Washington Beat

The powerful U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, headed by Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.), has promoted two staffers while adding a new member to the staffing team. The moves came as word surfaced regarding the death of former Sen. Pete Domenici, who FCC Chairman Ajit Pai paid tribute to.

How can a broadcast television C-Suite executive best explain the post-Spectrum Auction TV repack process to Telly Watcher? They can direct them to a brand-new website created by the NAB to best inform Americans on how they can continue to receive their local broadcast TV stations during the incentive auction repack process. We've got some thoughts, too, and it's in an RBR+TVBR Observation just for members.

Sadly, this trip to the Sunshine State won't involve Mickey Mouse, Harry Potter or any "toes in the sand." FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Democratic Commissioner Mignon Clyburn will be in Florida on Monday to jointly inspect the damage caused by Hurricane Irma. Meanwhile, JVC Media is dealing with outages and issues in three different markets, CEO John Caracciolo tells RBR+TVBR.

The Commission's push to pounce on unlicensed radio operators once and for all has continued with great vengeance and furious anger from newly emboldened Enforcement Bureau Regional Directors. The latest flurry of Notice of Unlicensed Operation letters to be distributed to pesky pirates comes from Region One — where one can easily find Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics merchandise.

An 11-year veteran of the FCC has been tapped by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to serve as Deputy Bureau Chief and Chief of Staff of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. This results in this individual's shift from her current role as the FCC's Deputy Managing Director.

A U.S. Senator's term of office is six years. It's therefore fitting that a former senator who now serves as President/CEO of the NAB will be staying on for another six years, thanks to a contract extension announced this morning by NAB Joint Board Chair and Beasley Media Group CEO Caroline Beasley.

Broadcast Deal Myths have long been a popular Media Information Bureau topic with RBR+TVBR readers, thanks to the insight and analysis offered in a clear, concise manner by Garvey Schubert Barer attorney Erwin G. Krasnow and DEFcom Advisors CEO Doug Ferber. Krasnow and Ferber have now developed an exclusive podcast series focused on the myths often tied to transactions, and we are pleased to offer the first in the series exclusively to RBR+TVBR subscribers.

In the view of Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner, the FCC's cooperation in support of the Alternative Broadcast Inspection Program (ABIP) has always been helpful. "It was my policy to visit the Commission's Compliance Bureau in Washington, D.C., every three years to update my part of the program," Benner says. In this column, he recalls his first such meeting — with then-FCC Chairman Michael Powell.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on Friday announced the appointment of 31 members to the Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment (ACDDE), which will meet for the first time on Monday, Sept. 25, in the Commission Meeting Room at the FCC Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

When it comes to modernization, some may think of the coolest new digital gadgetry coming from Silicon Valley. Or, they may consider a shopping spree in Adams Morgan at Hudson & Crane. For the FCC and its Chairman, Ajit Pai, modernization means regulatory weight loss, and trimming the fat. 

What is officially known as MB Docket No. 13-249 will be considered by a full five-member Commission presided by Chairman Ajit Pai at its September Open Meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 26. That's the Third Report and Order that will relax — or eliminate — certain rules pertaining to AM broadcasters employing and maintaining directional antenna arrays.

The six noncommercial TV stations licensed to Maryland Public Broadcasting have entered into a Consent Decree with the FCC's Media Bureau to resolve an EEO investigation, which on Sept. 5 was formally terminated.

Despite what President Trump may desire with respect to future funding — or lack thereof — for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Congress appears to have its back. The U.S. House and Senate Appropriations Committees on Thursday each approved legislation that gives CPB millions of dollars in Federal funding through the end of 2020.

What's the best piece of advice for owners of AM and FM radio stations with respect to the potential impact of the post-FCC Spectrum Auction repack process? Get an auxiliary site now.

Radio deregulation seems to be on the fast track with the new FCC. That seemed to be the biggest takeaway from a Thursday morning 2017 Radio Show breakout session at which the FCC's Peter Doyle, Chief of the Media Bureau's Audio Division, seemed to reiterate FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's remarks made during his Wednesday luncheon keynote address.