Washington Beat

In November 2012, Bruce James and his Vermont Broadcast Associates engaged in a transaction that saw the sale of a 100-watt FM serving a small town some 100km south of Sherbrooke, Quebec. Just over nine years later, the FM is officially defunct.

Four co-sponsors of the "American Music Fairness Act" are also co-sponsors of the "Local Radio Freedom Act," the resolution that as of today has resounding support. Even so, the musicFIRST Coalition is confident that the "AMFA" will win over Congress.

Jessica Rosenworcel on Friday shared with her colleagues a Report and Order and Declaratory Ruling that she argues would promote competition and increase choice for broadband services for people living and working in multiple tenant environments (MTEs).

An awards celebration will be held in-person in Washington, D.C. and air on local stations later this summer. Wish to make an entry? They're being accepted through March 7. We've got all of the details.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden has reappointed a Copyright Royalty Judge focused in economics to a six-year term. With the decision, this judge will have spent 15 years on the Copyright Royalty Board.

He started his career at WBT in Charlotte in 1952. Twenty-six years later he would become President of the Broadcast Division of Allbritton Communications, former owner of such stations as ABC affiliate WJLA-7 in Washington. Now, many across the Nation's Capital and around the U.S. are paying tribute to Thomas Cookerly.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has set January 20 to markup the Open App Markets Act. The bipartisan bill, introduced in August 2021, is focused on promoting competition in the app market currently dominated by Apple and Google.

Over half of U.S. consumers have expressed an interest in receiving features of a "NextGen Broadcast Emergency Information service." That's among the key findings from new research unveiled this week by the NextGen Video Information Systems Alliance (NVISA), sponsored by Sinclair Broadcast Group subsidiary ONE Media 3.0.

Jessica Rosenworcel has appointed a host of individuals — many of which are broadcast media executives — to serve as members of the three working groups of the Communications Equity and Diversity Council: Innovation and Access, Digital Empowerment and Inclusion, and Diversity and Equity.

The Ranking Member of the influential Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee has asked the FCC and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) "to work cooperatively to resolve spectrum policy issues."

On January 1, Curtis LeGeyt took over as the President/CEO of the broadcast media industry's biggest advocacy and political lobbying organization. Now in charge of the NAB, LeGeyt is inviting the association's members to learn more about his vision at a January 20 Town Hall meeting, to be held virtually.

Modernizing digital infrastructure in the United States is the focus of a virtual discussion scheduled for midday Tuesday (1/11) featuring FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. Join in the discussion right now.

The Media Bureau has announced that it "seeks to refresh the record" on proposed FCC rules intended to enable individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing to fully enjoy video programming through closed captioning.

CBS News has completed what it calls "several key appointments" in its M Street news hub, including the selection of a new bureau chief and giving the executive producer of its Sunday political talk program Face the Nation a wider role.

No matter how some Americans choose to remember the events that took place on Jan. 6, 2021, in the last days of the Trump Adminstration, Curtis LeGeyt says that, among the many lessons learned that day, "the public was undoubtedly reminded of broadcasters’ critical role in bringing information to the public, especially during times of crisis."