Washington Beat

Sen. Ted Cruz, the outspoken Texas Republican, used a few minutes of free time before the full Senate voted on Anna Gomez's nomination to be a FCC Commissioner by voicing his opposition to her. In his view, First Amendment freedoms are at risk, while taxpayer harm will result from her taking the fifth seat at the agency.

The licensee of a 1kw AM in Alaska that is presently dark has successfully convinced the FCC to reduce a civil penalty tied to a consent decree it has entered into by $3,000. It puts an end to an investigation by the Commission that involves a reduction in daytime power, operating hours of the station and silencing the AM without telling the FCC or getting its approval. 

In late September 2022, the FCC adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on updates to rules for full power and Class A stations which it believes reflect the digital transition and completion of the post-incentive auction, current technology, and/or Commission practices. Now, one year later, the Commission will vote on the proposal.

In Bent County, Colorado, local media is limited, with three AMs and two FMs from nearby Lamar easily tunable. There are also low-power TV stations, and those facilities have attracted the FCC's attention — and not in a good way.

A comment and reply comment period will be established following the publication in the Federal Register of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking associated with an upgrade request for a television station offering PBS programming to Iowa's largest market.

Democratic U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota may already be a co-sponsor of the AM For Every Vehicle Act, but this influential Capitol Hill legislator took another opportunity to voice her support for radio by penning an opinion piece for a Minnesota newspaper.

A proposed transaction that saw the arrival of a new licensee for a low-power television station in the Lone Star State was cancelled by the FCC. On Wednesday, new information was brought to RBR+TVBR's attention as to the circumstances leading to the Commission's decision.

The chief programming executive at NPR will conclude her tenure at the noncommercial public radio entity at the end of 2023, ending a nearly 30-year tenure that includes on-demand audio innovations. At the same time, NPR's own journalists note how Anya Grundmann has weaved through "sharp setbacks buffeting the industry broadly and the network specifically."

The Chairwoman of the FCC on Friday issued a statement in response to the devastating wildfires that have impacted thousands of residents on the island of Maui, and provided an update to the public on the agency’s efforts to support local disaster assessment and recovery efforts.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has awarded Indianapolis-based WFYI Public Media a $1.5 million grant for America Amplified, a public media journalism initiative that focuses on listening to communities in the reporting process.

The award recognizes NAB’s centennial anniversary as the voice of America’s broadcasters, working to advance their interests through public policy advocacy, educational initiatives and support for content and technology innovation.

The FCC is now accepting applications from graduating law students and current judicial clerks for its Fall 2024 Attorney Honors Program. The Attorney Honors Program is the FCC’s primary vehicle for hiring entry-level attorneys.

"The NAB applauds the FCC for its hard work to ensure that its regulatory fee process allocates fees in a more fair and equitable way," says NAB President/CEO Curtis LeGeyt, who calls this year's FY2023 final regulatory fee structure "a significant step toward ensuring all parties that benefit from the FCC's work pay their fair share."

FCC Media Bureau Chief Holly Saurer has issued a Hearing Designation Order to the licensee of five LPTV stations and Antonio Cesar Guel, the former head of Hispanic Christian Community Network, on the grounds that Guel and HCCN are "one and the same," abused Commission processes and violated its rules, and appear to have engaged in a "sham" transaction.

When a licensee fails to timely file a license renewal application, it's become a nice way for the Federal Communications Commission to meet its annual operating budget. On Thursday alone, five notices were sent to licensees of low-power TV stations for their individual transgressions. Collectively, should there be no reduction or cancellations of the proposed fines, the FCC stands to add $10,500 from its coffers.