Absent more FCC action on issues such as ownership and facilitating the ATSC 3.0 transition, the broadcast industry is quickly sliding toward a "period of catastrophic decline," FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington said Thursday. "We can't keep on the current trajectory" of stations closing and licenses falling into disuse, he said at a Media Institute event. The trend line on broadcaster bankruptcies is "a little bit like the beginning of a recession."
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A few tweaks are expected to the two wireless items to come before FCC commissioners Thursday at their open meeting, said industry officials active in the proceedings. The items are a notice of inquiry about a wide range of possible alternatives to GPS for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) and a draft Further NPRM on 911 wireless location accuracy. The GPS NOI saw numerous ex parte filings seeking tweaks, with only CTIA seeking changes to the location accuracy notice.
Questions from judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit appeared particularly pointed Monday, aimed at T-Mobile lawyer Helgi Walker of Gibson Dunn, as the court heard the carrier’s challenge of an $80 million FCC fine for allegedly not safeguarding data on customers' real-time location (see 2502190029). T-Mobile was also fined $12.2 million for violations by Sprint, which it later acquired.
Deceptive negative-option contracts -- where consumers pay monthly for a subscription unless they opt out -- are ballooning, despite regulators' efforts, backers of the FTC's "click-to-cancel" rule told the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday. NCTA and others are challenging the rule (see 2411220029). Last week, amicus briefs were filed for both sides in docket 24-3137.
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People in the News
March 25, 2025
Sinclair Executive Vice President and CFO Lucy Rutishauser will retire after her successor is named and transitions to the role; after retirement, Rutishauser is expected to remain as senior adviser … Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International names Nicole McGinnis, formerly FCC Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, as chief counsel … Austin Bonner, ex-White House and FCC, returns to HWG as a partner in its telecommunications, issues and appeals, and AI and emerging technologies practice groups … Shane Portfolio, Congruex and formerly Comcast, joins Teleste’s advisory board … CoreWeave adds Jean English, ex-Juniper Networks, as chief marketing officer, new post
Emergency response center data supplier Carbyne appoints Colby Proffitt, formerly Shift5, as chief marketing officer
Space service company Spire Global names Alison Engel, formerly LeaseAccelerator, as CFO, replacing Thomas Krywe, interim CFO, who remains as executive adviser through April … Morgan Murphy Media promotes Brian Burns to president-CEO, replacing retiring Elizabeth Murphy Burns, who becomes board chair.
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