Washington Beat

NAB's Deputy General Counsel has responded to a new attempt by Microsoft to overturn recently adopted FCC rules that allow broadcasters to further the deployment of NextGen TV services through the voluntary rollout of ATSC 3.0. In his view, Microsoft's request submitted to the Commission can't hide its "empty promises" to deploy TV white space devices.

The Advanced Warning and Response Network (AWARN) Alliance is hosting a virtual summit next week that will bring together broadcasters and other private sector players with the nation’s largest alerting authorities to discuss next generation emergency messaging.

She's been at the FCC since 1997, and in her time at the Commission oversaw two-thirds of the Commission's auctions. She served under nine FCC Chairs. Now, she's set to retire, and an Acting Deputy Chief in the Office of Economics and Analytics has been named to succeed her.

A panel discussion will be hosted by AEI visiting scholar Mark Jamison, and it puts a magnifying glass on proposals to reform Section 230 — and on whether the law has fulfilled its original promise.

The team at Fletcher Heald & Hildreth has put together an update on the important broadcast media FCC regulatory deadlines operators will need to take note of in the next several weeks. Here's a look at what should go on the calendar today.

The BLT program teaches the fundamentals of purchasing, owning and operating radio and television stations to senior-level broadcast executives, particularly women and people of color, who aspire to advance as group executives or station owners.

The NAB on Friday filed comments with the FCC regarding a proposal to extend the Emergency Alert System to the Internet — including through streaming services. Congress is requesting a study of the issue. But, the NAB cautions that updating EAS to enable internet alerts would be too complex, and likely infeasible, at this time.

NAB President/CEO Gordon Smith offered remarks on the state of the industry, and on his year-end farewell from public service, at the association's State Leadership Conference. We're pleased to share them in their entirety.

BIA Advisory Services has conducted research focused on the "Economic Impact of Big Tech Platforms on the Viability of Local Broadcast News."  It found that each year broadcasters lose nearly $2 billion in value that they generate for two of the largest technology platforms through publication of their valuable content — particularly local news.

The Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office has sent a formal complaint letter to the FCC against Sinclair Broadcast Group's flagship broadcast TV station, WBFF-45. It wants an investigation into the broadcasting practices and media content distributed by the station. The FOX affiliate calls the move an attack on a media source for its reporting on her.

It's only a proposal, and you have about a month to have your say with the FCC. And, your voice may be integral to thwart a regulatory fee increase proposed by the Commission. Among the ways the FCC seeks to get more cash from licensees: assessing regulatory fees for full service broadcast television using population-based methodology once again.

A bipartisan coalition of 77 members of the House of Representatives and eight Senators have joined together to introduce resolutions in both bodies of Congress that oppose "any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge" on AM or FM radio in the U.S.

In the view of American Enterprise Institute Visiting Scholar Mark Jamison, White House control of FCC regulatory analysis is a bad idea. A better idea, he says, is to set transparent standards for such analyses, including public review.

It's official. The association representing the interests of broadcast media translator stations will be holding a live, in-person convention next month in Salt Lake City.

The ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, Sen. Roger Wicker, has joined two Republican colleagues in introducing legislation that would require the FCC and the NTIA to update a memorandum of understanding that governs biannual meetings between the agencies to conduct joint spectrum planning.