Washington Beat

A bipartisan coalition of 18 former FCC decisionmakers has gained the support of two Washington think tanks, which filed an amicus brief with a federal district court in Washington, D.C., in support of a request for emergency relief made by The Walt Disney Company's ABC Television Network.

At long last, the "AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act" has passed the U.S. House of Representatives. It now awaits a vote in the U.S. Senate, and the NAB and one key supporter of the legislation cheered the House's late Tuesday approval of the bill. So did the head of iHeartMedia.

Here is a look at the racial and ethnic composition of the U.S. electorate. National counts of eligible voters for 2026 are Pew Research Center projections, based on Census Bureau estimates. State-level counts and demographic characteristics are based on 2024 American Community Survey data.

MaxxKonnect, the Josh Bohn-led company known for providing broadcast engineering and technology services to broadcasters, has brought to market a no-cost internet-based password generator built to help broadcasters comply with new FCC cybersecurity password rules that take effect on September 29.

The FCC at its upcoming September Open Meeting will vote on two items that its Republican leadership believes would open up "massive troves" of additional spectrum for the next-generation connectivity. One item is a "satellite spectrum abundance order." The other is a plan to modernize "UWB" rules. 

The LPTV Broadcasters Association has voiced its "strong support" in favor of Commission approval of the use of Emergency Alert System (EAS) software and related modernization proposals, which can be found starting at Paragraph 88 of a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. 

At the end of Q1 2025, the FCC launched an inquiry to explore commercial technologies that would complement GPS. Today, WT Docket No. 25-110 remains open. This prompted the WIA to chime in to ask the Commission to "expeditiously issue" a NPRM that would promote the development of "PNT" tech.

The Commission on Friday announced the return of $3.08 billion to the U.S. Treasury — funds borrowed in March 2025 to support the FCC’s Rip-and-Replace reimbursement program. The quick repayment of this loan was due in part to a successful AWS-3 Spectrum auction, the FCC said.

After years of lobbying, hundreds of House co-sponsors and a summer spent pressing congressional leadership, the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act finally has a floor date. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has scheduled a standalone vote.

Triton Digital’s Q2 2026 US Podcast Ranker shows News posting the sharpest reach growth of any genre ahead of the midterms, even as Comedy widens its already-controlling lead, driven partly by late-night television shows increasingly moving into audio.

When cell networks went dark for weeks during recent disasters, radio stations kept broadcasting emergency alerts throughout. That track record now anchors the NAB's response to portions of a major FCC proposal, which it says could undermine EAS reliability.

The companies led by low-power TV entrepreneur Frank Copsidas have filed an ex-parte with the FCC in support of HC2 Broadcasting’s "expert filing" about their meeting with members of Chairman Brendan Carr’s staff. The topic of discussion: 5G Broadcast capabilities and realities for LPTV stations.

The noncommercial media organization devoted to covering the activities of the U.S. Congress created by Brian Lamb has creating a new senior leadership position focused on expanding philanthropic support.

The FCC on Wednesday acted to remove what the Carr Commission calls "a costly and unnecessary regulatory burden hanging over thousands of citizens and organizations" that create locally owned and locally watched video programming for public, educational, and governmental access (PEG) channels.

The licensee of four FM stations serving a rural portion of eastern Kentucky have entered into a Consent Decree with the Chief of the FCC Media Bureau's Audio Division that absolves the radio broadcasting company of a series of rule violations ranging from tardy license renewals to failure to maintain its online public file.