Washington Beat

No, he wasn't the "french toast guy" in the 2000 cinematic classic Road Trip. Freshly minted FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is going to be remembered for a Road Trip that's all his own. We've got an RBR + TVBR OBSERVATION for Members Only to enjoy.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is packing his bags and heading to Vegas. Pai has been selected to deliver a General Session address at the 2017 NAB Show on Tuesday, April 25.

The Chair of the House Republican Conference — and the highest-ranking female Republican in the House of Representatives — has been tapped to address American Cable Association (ACA) members on March 29 at the organization's 24th annual policy summit in Washington, D.C.

Mark April 10 on your calendar, radio broadcasters. That is the date shown in Thursday's Federal Register for the effective date of the FCC's rule setting forth the allowable location of an FM translator station rebroadcasting the signal of an AM broadcast station.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, along with Commissioners Mike O’Rielly and Mignon Clyburn, on Wednesday testified at a hearing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. It would seem that so-called public interest advocates would support such Congressional oversight, as it ensures that regulators do their jobs and is indicative of the checks and balances provided by the Constitution. Sadly, it appears some oppose it. Indeed, advocates criticized Congress for its hearing of then-Chairman Tom Wheeler and FCC commissioners. That the FCC testifies before the Senate is not unreasonable and seems to be the bare minimum of oversight, says AEI visiting fellow Roslyn Layton.

As the freshly minted Chairman of the FCC, Ajit Pai has made it clear that bringing the "digital opportunity" to all Americans is one of his principal goals as leader of the Commission. In his opening remarks Wednesday at a Senate Commerce Committee FCC oversight hearing held on a balmy day in Washington, Pai made it clear that he's springing into action on four key areas he plans on emphasizing "so long as I am privileged to serve as Chairman."

For the first time in six months, the FCC Chairman and all Commissioners participated in a Senate Commerce Committee Oversight Hearing led by Sen. John Thune (R-S. Dakota). From the get-go, Thune expressed his pleasure with the leadership of new Chairman Ajit Pai -- and wasn't shy in expressing his displeasure with the overall atmosphere created by Pai's predecessor. Ranking Member Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) was quick to express his "continued frustration that Jessica Rosenworcel is not sitting before us today as a commissioner."

The world may now have a better understanding as to why FCC Chairman Ajit Pai met with President Trump at the White House on Monday afternoon: He's been nominated to serve a second term on the FCC.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is welcoming two new staffers to the Office of the Chairman. One comes from the R Street Institute, described as "a free-market think tank," while the other is a longtime Spectrum Enforcement Division staffer.

There were no new transactions posted at the FCC on Monday (3/6), and it's been relatively quiet overall -- aside from Entercom's blockbuster tax-free merger with CBS Radio, which was months in the works. Are we in the midst of the calm before the storm of sales and tornado of transactions strikes the U.S.?

Sue Wilson, founder of the non-profit advocacy group Media Action Center, shared with RBR + TVBR details of a settlement with Entercom that awaits final approval from a FCC Administrative Law Judge in Washington. Meanwhile, there's word Ed Stolz is seeking to "un-renew" the licenses for Entercom's remaining Sacramento stations -- even after it make the unprecedented move of surrendering the license for now-defunct KDND-FM.

According to a widely distributed Tweet from Morning Consult technology reporter Amir Nasr, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai had a 3pm meeting Monday (3/6) with President Trump. What was part of the discussion could have been the pending end of "net neutrality."

Does the First Amendment care who won the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 8, 2016? Erwin G. Krasnow, the co-chair of the Communications Group of Washington, D.C. law firm Garvey Schubert Barer, tackles this question in a column that delves into fairness, and the First Amendment, and where broadcasters are under a Trump presidency.

With the support of "hundreds" of residents, La Plata County got its wish, as four Denver-market stations can now modify the local satellite carriage TV markets they serve and add this far-southwest slice of Colorado to its coverage area. The FCC made the move despite objections from Hubbard and Hearst.

A full-power UHF station serving Sin City has been handed a possible $7,000 by the FCC for apparent sins tied to its electronic public file, the "e-pif."