Washington Beat

A markup is on the House Judiciary Committee calendar. The NAB, and pro-recording industry musicFIRST, immediately reacted to the news.

Seven years and four months after successfully bidding for a construction permit in Auction 98, the winning company failed to move forward. In 2017 its long-form application for the permit was dismissed. Now it is in receipt of a formal Order of Payment from the FCC demanding the downpayment it owes.

Every State Broadcasters Association has joined together to ask Senators Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell to hold a vote on the "Journalism Competition and Preservation Act" before the end of the current Congressional session. The bill would allow news publishers to jointly negotiate with online platforms regarding the terms and conditions by which their content may be accessed online.

The NAB and the Society of Broadcast Engineers, the association for broadcast and multimedia technology professionals, on Monday announced a joint memorandum of understanding with the Department of Defense to allow non-exclusive access to commercial spectrum at 2025-2110 MHz at 26 U.S. military sites.

The broadcast television industry's sales and advertising-focused advocacy group released preliminary data points to share from a forthcoming 2022 Voter Funnel survey looking at media’s influence on voters following the midterm election. Key California statistics were released on Thursday, ahead of a mid-December release of the full report.

The full Commission at its November Open Meeting on Thursday denied a petition for reconsideration and an application for review filed by AT&T in a dispute over rates for attaching to utility poles. It's a significant development that could be of interest to the television industry as it impacts cable TV systems.

Fletcher Heald & Hildreth partner Frank Montero sat alongside Gray Television SVP/Government Relations & Distribution Robert J. Folliard III, NAB Chief Legal Officer Rick Kaplan, and Beasley Media Group EVP/General Counsel Chris Ornelas at Wednesday's Forecast conference to share how what's happening Inside the Beltway is impacting broadcast media across the U.S.

Creating dialogue and exchanging ideas among broadcast companies regarding talent management, retention and DEI best practices. That was the focus of a Human Resources and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Forum held Tuesday in Washington, hosted by the NAB and the NABLF.

A request to cancel a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture from a low-power religious station serving the Twin Tiers region of Western New York and Pennsylvania has been granted by the FCC's Media Bureau.

The FCC has agreed to extend its deadline for accepting applications from graduating law students and current judicial clerks for its Fall 2023 Attorney Honors Program. Hurricane Nicole is one of the reasons for the extension.

In the eyes of its founders, Prometheus Radio Project is on a mission to support "media democracy" and low-power FM radio. That explains their informal objections to 328 cross-service FM translator applications filed in the FCC's Auction 99 and 100 windows. All but one of those petitions were dismissed. Now, the final petition in that group has been rendered moot.

The anchor and managing editor of what is today known as the PBS NewsHour will exit the anchor desk on Dec. 30 to begin work on a two-year project "to understand better how the American people see their country and whether today’s deep political divisions can be healed." As such, veteran journalist Judy Woodruff is far from retiring.

What were some of the key achievements of the NAB seen under his leadership? What battles still need to be waged in Washington on behalf of its member radio and TV stations? Forecast 2023 attendees will get the exclusive insight into the leadership of Curtis LeGeyt when he sits down with the President of Hearst Television for an exclusive conversation.

What sway could the electorate have on the FCC, and on broadcasting, by turning control of the House of Representatives over to the Republican Party? A Forecast 2023 panel moderated by esteemed communications lawyer Francisco Montero will tackle the timely subject head on.

The FCC's Communications Equity and Diversity Council has given an affirmative nod to a report that outlines the most effective ways to prevent digital discrimination and to promote digital equity across the U.S. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel was pleased with the approval.