Washington Beat

The journey to a fresh five-year term for FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr is one step closer to completion. On Thursday, Jan. 18, Carr will be one of seven presidential nominees up for consideration in an executive session of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Also up for nomination: The wife of a former FCC Commissioner.

The FCC’s Incentive Auction Task Force and Media Bureau today granted a request from 20 broadcast TV stations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands impacted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria to permit them to construct post-auction facilities ahead of schedule.

On December 14, SiriusXM received what some might call a lump of coal as a Christmas present, courtesy of the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB). New royalty rates and terms for satellite-delivered services (SDARS) such as SiriusXM, and Preexisting Subscription Services (PSS) for services such as Muzak and Music Choice, were issued. SiriusXM's rate soared. SiriusXM then roared, and a rehearing motion is presently under consideration.

Two Lone Star broadcasters have each received a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture for failing to abide by the FCC's rules. One of the broadcasters failed to file a timely license renewal application for an FM station carrying the once-famous call letters of a Northern California rocker. The other broadcaster was found to be operating a radio station from a location that it wasn't authorized to use. In the latter case, the broadcaster's renewal application triggered an informal objection from Alpha Media.

The Member of Congress behind the PROMOTE Act and a key co-sponsor of the Fair Play Fair Pay Act will not seek re-election, and will conclude his long tenure in the House of Representatives with the end of the 115th Congress. While Democrats are salivating, radio station owners may be breathing a sigh of relief. While Issa is known for his support of new royalties for AM and FM radio, he's also likely to be remembered for his efforts that could have influenced Apple from activating FM chips in its smartphones.

"PN1362" arrived Monday at the Senate Commerce Committee, sent by the White House. The action would reappoint Republican Brendan Carr to a five-year term as a Commissioner, starting July 1, 2018. It marks the Trump Administration's second attempt at keeping Carr at the FCC through June 2023.

Among the basics for TV broadcasters is the required preparation and placement, on a quarterly basis, of TV issues/programs lists in their local public inspection file. There are also requirements tied to children's TV programming. Failure to comply with the FCC's rules on these matters can result in various penalties. For one TV station tied to a Mexican media company, agreeing to a Consent Decree with the Commission was the best route to resolve past transgressions.

Thanks to the FCC’s Spectrum Auction, there are further dips in the number of broadcast TV stations licensed to air in the U.S. Meanwhile, there are even more FM translators, while the number of AMs licensed for broadcast in the U.S. has stopped its slide.

Can't wait for the elimination of the FCC's main studio rule? You're in luck. The end is just days away, the Commission revealed in a brief announcement released Thursday. The rule's demise came at the Commission's October 2017 Open Meeting, despite fiery dissent from the two Democratic Commissioners.

What do the FCC and Turner Broadcasting System have in common? Both entities are finalists for the most prestigious award for achievement in the practice of analytics and operations research.

Don't think for a minute that FCC Chairman Ajit Pai won't respond to your letters or comments, no matter the venue in which they are delivered. He's liked many of our Tweets in which he's been tagged. Now, Pai has responded to Media Information Bureau columnist Ken Benner, who recently wrote a letter to Pai seeking his input on some of the top issues facing your broadcast TV or radio stations. How so? The IAC is about to grow.

Here's something we really hope your radio and TV stations can use in 2018. It's one of the more popular handout sheets Media Information Bureau columnist Ken Benner uses while conducting ABIP inspections. "Most stations are not even aware such an item is required to be completed quarterly and filed with the Engineers other non-public required filings, such as 854-R tower registration forms, EAS tests, proof of performances, etc.," Benner says. That's why we're pleased to open your eyes to this most-important document. Merry Christmas! Ken & Karen

The U.S. Copyright Office is extending the deadlines for the submission of written comments in response to its Dec. 1 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking concerning the reporting obligations of multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) tied to the ability to provide subscribers local TV stations. 

In mid-April, Tejas Broadcasting agreed to sell a Class C1 100kw FM serving Amarillo, Tex., to Viva Media LLC. Nine months later, the station's new owner has been handed a Notice of Violation from the FCC for not having a functioning Emergency Alert System (EAS) system at this station. It also appears a second Viva station lacked an operable EAS system.

On Dec. 14, the FCC voted in a 3-2 party-line vote led by Republicans to remove Title II classification of broadband internet. Democrat Mignon Clyburn describes the vote as one that "dismantles" the agency's 2015 net neutrality rules. As a long-standing champion of net neutrality and one of the two FCC Commissioners who vociferously objected to last week’s decision, Clyburn believes it is important for consumers and small businesses to understand what happens next. Here's what she has to say.