Washington Beat

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which maintains oversight of the FCC, has approved proposed legislation that would bring updates to the nation's Emergency Alert System.  Two bills were passed out of Committee, and each saw unanimous roll call votes.

"There are many reasons that the Commission has outlived its usefulness." That attention-grabbing statement comes from the American Enterprise Institute's Mark Jamison, who believes one reason is especially clear today: "Its power to license broadcasters gives government officials leverage over speech."

While some argue that Newsmax founder Chris Ruddy had no standing to be a Witness at a February Senate Commerce Committee hearing focused on the national broadcast TV ownership reach cap, the head of the Media Bureau made it clear he has no standing to contest the transaction with the FCC.

A discussion of how Congress "can build on those lessons to modernize our laws to promote innovation, strengthen competition, and drive investment in modern communications networks” has been placed on the calendar for Thursday, March 26.

The Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) is committed to overing "its strong support" for legislation in the House of Representatives that would establish a "Communications Equity and Diversity Council"  — something the advocacy group says would ground its mandate in statute.

How much will a broadcast radio station owner need to fork over to the music industry between January 1, 2026, and December 31, 2030, for the right to stream popular recorded music on its digital audio streams? The Copyright Royalty Board has shared the final rules governing the new rates.

The National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2019 amended the Communications Act of 1934 to require all U.S.-based foreign media outlets to submit reports every 6 months to the Commission regarding the outlets' relations to their foreign principals. The Media Bureau is now reminding of its next deadline.

Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez will host a webinar on Tuesday (3/17) featuring panel conversations with communications and technology policy experts who lived through the creation and implementation of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

How could a flurry of potential regulatory and legislative moves designed to benefit broadcasters trickle down to Calle Ocho or Whittier Blvd.? A panel discussion opening the second day of the 2026 Hispanic Radio Conference offers an inside the Beltway view in the Valley of the Sun specifically for the U.S. Hispanic market.

The FCC is considering a NPRM focused on ways to make additional spectrum available for command and control of spacecraft supporting emergent space operations, but which do not use spectrum as part of any radiocommunications services provided to the public.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on Wednesday offered a summary of what's on the agenda for the Commission's March Open Meeting. And, it includes a notable stab at tackling consumer complaints over offshore customer call centers by requiring disclosure and an option for a U.S.-based representative.

NAB member broadcast media leaders are gathered in Washington, D.C., for the NAB's annual State Leadership Conference. It saw a Hubbard Radio host play up AM/FM's unique value to consumers as NAB President/CEO Curtis LeGeyt outlined the need for regulatory reform.

With speculation rampant that the FCC will grant approval of Nexstar Media Group's rule-busting merger with TEGNA, issuing waivers of its ownership cap, the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau has given the green light to a $34.5 billion merger that will reshape the cable television and broadband services business.

The FCC has rejected, en masse, a round of requests to waive the statutory 25% late payment penalty on overdue FY 2023 and FY 2024 regulatory fees, underscoring that relief is reserved for rare, extraordinary circumstances outside a payer’s control.

The non-profit, non-partisan technology policy think tank led by President Berin Szoka has taken sides in the contentious debate over whether the FCC has the authority to levy fines in any order following a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking or Notice of Violation, and is sharing its views with the U.S. Supreme Court.