Washington Beat

Bidding concluded Wednesday in an auction of FM translator construction permits conducted by the FCC. The auction, which was designated Auction 83, raised in net bids more than a half million dollars. Twenty bidders won a total of 30 construction permits. Here are the details.

The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee has agreed to provide level funding of $445 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) for Fiscal Year 2021 and $20 million in FY 2019 for an annual interconnection and infrastructure account — considered the backbone of the public broadcasting system. America's Public Television Stations (APTS) President/CEO Patrick Butler says his group is "grateful" for the nearly unanimous vote.

FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly spent much of Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio at the Midwest Next-Gen TV Summit. Much of his conversation, naturally, touched on ATSC 3.0 and next steps he suggests be taken. He then discussed the television repack process, before offering his views on the FCC's review of its "KidVid" rules.

Legislation that has both the support of the National Association of Broadcasters and the Recording Industry Association of America has moved one step closer to a floor vote by the U.S. Senate — and the likely passage of S. 2823, otherwise known as the "Music Modernization Act."

In a move that was widely expected to occur without objection, the full Commission on Tuesday moved forward with its full approval of Entercom's Reverse Morris Trust-fueled merger with CBS Radio. The deal had been challenged by a longtime Entercom adversary.

No less than seven companies on Monday came together to jointly file a motion to extend the comment and reply comment period tied to a NPRM that will allow the public to chime in on important radio industry legislation. The FCC wants to streamline the process for filing an FM translator interference complaint, and the remediation procedures it uses to resolve such an issue. The Commission obliged with the station owners' request.

A Notice of Violation has been handed by the FCC's Enforcement Bureau to the operator of a low-power FM radio station based in Dallas. At issue: The type of transmitter this facility, operated by a Hispanic religious institution, uses to bring its message to the community for which it serves.

The Commission has announced a 90-day extension of the filing window for C Band receive only earth stations. Learn how this can impact your radio stations with this summary from Fletcher Heald and Hildreth telecommunications specialist Michelle McClure.

Until Tuesday's Form 314 filing of an asset purchase agreement that gives control of an AM-FM combo in Iowa to a new entity created by the stations' office manager, the owner was ready to turn off the transmitters. It's not a unique scenario, Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner notes. Many questions go through the minds of station heads faced with a tough business challenge. Here, he reviews how to perhaps best answer them.

The FCC on Thursday released a 38-page fact sheet that outlines some of its proposed changes for the FCC's Children's TV programming rules. Among the suggested changes: Core Programming should be at least 30 minutes in length, and regularly scheduled weekly programming can be eliminated. Further, an annual filing of FCC Form 398, rather than quarterly, is proposed.

On June 27, the fate of Geoffrey Starks will be put into the hands of the Senate Commerce Committee. A Markup of Starks' nomination to serve as an FCC Commissioner has been confirmed for the legislative body's executive session.

It was what FCC Chairman Ajit Pai didn't say in a blog post detailing the Commission's July Open Meeting agenda that perhaps said more than what will actually be up for discussion on Thursday, July 12. Any debate and chat on the loosening of the FCC's national TV audience reach cap, or radio's ownership subcaps, won't come until at least August.

This Media Information Bureau installment is one that featured columnist Ken Benner promises will be welcomed by all stations with FM translators. It offers two significant items of interest: a source of information to determine compliance, and a means to self-certify and, quite frankly, save a good chunk of money.

In this Media Information Bureau column, noted D.C. communications attorney Erwin Krasnow shares his insight on what the FCC's decision makers actually read, if hefty fines are truly meant to fuel the FCC budget, and if the Commissioners "have unbridled discretion to make public interest determinations," among other hot topics.