FCC Commissioner O'Rielly Remarks Before NAB State Leadership Conference

Quadrennial Review: The Commission may have to acknowledge that the current media marketplace can no longer be defined solely by traditional media voices stovepiped into discrete categories, such as television and radio. If done properly, this action will allow the Commission to jettison its myopic vision that broadcasters experience little competition in favor of one that recognizes the fulsome competitive forces in the current marketplace. 

DOJ workshop: The DOJ has announced that it intends to hold a workshop to examine how digital advertising should affect its broadcast merger review.

Radio Ownership: As the Quadrennial proceeds, I trust that those of you in the radio business will become active participants in the debate over how best to reform our radio ownership rules.

Broadcast Incentive Auction Repack: While I fully want the 600 MHz spectrum cleared as soon as possible, no station should be worried that the FCC would make it to go dark and cease offering programming to viewers. You have my word that I will not let that happen.

C-Band Reallocation: The policy issue is how to go about repurposing a good portion of the existing C-Band satellite spectrum downlink – or 3.7 to 4.2 GHz – to provide a new mid-band spectrum play for 5G wireless services. From a broadcasting perspective, I have made it one of my conditions for approving any reallocation that the proposal include full reimbursement and retuning for those broadcasters that currently use C-band satellite services. My message to you is that if you don’t get greedy or seek unfair enrichment for the reallocation, your concerns will have to be fully addressed.

KidVid: We may see compliance becoming a bit more complex in order to bring necessary flexibility to those managing the programming schedules for stations. That’s a trade I am willing to make, and I am hopeful, in the end, that you all will see benefits far exceeding any added compliance burdens.