Washington Beat

Merkhet Solutions CEO Sam Matheny testified on June 4 before the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee at a hearing titled "Where Are We?: Examining Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Capabilities in the United States." The purpose of the longtime NAB executive? To promote the proposed Broadcast Positioning System.

Artificial Intelligence is seen by many in radio and TV as a threat to their job security, while consumers are fretting over trust. Now, AI could bring another worry to radio and TV broadcasters, FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty has shared. 

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies and the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee has once again declined to include what APTS considers "essential" federal funding for facilities across the U.S. in its FY 2027 proposed legislation.

The Media Bureau has entered into a Consent Decree with SDK, which is purchasing a pair of noncommercial FM translators from a Hispanic evangelical broadcast ministry. This paves the way for the FM translators' respective license renewals. To accomplish this, a sizable "voluntary contribution" to the U.S. Treasury is being made.

The first FCC spectrum auction in four years has commenced, and it will over some 200 5G-grade spectrum licenses that "laid fallow for more than a decade." The license areas included in the action include 48 states, two U.S. territories and major markets including New York, Chicago, Boston, Tampa-St. Petersburg and Charlotte.

How serious is the NAB's effort to bring its Broadcast Positioning System (BPS) to fruition, and get it deployed as a solid alternative or even an ultimate replacement for GPS technology? An independent company focused on BPS's commercial deployment has come to be.

The FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology is welcoming a new Associate Chief and Chief of the Laboratory Division. It is an individual who brings more than 20 years of leadership experience spanning engineering, operations, customer service, research, and equipment‑build and compliance roles across media providers.

A Congressional effort to protect intellectual property rights in the voice and visual likeness of individuals, and for other purposes, has commenced. This sees Senators weighing the pros and cons of a bill introduced on May 20 that would axe "deep fakes" while protecting entertainers and air personalities alike.

A comment period has been established that will guide the Media Bureau in determining whether or not to renew the licenses for the company that operated the now-defunct NewsNet — bankrolled by the man who invented 5-Hour Energy.

The Subcommittee on Communications and Technology within the House Committee on Energy and Commerce will hold a hearing on June 4 that could place the NAB's Broadcast Positioning System (BPS) in a key Congressional spotlight.

She's best-known for her 1979 Disco-era classic "I Will Survive." While that may not be the best mantra for broadcast radio and TV companies in the mid-2020s, it will most likely be a signature theme at the Anthem in Washington, D.C., come June 9 during the NAB Leadership Foundation's Service to America Awards.

The FCC is warning broadcasters: modified foreign sponsorship identification rules take effect June 7, giving stations days to meet certification requirements that have survived two compliance deferrals, a court challenge, and years of sustained NAB opposition.

A key non-partisan Washington "think tank" has chimed in on a Virginia law that would place a one-hour daily cap on social media platform use by children aged 15 and younger. In its view, the law being challenged in a federal appeals court are subject to strict scrutiny under the First Amendment — which it cannot meet.

The NAB has entered the FCC's ongoing competition proceeding with a data-heavy argument for structural reform. In formal comments, the group frames current local radio ownership caps as incompatible with a marketplace now ruled by unregulated Big Tech.

Political advertising remains healthy for broadcast radio and TV. However, Brian Wieser of Madison and Wall predicts 2026 will bring tempered growth. That's due, in part, to the ongoing desire among marketers and consumers to shift to digital and social media platforms when it comes to visual entertainment.