Washington Beat

The Media Bureau is reminding prospective applicants of an NCETV filing window, which opens a week from Wednesday. The window will be open for a week, and because of this filing opportunity a temporary application freeze will commence on December 3, the FCC says.

A longtime broadcast alerting advocate who founded an international coalition of broadcasters, tech companies and trade associations using ATSC 3.0 digital broadcast technology for advanced public alerting and informing is exiting the group. This puts Dave Arland in the role of Executive Director.

Television broadcasters with stations in markets ranked No. 101 through No. 110 by Nielsen will need to adhere to the FCC's 2023 Audio Description Order starting with the new year.

The FCC's December Open Meeting will be the final gathering to see Jessica Rosenworcel preside as the agency's head, and among the items up for consideration is a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would amend its rules for radio and TV stations "to reflect current application processing requirements."

As forthcoming FCC Chairman Brendan Carr sees it, the nation's airwaves are a public resource. Retired communications attorney Erwin Krasnow couldn't disagree more. In fact, in May 2011 he penned a report for The Media Institute that established the argument that the broadcast public interest standard may not be in the public interest after all.

A belated License to Cover application filed by the owner of a low-power television station serving Key West, Fla., has yielded a proposed fine that's bigger than similar occurrences. Why? Their extreme tardiness was singled out by the head of the FCC Media Bureau's Video Division.

A newly created position has been filled in the Washington, D.C., offices of Nexstar Media Group, and it seeks an individual gaining responsibilities for the company’s national news content, generated for The Hill and MVPD-distributed NewsNation. He starts his new role on Monday.

Public radio stations serving California's Central Valley; Erie, Pa.; and the Wasatch Front of Utah are eligible to receive grants from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting to upgrade their equipment in order to provide enhanced emergency alerting to their respective listeners.

A 2016 communiqué to the incoming Trump Administration from the MMTC suggested the creation of a “Glide Path” for AM radio station owners that preserves minority ownership following AM's end. Is the MMTC crafting a similar letter outlining "imperative actions" the White House must consider come 2025?

The FCC, through the Enforcement Bureau, convened government partners from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the U.K. to discuss emerging security and enforcement trends in the communications sector related to national security, data protection, cybersecurity, and transnational fraud.

The first 50 public media stations from across the U.S. have been selected to participate in a second phase of the Digital Transformation Program delivered by the Poynter Institute. The program educates, assists, and coaches public media senior leaders and their staff on the best strategies and tactics to transform their organization’s digital operations and culture to meet the needs of local audiences.

A formal proceeding launched Wednesday by the Commission will offer a "QC" checkup, if you will, of the customer service providers of cable, broadband, satellite TV, and voice services give their customers. A new Notice of Inquiry seeks information on current customer service practices and is designed to benefit consumers.

Public media stations in Hawaii, Kentucky, Missouri, and South Dakota will receive a total of up to $1.7 million from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to upgrade their equipment to provide enhanced emergency alerting. With these grants, CPB has awarded funding to 35 public media stations in 19 states via the NGWS grant program.

The FCC’s Privacy and Data Protection Task Force has unveiled additional partnerships between the agency’s Enforcement Bureau and state partners on privacy, data protection, and cybersecurity enforcement matters. 

An Arkansas Christian institution offering bachelor's and master's degrees with a focus on faith is agreeing to purchase a silent Class A radio station that will celebrate its 35th birthday with a forthcoming resurrection. It is a property the father of Rep. Steve Womack silenced in June due to his declining health.