Washington Beat

Here comes another paper conservation effort from the FCC. The Commission has moved forward with a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that proposes to eliminate a broadcast filing requirement and instead rely on publicly available information in its periodic reviews of broadcaster employment practices.

Don't expect Ajit Pai to be trailed by paparazzi snapping photos of him lounging poolside at the La Concha Renaissance San Juan Resort in San Juan. This is a four-day early March sojourn to Puerto Rico and the USVI that's all about the status of communications restoration efforts after the 2017 hurricane season. As of Friday, between 21% and 40% of cell phone towers in eastern Puerto Rico remain dark.

A Report and Order that could make your lives easier will no longer be up for debate and discussion at Thursday's February Open Meeting of the FCC's Commissioners. That's because there is nothing left to debate — all five Commission leaders no longer believe it is necessary for broadcast TV and radio stations to maintain paper copies of FCC rules.

Don't want to deal with that FCC Broadcast Mid-Term Report anymore? An NPRM that could nix them is on tap for the Commission's February Open Meeting. Tired of having to maintain paper copies of Commission rules? A Report and Order up for consideration at this meeting could have you going green on this requirement.

For those of you who truly enjoy researching, learning, writing and exposing serious questionable conduct by parties in power, the most difficult thing we face is deciding, from among hundreds of topics, the subject for a column. For Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner, there's a specific criteria that is followed. This includes responding to requests from readers in a potential bind with the FCC. That's exactly what Benner has done in his latest exclusive offering to RBR+TVBR Members.

The FCC has responded to a report in The New York Times confirming an investigation into possible favoritism toward Sinclair Broadcast Group by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai by calling the accusation "absurd." In doing so, it pointed to a multimillion-dollar fine against the company for sponsored content violations while defending the chairman's push to modernize FCC media ownership rules. Some of this modernization is what pushed the FCC Inspector General to accept a request from two top Congressional Democrats to investigate Pai, which began at the end of 2017.

In a Wednesday afternoon vote inside the Rayburn House Office Building on the south side of Capitol Hill, the FCC's future as a more efficient and transparent agency became clearer. The House Energy and Commerce Committee moved forward on a vote of H.R. 4986, the "FCC Reauthorization Act of 2018," following a morning mark-up on the legislation. It includes a provision for a boost in post-Spectrum Auction repack funds. And, it freezes the Commission's fiscal budget.

If you seek any of the FCC's Commissioners on Friday, you no longer need to wait until they return from the Presidents' Day Federal holiday on Tuesday, Feb. 20. Each of the Commissioners had been called to testify this week before the powerful House Energy & Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications and Technology to discuss the FCC's budget. But, the Subcommittee just cancelled the gathering.

The NAB on Monday announced the inaugural recipient of its new NAB Broadcast Champion Award. The honor recognizes a member of Congress "who demonstrates exemplary leadership and commitment to strengthening the future of radio and television, recognizing broadcasters’ vital role in our local communities." Its choice for the first honor: The lead co-sponsor of the Local Radio Freedom Act.

He was House Majority Leader of the Oregon State Legislature during an eight-year tenure in Salem. He was a key figure on the sidelines of the power House Energy & Commerce Committee, and since May 2016 served in a key lobbying role for the NAB.  Ray Baum's career took him from the Nation's Capital to the surf of Cannon Beach. Baum is the latest victim of cancer, and has passed away after a multi-year fight against the disease.

Monday was a busy day for the FCC's four Commissioners and its Chairman, Ajit Pai. Meetings were held across the day with several advisors in tow, with the discussion ranging from the FCC's AM-FM subcaps rules to rural radio policy repeal and the FCC's Class C4 facility proposal. Participating in these meetings, representing broadcasters, were the leaders of the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB) and the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC).

The "CLASSICS Act" appears to be gaining some steam on Capitol Hill. With 25 co-sponsors of legislation introduced in July 2017 by retiring Republican Rep. Darrell Issa (Calif.) — including 10 bipartisan House members signing on since Feb. 2 — there is now companion legislation in the upper body of Congress.

Regular Media Information Bureau columnist Ken Benner is full of glee today, thanks to the establishment — or substantial enhancement — of the FCC's Consumer Advisory Committee. Among the issues the committee may consider is the "implementation of Commission rules and consumer participation in the FCC rulemaking process." What does this mean for you? Benner explains it all. 

Morgantown may be the home of West Virginia University, but for viewers of DBS providers such as DirecTV and DISH Network it wasn't the home of network affiliates based in an area to the south of the city. That's now changed, thanks to a successful petition filed with the Commission that brings stations owned by Gray Television and Nexstar Media Group to this all-important city in the Mountaineer State.

Could another incentive auction be on the way for broadcast television owners? While that question could be premature, there's a push for the federal government to "free up more spectrum for commercial licensed and unlicensed use." This would, in the view of a bipartisan group of House Members, "bring 5G wireless service closer to reality and help close the digital divide."