Washington Beat

Just how much did Gray Television's broadcast TV stations and digital platforms attract in the form of political advertising in 2020? It's in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and the twin U.S. Senate runoff races in Georgia are the icing on the cake.

On Tuesday, the soon-to-depart Chairman of the FCC, Ajit Pai, addressed the Media Institute in a virtual luncheon that saw him quip about a Commission predecessor before offering "some thoughts on where the federal government should go" once he departs on January 20, 2021.

Thanks to a spat over Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, and the unwillingness of a Republican who openly spoke out about his views as a strict Constitutionalist, the White House schemed to get a man on the FCC who'd go along with the president's quest to change the rule. That individual has been formally sworn in as the newest Commissioner.

In case you missed it, the MORE Act was approved last week in the House of Representatives. Does this mean broadcast radio and TV stations are now free to air marijuana advertisements? Not so fast, David Oxenford of Wilkinson Barker Knauer warns.

The FCC has issued a Report and Order updating its rules to promote the introduction of ATSC 3.0-enabled innovative ancillary and supplementary broadcast services, a.k.a Broadcast Internet. The positive response from key lobbying groups in Washington, D.C., was immediate, and positive.

What do the father of a former FCC Commissioner and interim Chairman, a current FCC Commissioner, and a now-retired highly esteemed communications law of counsel for Foster Garvey have in common? All are "champions of digital equality," and were honored Wednesday for their efforts by the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council.

The FCC on Tuesday kicked off its latest 5G spectrum auction, making available 280 megahertz of prime mid-band spectrum in the 3.7-3.98 GHz band—a portion of the C-band. Satellite operators currently using the C-Band have agreed to repack their operations out of the band’s lower 300 megahertz (3.7-4.0 GHz) into the upper 200 megahertz (4.0-4.2 GHz).

She proudly serves the state of Washington's Fifth District in Congress. Hailing from Spokane, she considers herself to be a "pioneer, trailblazer, leader, working mom of three, wife, trust builder," and an "ability advocate." Introducing Republican House Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who has been selected as House Energy & Commerce Committee Ranking Member. 

The debate over whether social media platforms should be held accountable for ensuring the content they carry is “truthful” continues to rage. As AEI adjunct scholar Bronwyn Howell notes, fact-checking is costly. As such, internet platforms are attaching warnings where there is any doubt about content. Should broadcasters do the same, whether online or on the air?

The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has approved three presidential nominations, which are now subject to approval by the full Senate. The trio of Trump selectees includes Section 230-repeal friendly choice Nathan Simington. Will the Senate approve Simington as Mike O'Rielly's FCC successor?

The CDBS system that's been used by the Commission for the last several years has been devoid of new deal filings for two weeks. But, it appears it has nothing to do with a chilled marketplace ahead of a presidential power shift. Rather, it has everything to do with a shift to a new database that few know about -- even today.

The NAB has teamed up with an arm of the Missouri School of Journalism in conducting a national research project designed to identify effective COVID-19 vaccine education messaging. The findings, the NAB says, will be used to help develop the creative used across broadcast media to get Americans to obtain the vaccine.

In August 2010, the Korean Gospel Broadcasting Network took on ownership of an AM at 1190 kHz, serving the entire Los Angeles market. In April 2018, it filed an application for an FM translator with the FCC. The Media Bureau eventually said no, leading KGBN-AM 1190's licensee to file an Application for Review. The full Commission has now released its decision.

Sens. Joe Manchin and Mike Rounds and Reps. Salud Carbajal and Bradley Byrne have formally asked congressional leaders negotiating the National Defense Authorization Act to include legislative language promoting the Department of Defense's usage of local broadcasting and traditional news publishers when recruiting.

With help of Spotify’s Gimlet, the United States Postal Service is launching a series of sixty second podcasts, reports Podcast Business Journal. The “feel-good, uplifting postal carrier stories” feature USPS employees all over the country.