Tribune’s Lazarus Effect: A Shift For Its Top Lawyer
A company that considers itself "the inventor of multi-room wireless home audio" has just snagged the General Counsel and Chief Strategy Officer for the company that Nexstar wishes to acquire. It's a man many in D.C. know very well: He served as Chief of Staff to a former FCC Chairman.
Station License Posting Rules Get ‘Modernized’
It didn't even take a voice vote or discussion at Wednesday's scheduled FCC Open Meeting for the Commissioners to say yes to the plan, with word of the OK coming as the Commission christened a new Office.
A D.C. Law Firm’s Consumer Protection Coup
The Chief of Staff for the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection since April 2016 is trading in her government job for a role as a Partner in one of the nation's most prestigious communications law firms.
FCC Starts Warnings On Online Public File Violations
The FCC has started to send out by e-mail notices to numerous radio stations, notifying them that there are issues with their online public inspection files. The email notices do not reveal what the specific problem is, notes D.C. attorney David Oxenford.
Thursday CSRIC Gathering Affirmed By FCC
A seventh Meeting for the Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council is now a go, the FCC announced on Friday.
A Goodbye To Mulvaney, And A Call To Curtail Lobbying
A Senate vote on Thursday affirmed who will take over the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from acting director Mick Mulvaney, the subject of this column from Ken Benner. Mulvaney's attitude towards how things, in his mind, get done in D.C. irks Benner yet again.
Sippel’s Successor As FCC ALJ Is An Ethical Choice
For the past 14 years, she has served in the FCC's Office of General Counsel as an Ethics Counsel. In 2018, she led the agency’s ethics team as Assistant General Counsel for Ethics. Now, this 31-year Commission veteran will serve as its new Administrative Law Judge.
Pai ‘Acknowledges’ Russian Prying In ‘Net Neutrality’ NPRM
On Nov. 7, the FCC said no to a FOIA request for portions of the Commission’s ECFS server logs related to the "Restoring Internet Freedom" Docket. What's getting attention, however, is a statement tied to the Order from Chairman Pai that appears to acknowledge Russia-based meddling.
The ‘Welcome Return’ Of Economics At The FCC
After several years of silence — at least that’s what it seemed like from the outside — FCC economists again have a voice, says a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. In this column, Mark Jamison argues that the communications industry will benefit from this return of economic voices.
Proper Pai: No Problem With Sinclair-Tribune Acts
With Tribune Media now heading to Nexstar, the Office of Inspector General revealed that it has wrapped up its follow-up investigation of the now-aborted marriage of Tribune and Sinclair Broadcast Group. Once again, Ajit Pai appears to have done no wrong.
An Outstanding Standard For American Broadcasting
What is the common denominator to successfully serve its community of license for any broadcast operation? Here's the answer, courtesy of featured columnist Ken Benner, who has tallied at least 2,000 station visits.
FCC Wants A Why On Delinquent Reg Fees
A Class A FM serving an area of Massachusetts near the Vermont border since 1995 has accrued regulatory fee debt since 2014. The Commission is now taking action, and wants its money -- or a worthy explanation as to why this licensee didn't pay up on time.
Blackburn Devotes A Day To BAUM Act
Pencil Thursday, Dec. 6 on your calendar if you're one of the many media companies invested in the end to the nation's "digital divide." It will likely be one of the last hearings to be chaired by Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn.
Pai and AI: Friday Forum Finalized At The Portals
Chairman Ajit Pai will moderate panels, which include experts from academia and technology companies, for an in-depth discussion of the future of these technologies and their implications for the communications marketplace.
FCC Upholds Daytona Radio Revival Denial
An LPFM serving a popular destination for NASCAR fans and beach revelers was granted to this city in March 2014. It was never built by September 2016, when an initial permit expired. A six-month extension wasn't met. As such, the LPFM saw its permit cancelled. A reconsideration was sought — again.