subcommittee assignments and senior staff have been solidified by the all-important Senate Commerce Committee. Here's who's who and all that you'll need to know as the GOP-led authority with oversight of the FCC in the upper body of Congress kicks off its legislative year.

The FCC's "Auction 101," which will provide spectrum in the 28 GHz band for 5G wireless services, just ended. And, by all means, it was indeed a success — even as the partial government shutdown has crippled much of the agency's day-to-day operations.

Without appropriations, many government programs went dormant. For Boston College Law School associate professor Daniel Lyons, a visiting fellow at conservative D.C. think-tank AEI, there’s a more fundamental problem with the shutdown, which just ended until mid-February: Pruning the regulatory state.

Just how much impact is the partial government shutdown having on the affected agencies within the jurisdiction of the House Energy and Commerce Committee? The answer, according to the Democrats in control who call it a "Trump Shutdown," is scheduled to arrive at a full committee hearing on Jan. 31.

The former Senior Public Interest Counsel under Ill. Attorney General Lisa Madigan has moved from the Land of Lincoln to the land of the partial government shutdown. He's the newest Partner at Wilkinson Barker Knauer, and is being welcomed for his background in privacy and data security.

The FCC on Wednesday confirmed that it will hold a January Open Meeting on January 30, but 30 minutes later than originally scheduled. What about the partial government shutdown? If it continues through Tuesday, a conference call will be held. What will be discussed? Not much.

The partial shutdown of the Federal government has led some to ask if the FCC will still hold its January Open Meeting. For the U.S. House of Representatives, life goes on. With the 116th Congress now seated, the new House Energy & Commerce Committee is ready for an organizational meeting.

On Tuesday, the FCC’s Order eliminating broadcasters’ obligation to file paper copies of contracts pursuant to Section 73.3613 of the Commission’s rules goes into effect. As Eve K. Reed of Wiley Rein notes, covered contracts include those related to network affiliations, control of station licenses, certain employment agreements, joint sales agreements, and local marketing agreements.

As CNN's Reliable Sources with Brian Stelter notes, the partial shutdown of the Federal government has resulted in a near-cessation of activities at the FCC. How this has impacted the Commission was shared by Jessica Rosenworcel.

Rep. Yvette D. Clarke has written to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai urging the Commission to enforce employment discrimination protections for furloughed FCC employees. In the letter, Clarke encouraged the FCC to waive or extend the applicable complaint filing periods for the duration of the shutdown.

The partial government shutdown has led to near silence at the FCC, with only the five Commissioners, the Spectrum Auction Task Force and select field staff at work, with pay. That hasn't stopped a pair of bipartisan House Members from asking the Commission to consider their C-band concerns.

It's been exactly two weeks since many FCC staffers turned off the lights and haven't come back, as the partial shutdown of the U.S. government continues with no end in sight. But, not all Commission employees have been sidelined. That's all thanks to funds keeping this group of FCCers at the Portals, with pay.

The roster of House Members sitting on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee for the 116th Congress is now set.  For Republicans, now in the minority, there's one new face on the committee that oversees the FCC worth noting.

Frank Pallone Jr. -- now Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee -- has revealed who will lead each of the six E&C subcommittees in the 116th Congress. Taking over for now-Sen. Marsha Blackburn is Pallone's right-hand man on many dissenting statements issued during the 115th Congress.