Washington Beat

"Ensuring Effective and Reliable Alerts and Warnings" is a top concern of the Homeland Security Committee, and a Tuesday hearing convened by the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response and Communications provided House members with an opportunity to hear from government and industry stakeholders about the current state of emergency alerts and warnings. Among those testifying on Capitol Hill: NAB EVP/CTO Sam Matheny.

In this concluding Media Information Bureau column, featured columnist Ken Benner offers more insight and advice for individuals — and media companies — who wish to call on his 55 years of experience providing service to the broadcast industry by recruiting more Alternative Broadcast Inspection Program (ABIP) certification inspectors.

"We are already a full month into the New Year, and the regulatory issues for broadcasters keep on coming," says Wilkinson Barker Knauer Partner David Oxenford. What does this mean for radio and TV station owners? "February brings the usual requirements for annual EEO Public File Reports," he says. There's also the Online Public File, Biennial Ownership Reports, ATSC 3.0 and FM Translator Comments, and Effective Dates of Ownership Rule Changes. Here's what should be on your calendar for the second month of 2018.

The final effort for an AM radio station to seek "revitalization" through the use of an FM translator has officially concluded. More than 850 applications have been received by the Media Bureau in a filing window for new "cross-service" FM translators as part of Auction 100.

A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking has been adopted by the FCC seeking comments on a plan that would bring a new Class A FM to a resort community situated along the east bank of the Colorado River in Arizona. If the new FM were to sign on the air, an FM translator presently using the signal would need to find a new home. Meanwhile, the petitioner is the owner of two stations that aren't on the air.

In the nation's 14th-largest market, one of the most-listened-to radio stations serving the region's Spanish-speaking Hispanic audience has long been KNAI-FM 88.3, a noncommerical Class C1 facility that has been the affiliate of the Cesar Chávez Foundation's regional Mexican "La Campesina Network." Unfortunately, KNAI and a sister station in the San Joaquin Valley of California didn't play by the FCC's rules when it came to the Commission's underwriting laws. To settle the matter, the Foundation has entered into a Consent Decree with the Enforcement Bureau that involves a compliance plan and a record-breaking civil penalty due to the U.S. Treasury.

A deadline for Comments, and a date Reply Comments are due, are now affirmed for those who wish to have their say in the FCC's competitive bidding procedures for "Auction 99." Bidding in this auction of cross-service FM translator construction permits begins May 15 and resolves 12 groups of pending mutually exclusive applications.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and his agency's four Commissioners opened Tuesday's Open Meeting with a presentation and discussion on a preliminary FCC report focused on the investigation into the Jan. 13 false missile attack alert sent to smartphones across the state of Hawaii. Pai has offered his official remarks on what the Commission learned.

A unanimous vote today during the FCC's January Open Meeting has brought radio and TV broadcasters one step closer to saving trees and cutting its printer toner bill.

In a party-line 3-2 vote held today at the FCC's January 2017 Open Meeting in Washington, the Commission moved forward on creation of a unit that "will help ensure that economic analysis is deeply and consistently incorporated as part of the agency’s regular operations."

The NAB has selected the station it will honor this year with the NAB Crystal Heritage Award. It's a station famously known for its "Glass-Enclosed Nerve Center" — in addition to top ratings for its continuous supply of news, traffic, weather and sports updates to listeners across the National Capital area.

In addition to serving as a featured columnist, Ken Benner is an independent Alternative FCC Compliance Certification Inspector. He has more than 55 years of experience providing service to the broadcast industry. Who will follow in this octogenarian’s footsteps? It could be you.

A deal has been reached between the NAB and music rights organizations ASCAP and BMI that resolves broadcast concerns with the Music Modernization Act.

The broadcast media industry's chief lobbying and advocacy group on Thursday night filed motions to intervene in Prometheus Radio Project’s challenge to the FCC’s media ownership reform order. The motions were filed with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and would allow the NAB — a non-party — to join the litigation without the permission of the litigants.

The final order of business ahead of an unspecified enforcement action at the FCC's January Open Meeting on Tuesday (1/30) was scheduled to see the Commissioners consider an Order deleting rules made obsolete by the Digital TV transition. This "Modernization of Media Regulation" has just been deleted from the meeting agenda.