Washington Beat

According to the Media Bureau's Video Division Chief, it did not timely file license to cover applications. As such, the Washington licensee of two religious LPTV stations "willfully and repeatedly" engaged in unauthorized operation of the LPTVs. Now, it must pay up to the FCC to resolve its transgressions.

Within the Media Bureau is an Industry Analysis Division. As of tomorrow its Deputy Chief will be promoted to Chief. This comes as Brendan Holland is departing after 7 years to assume a senior counsel role in the Audio Division. The new IAD Deputy Chief is the last Senior Counsel at Citadel Broadcasting, prior to its Cumulus merger.

The Excellence in Economic Analysis Award recognizes Commission staff for outstanding economic analysis conducted in the course of their work at the FCC, while the Excellence in Engineering Award recognizes Commission staff who have made outstanding engineering, scientific or technical contributions.

What do America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) and PBS believe the FCC should do in selecting a successor to the Nielsen Station Index Directory, used until now to determine a television station’s local market for carriage purposes? The groups shared their thoughts in reply comments filed with the FCC this week.

For more than 2 1/2 years, a man named Justin Howze has been seeking the FCC to reconsider its approval of an application from a licensee directly tied to iHeartMedia that gives it the opportunity to build a brand-new radio station for a San Joaquin Valley city that has quickly become a bedroom community to both Sacramento and San Francisco. Howze's latest effort has just been tossed by the full Commission.

In an ex parte brief filed Thursday with the FCC, the NAB not only reiterated its concerns with a NPRM that would permit program origination on an FM booster — key to a commercial launch for GeoBroadcast Solutions' ZoneCasting product. The association now questions the proposal's merits in the context of what it believes are "credible and public accusations regarding the questionable business dealings" of GBS' founder and CEO Chris Devine.

On Thursday in Orlando, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel addressed attendees of The AnitaB.org Grace Hopper Celebration, an annual gathering that brings the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront. Rosenworcel shared how, as Chairwoman of the FCC, she's broken through a glass ceiling by remaining committed to key passion points — namely bridging the nation's digital divide, especially with schoolchildren.

Without elaborating on the reasons why, the FCC has moved its November Open Meeting from its original date to a day earlier. What will be discussed at the meeting has yet to surface publicly.

Earlier this week, RBR+TVBR confirmed that Christopher Wood, Univision’s SVP/Associate General Counsel for Governmental and Regulatory Affairs, quietly exited in June. Now, his successor has been appointed to the NAB Television Board of Directors. And, it is the first public acknowledgment of a transition at TelevisaUnivision.

On July 14, 2022, the Media Bureau issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NAL) in the amount of $6,500 to the licensee of a low-power television station offering religious programming to viewers in a small city to the north of Yakima, Wash., along Interstate 90. The facility is still paying a financial penalty for its transgressions, but it will be a smaller one.

As RBR+TVBR reported late Wednesday, Sinclair Broadcast Group and a host of its shared services partners could be responsible for forking over millions of dollars in fines to the FCC for repeated violations of the Children's Television Act. Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel offered a statement following the release of the Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture.

If passed, the legislation introduced by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) would establish protections for journalists at the federal level. The bill carries a number very similar to quite different legislation that, if passed, would greatly impact the Radio industry. But, that bill appears to have fizzled.

How is the nation's leading advocacy organization for broadcast radio and television working on behalf of its members? The President and CEO will be answering that question and other written — or video — queries sent to the NAB team ahead of a members-only Town Hall scheduled for the last Thursday in September.

More than three years ago, Entravision filed an application proposing to upgrade one of its stations serving the Phoenix market. However, this required the involuntary move of a facility serving Prescott Valley, Ariz. A squabble ensued. Now, a new ruling from the Commission may finally push the process toward finality.

Want to know what your FY 2022 regulatory fee amounts are? There's a microsite now available courtesy of the FCC, but only through the end of the month — given the deadline for payments. Can't pay or want a reduced fee because of the COVID-19 pandemic? You have an opportunity to ask, too.