The Commerce Department’s Office of Inspector General plans to publish a “management alert” about NTIA’s “reliance on tribes’ self-certifications of their broadband status to determine their eligibility for grants under the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program,” Assistant IG-Audit and Evaluation Arthur Scott said in a Monday memo to NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson we obtained Tuesday night. OIG plans to release the alert Wednesday, officials said. TBCP is one of several federal broadband programs congressional Republicans have focused on since December as part of ramped-up scrutiny of the government’s connectivity spending.

A public interest group and a former Fox executive are calling on the FCC to block the license renewal of a Fox-owned TV station over the network’s misinformation about the 2020 election. The Media and Democracy Project’s petition to deny the renewal of WTFX-TV Philadelphia includes a declaration from former Fox executive and longtime communications lobbyist Preston Padden with communications to him from Fox head Rupert Murdoch that MAD says show Murdoch knew that information FOX stations were broadcasting was false. “It was obvious to me that Mr. Murdoch knew that Trump had lost the election and there was no basis for claiming election fraud,” said Padden’s declaration.

A California state court delayed enforcement of California Privacy Right Act (CPRA) regulations Friday. The CPRA had required the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) to start enforcing regulations implementing the sequel to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) by Saturday.

The White House on Monday will reveal state allocations for the $42.5 billion broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program, said New Jersey Office of Broadband Connectivity Director Valarry Bullard on an NTIA videoconference Thursday.

The White House plans to announce on Monday President Joe Biden’s intent to nominate former NTIA acting Administrator Anna Gomez to the vacant fifth FCC seat and renominate sitting Commissioners Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks, congressional and other communications policy lobbyists told us Sunday night and Monday. The White House didn’t immediately comment.

Top Republican leaders on the House and Senate Commerce committees want the FCC's Office of Inspector General to review the commission's management of broadband money it received for the affordable connectivity program during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying in a letter to acting IG Sharon Diskin we obtained ahead of its Monday release that "it's important to understand" ACP's "record to date" as they decide whether to back extending its life. They seek answers by June 1. The request came ahead of a Wednesday House Commerce Oversight Subcommittee hearing that will be the panel's first specific foray into what’s expected to be a more critical look at recent broadband spending now that Republicans have the chamber majority.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel is again prodding Congress to allocate an additional $3.08 billion to fully fund the FCC's Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program, writing Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Wednesday that the commission “will need to plan to proceed” with prorating reimbursements to providers if lawmakers don’t bridge the current shortfall by July 15. Rosenworcel’s renewed push comes as congressional leaders are still negotiating a spectrum legislative package that could direct some auction proceeds to increase rip and replace funding.

Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member John Thune of South Dakota, Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz of Texas and nine other panel Republicans pressed NTIA Thursday to “revise or issue a new” notice of funding opportunity for the $42.5 billion broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program “to address” a range of GOP concerns. They want the agency to respond by May 4. NTIA’s existing BEAD NOFO previously drew Senate Commerce Republicans’ ire during a June hearing.

Newsmax is returning to the DirecTV lineup this week, the cable news network said Wednesday. It didn't divulge terms of what it said was a multiyear distribution deal. Newsmax's going dark on DirecTV in January was met by considerable criticism from House GOP members and the FCC saw dozens of complaints by the public in the days afterward. “Newsmax recognizes and appreciates that DIRECTV clearly supports diverse voices, including conservative ones,” Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy said in a statement.

The FCC’s administrative law judge denied the Standard/Tegna broadcasters’ motion to certify the Standard/Tegna deal to the full commission, said an order Thursday. The broadcasters raised only one “unsettled question of law” that could be certified, on the constitutionality of ALJs, the order said. “This complex constitutional issue is the subject of a pending petition for certiorari before the United States Supreme Court and accordingly will not be analyzed here,” wrote ALJ Jane Halprin. The certification process is “an exceedingly rare avenue of redress” and the broadcasters faced “a substantial burden in showing that an entire case should be certified without hearing.” With the motion denied, the hearing proceeding is expected to continue, though the broadcasters could look for assistance from the courts, attorneys told us. The deal’s final extension date is May 22. Standard General didn't immediately comment.