Washington Beat

Today was the final Open Meeting as Chairwoman of the FCC for Jessica Rosenworcel, who took the opportunity to share at length what her experience brought to her, and to America.

With a new Congressional session coming to Capitol Hill, could Washington legislators be swayed to approve any reintroduced bill, given what has transpired in Southern California since January 7? Janene Drafs hopes so.

The industry lobbying group that is the face of small and independent cable TV service providers inside the Beltway has promoted from within to fill the SVP/Legal and Regulatory Affairs role.

The Commission is now offering templates for the 18 most commonly issued and time-sensitive alerts in the 13 most commonly spoken languages in the U.S., plus English and American Sign Language (ASL).

Salem Media Group, the publicly traded company focused on conservative and Christian-themed spoken word programming, has two new members of its Board of Directors. One is likely a familiar name to those Inside the Beltway. 

The Congressional legislative body that maintains oversight of the FCC has reconstituted its Democratic membership, and among the new faces on the House Energy & Commerce Committee in the minority is one of the more polarizing figures in U.S. politics — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The Order was adopted before the end of 2024 but not released by the Commission until earlier this week. Rule changes to the FCC's Schedule of Application Fees have been made, and there's been an upward adjustment in the fees it assesses for processing applications and other filings.

The National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation (NABLF) is now accepting entries for the 2025 Celebration of Service to America Awards. The awards honor the critical role local TV and radio stations play in communities across the country.

A Class A FM radio station serving a community to the west of Corpus Christi, Tex., in August 2024 was handed a proposed financial penalty for its late filing of license renewal forms with the FCC. Now, this FM is off the hook because it was the Commission's fault.

Brett Guthrie has stepped in to take the role previously held by retired Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.). The new House E&C Committee Chairman has revealed who the chief counsels for the 119th Congress will be for the House E&C's various subcommittees.

Chalk up another buccaneer of broadcasting in the Boston area that's landed on the FCC Enforcement Bureau's radar, putting a landlord of a property in the community of Dorchester on notice that an unlicensed FM must cease operations or face a steep fine.

The Radio Pirate of Mattapan is an individual the FCC wants stopped. It's warned the audio buccaneer's landlord that they must stop, or will pay the price for the unauthorized FM activity one can hear in a South Boston neighborhood.

Rep. Brett Guthrie of Kentucky, Chairman-Elect of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, has announced the Committee’s Senior Staff members for the 119th Congress. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce senior staff will work under the direction of Staff Director Megan Jackson and Deputy Staff Director Sophie Khanahmadi.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) has delivered a farewell address on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, concluding her tenure in Congress.

In an essay distributed on New Year's Eve, soon-to-depart FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel discusses the agency's work across 2024 expanding access to communications, "building a digital future that works for all, protecting consumers and going after bad actors, and the FCC’s commitment to security and public safety."