Washington Beat

At its October Open Meeting on Tuesday, the Commission voted on making a portion of mid-band spectrum (2.5 to 4.2 GHz) available for 5G use. In November, it will launch the first of two high-band 5G spectrum auctions scheduled for 2018. Now, say Pillsbury Law partner Glenn S. Richards and associate Joseph A. Cohen, is therefore a good time to take a look at what 5G is, and what impact it promises to have.

Cable operators in select cities in Hawaii and Massachusetts currently use a series of Commission forms to calculate reasonable rates that local franchising authorities must review and approve. The FCC now seeks comment on whether to move forward with "fundamental changes" that could impact this and "existing complex cable rate regulation."

The FCC has released a "catalog of potential expenses and estimated costs" for LPTV stations and TV translator facilities, and for FM radio stations, most likely to be incurred as a result of broadcaster repacking. It's a must read for any facility impacted by the post-FCC spectrum auction.

The use of so-called white space is of high interest to the rollout of broadband services in rural areas. It is also of keen interest to the NAB, which has asked the FCC to reconsider the Office of Engineering and Technology's approval for the official registry of .UK domain names to operate the Commission's white space database system to provide service to the public.

On Wednesday, a midday event at a Class A 50kw iHeartMedia News/Talk AM in the Midwest will be joined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in  hosting an unveiling of the station's modernization project. This station, which can be heard as far as Florida during the night, is one of 77 that serve as a National Public Warning System (NPWS) Primary Entry Point (PEP) broadcast facility.

Here's a sobering statistic offered by featured Media Information Bureau columnist Ken Benner. In the past 23 years, his "Mock FCC Compliance Certification Inspections" found that one of out five broadcast stations declined to permit any political advertising. Why was this the case? Benner places the blame on the high cost of legal assistance necessary to comply with FCC regulations.

Three months ago, two sizable proposed fines were handed to the licensee of an Alaskan FM -- all thanks to a license renewal needed to consummate a sale of the station. On Wednesday, the Media Bureau's Audio Division Chief made a decision on the two fines. One stays in place, while the other has been cancelled.

Normally, a trip to the pristine Gulf of Mexico beaches found along the Florida Panhandle would be a welcomed respite from the daily briefings and political marauding of Washington, D.C. Sadly, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is preparing for not a relaxing sojourn but a sobering assessment of the damage caused last week to the region by Hurricane Michael. 

Want to participate in the FCC's Honors Engineer Program, launched earlier this year? Here are all of the details on how to apply for a spot in the program, which is open to recent engineering school graduates and current students who will graduate this academic year. 

"The Music Modernization Act is finally the law of the land." That's the reaction delivered Thursday morning by National Music Publishers' Association President/CEO David Israelite in reaction to the White House signing by President Trump of legislation that creates a Mechanical Licensing Collective, paid for by digital companies, that brings digital streaming services a blanket license in return for songwriter and copyright royalties.

The forced airing of children's and family-safe television programming by commercially licensed stations is harmful to their business. That's the message delivered Tuesday night by Republican FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly in a keynote speech to the Kentucky Broadcasters Association at its annual conference

Featured Media Information Bureau columnist and alternative broadcast inspection specialist Ken Benner has received several requests in recent weeks for information on how to follow in his footsteps. Benner has obliged, and today offers RBR+TVBR members details on how to become an independent ABIP inspector, or one under state broadcaster association programs.

The FCC this week released its draft order proposing to eliminate the requirement that broadcasters file certain contracts relating to ownership and control with the Commission. Instead, one noted D.C. attorney says, the disclosure of these documents will be made simply by doing two things.

With summer in the rearview mirror, it’s time to get back to work and look ahead to the rest of the year.  Here’s a list of FCC-related broadcast and telecom deadlines, courtesy of Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth, to print and save.

The FCC on Wednesday released its Broadcast Station Totals for the third quarter of 2018. The biggest headline from the new totals: The total number of commercially licensed UHF stations has dipped below 1,000. At the same time, there are fewer AM radio stations and far more FM translators and boosters.