Washington Beat

Nearly a week after Reuters learned of the details, the FCC on Thursday (12/21) made it official: Sinclair Broadcast Group has been handed a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture for the apparent failure to make required disclosures in connection with sponsored programming that aired on its stations more than 1,700 times.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) on Tuesday introduced legislation that would codify "net neutrality" rules in statute. Her “Open Internet Preservation Act” may appear familiar to those who have closely followed the issue of net neutrality and whether it is entitled to Title II classification. That's because, as Berin Szóka of Tech Freedom notes, it is modeled on the discussion draft of legislation introduced nearly three years ago by the chairmen of the Senate Commerce and House Energy & Commerce Committees, respectively.

Aside from the NPRM approved last week that could loosen the national broadcast TV ownership cap, what else is the FCC likely focused on for 2018? Gus Hurwitz, a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute specializing in telecommunications and technology law, high-tech industry regulation, and cybersecurity, has provided a look at the top 5 issues the FCC will now focus its attention toward.

According to a trio of undisclosed sources who spoke with Reuters, the FCC is ready issue a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture in the amount of $13.3 million to Sinclair Broadcast Group for its failure to notify viewers that they were watching paid programming.

The Ranking Member of the important House Energy & Commerce Committee has asked Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) to convene a hearing on the proposed $52.4 billion transaction between The Walt Disney Co. and 21st Century Fox. The purpose of the hearing? "To understand the potential effect of this merger on consumers and the media marketplace."

The owner of a silent AM serving an area of Southwestern Virginia some 40 miles from Bristol and Johnson City, Tenn., agreed to sell the station months ago. However, a Petition for Reconsideration by another broadcaster operating in the region was filed with the FCC's Media Bureau in an attempt to get another look at an Application for Review of the Commission's license renewal and transfer OK -- denied in November 2016. An Order on Reconsideration has just been released by the Media Bureau on the matter.

With Thursday's news that The Walt Disney Co. and 21st Century FOX have struck a deal that will give the parent of ABC control of 23 FOX Sports-branded regional cable networks and create a "new FOX" housing its broadcast TV O&Os, one may wonder if this will impact -- positively or negatively -- the brokerage community. For Media Services Group Managing Director Eddie Esserman, the answer is no. He also said just hours before a two-week vacation that his phone has been ringing a lot -- and that's unusual, and positive.

The Commission on Thursday has given its approval to a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that explores ways to enable multichannel video programming distributors, such as cable and satellite providers, to communicate with their subscribers in more efficient and less costly ways. 

When it comes to the protection of law enforcement officers across the U.S., there's no question if bipartisan support can be had. Yet, one Democrat expressed reservations and a partial dissent as all five Commissioners today approved a Report and Order that would amend the Commission’s Emergency Alert System (EAS) rules to add a dedicated event code to facilitate the delivery of Blue Alerts over the EAS and Wireless Emergency Alert system.

“What am I required to keep for records to be legal?” is the most frequent question Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner receives. Thus, he's penned a column that answers this question as best as possible. Here's what he has to say.

Thursday, Dec. 14 is a big day for the Federal Communications Commission. With "net neutrality" set to disappear through legislation Republicans believe will "restore internet freedom," the FCC has issued guidelines as to how the public can view the meeting or attend in person. The end of "net neutrality" isn't the lone Hot Button topic up for discussion. The future of TV broadcasting is also up for a vote.

If the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come were to pay a visit to radio stations across the U.S., they'd be likely bringing good tidings: There will be no new performance fees, taxes, royalties or other charges for a local AM or FM broadcast station owner. That's all but certain, now that a majority of the House of Representatives has expressed their support of a resolution opposing any legislation that would impose such payments on a broadcast company.

The FCC on Monday flipped the switch on an online dashboard designed to provide the public with more information on the agency’s work. Now available at FCC.gov, the resource aims to give consumers better access to reports and graphics on FCC workloads, pending actions, and other accountability matrices—and more easily access Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) materials. 

The FCC’s decision to abolish the main studio rule is to be effective 30 days after the publication of the decision in the Federal Register. That publication is tentatively scheduled, according to Federal Register documents reviewed by noted D.C. communications attorney David Oxenford, for Friday, Dec. 8. Here's what to expect come Jan. 7, 2018, according to Oxenford.

Has Farmworker Educational Radio Network (FERN), the licensee of the Cesar Chavez Foundation's noncommercial regional Mexican "La Campesina" network, received FCC approval of its request for a license renewal of an FM radio station in Arizona? We now know the answer, thanks to a Media Bureau Consent Decree released Wednesday by the Commission.