Broadcasting&Cable

Senate Confirms Michael Kratsios As New Trump Administration Chief Technology Officer

Through a voice vote, the Senate has unanimously confirmed Michael Kratsios to be President Donald Trump's associate director of the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), making him the new Chief Technology Officer. President Trump nominated Kratsios as CTO back in March. Kratsios was the deputy CTO as well as deputy assistant to the President for technology policy at the White House, a post he has held since President Trump took office.

Senate Commerce Committee Passes Broadband DATA Act

The Senate Commerce Committee unanimously passed the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability (DATA) Act (S.1822), a bill that would try to improve the data the government uses to establish where broadband is and isn't via broadband availability maps. Specifically, the bill:

FTC Chairman Simons: Facebook Settlement Was Best Outcome Given Limited Authority

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Joe Simons defended the FTC's $5 billion settlement with Facebook, saying that it was the best deal it could get with limited authority, and calling on Congress to pass comprehensive privacy legislation. Chairman Simons said he was faced with two choices, get an "excellent" settlement, as he suggested this was, or face years of litigation that would likely achieve "far less" relief than the FTC got, which he took pains to outline.

House Commerce Leaders Slam Trump Administration Spectrum Infighting at Hearing

The House Communications Subcommittee held a hearing on spectrum management and House leadership was not pleased with the infighting between the Federal Communications Commission and National Telecommunications & Information Administration over spectrum policy. The most prominent falling-out is over the FCC's recent auction of high band spectrum in the 24 GHz band for 5G and concerns by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of "out-of-band emissions" affecting satellite weather sensing.

FCC Commissioner O'Rielly Named NY State Broadcasters Association New Yorker of Year

Federal Communications Commissioner Michael O'Rielly has been named "New Yorker of the Year" by the New York State Broadcasters Association (NYSBA). O'Rielly, who was born just outside Buffalo (NY), was hailed by the association as "one of the outstanding commissioners in the history of the FCC". “Receiving this award is an incredible honor," Commissioner O'Rielly said.

FCC Takes Some Heat for Changes to Children's TV Rules

The Federal Communications Commission took some heat after it voted to loosen its children's television rules. “Today’s FCC decision sacrifices children’s education and well-being all for corporate profit under the guise of flexibility," said Sen Edward Markey (D-MA), one of the senators behind the Children's TV Act. "Promoting the public good and serving kids should not fall by the wayside for the sake of increased business revenue.

Comcast Pushes Shapefile Broadband Mapping Approach

Comcast met with Federal Communications Commission officials the week of June 24 to urge them to adopt NCTA-The Internet & Television Association's proposal to use polygon shapefiles to more accurately map broadband deployment, including where service could be lit up in a matter of days (which Comcast argues should count as served). In their meeting with FCC officials, the Comcast executives made the point that the shapefiles mapping approach would be more granular than census block, saying shapefiles "accurately reflect coverage in partially served census blocks that may not be depicte

FCC Investigating Sinclair Over Tribune Deal

In a letter of inquiry sent by the Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau to Sinclair Broadcast Group General Counsel David Gibber, the FCC asks for documents releated to Sinclair's  aborted effort to buy Tribune TV stations and whether Sinclair mislead the FCC about who would actually be controlling the stations it was spinning off as part of the deal. The FCC is investigating "whether, in light of the issues presented in the HDO, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.

Supremes' FCC Case Remand Could Weaken Commission's Defense of Decisions

The Supreme Court vacated a lower court decision on the Federal Communications Commission's enforcement of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, in the process raising questions about the FCC's ability to enforce other regulations, depending on how they are crafted and what court is reviewing them. At issue is how much leeway the courts and regulated entities have to challenge FCC interpretations and definitions in its decisions, which are regularly challenged in courts. One law firm called it a potentially "landmark" ruling.

House Approves Full Funding-Plus for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

The House has approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the independent agency that dispenses federal funding for noncommercial media. The $495 million in funding, which was not only full funding but an additional $50 million, is for 2022. CPB is forward funded in an attempt to depoliticize the process. President Donald Trump has proposed phasing out the federal government's contribution of about 15% of CPB's annual budgets, but lawmakers from both parties have signaled that is not happening.

House Antitrust Subcommittee Looks at Impact of Online Platforms on Journalism and Competition

The House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee held the hearing "Online Platforms and Market Power, Part 1: The Free and Diverse Press", beginning its look at antitrust issues related to the practice of journalism in the age of online platforms with enormous market power. The News Media Alliance, whose president, David Chavern, was testifying, has called on Congress to give news outlets an antitrust exemption so they can flex some collective muscle and negotiate for compensation for all that news content being aggregated and distributed by Facebook, Google and other platforms.

Third Circuit, Again, Hears Argument in Challenge to FCC Broadcast Ownership Deregulation

Federal Communications Commission media ownership deregulation took its latest trip to Philadelphia (PA) June 11 as the FCC defended its latest rule changes against a challenge by Prometheus Radio Project in the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.  Prometheus filed suit against the FCC's fall 2017 decision, under Chairman Ajit Pai, that eliminated the newspaper-broadcast and the radio-TV cross-ownership rules, among other deregulations. Joined by the Media Mobilizing Project, Prometheus wants the court to reverse the 2017 decision and require the FCC to "fully comply" with the court'