The prospects for achieving broadcast ownership deregulation are “better than at any point in the recent past” under the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, said Nexstar CEO Perry Sook in a Q&A during the UBS Global Communications Conference. Sook said Monday he expects a congressional effort will scrap the 39% broadcast ownership cap and implement internal FCC changes that will ease rules on broadcasters within the first six months of the new administration. Incoming FCC head and current Commissioner Brendan Carr “gets it,” Sook said. “We've been in contact with him, and will continue to be in close contact.” Sook said that Carr’s repeated statements on taking away broadcast licenses and holding broadcasters to a public interest standard are aimed at NBC, CBS and ABC. “I think there is some animus or frustration with some of the networks for some of their content decisions.” However, Sook downplayed the threat. “FCC chairmen can't really unilaterally revoke licenses,” he said. “Now you can use your pulpit to commence hearings ... and ... make people's lives more expensive and more difficult, but unilaterally removing licenses is not really within the cards.” Along with Carr, Sook said Nexstar discussed deregulation with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La. Unlike previous pushes to change the national cap, the broadcast TV groups support completely removing it this time, Sook said. “The industry itself is united around the need and not divided as to what the right number is.” Carr could spur TV market consolidation simply by signaling that waivers allowing top-four duopolies would be more liberally granted, Sook said, adding it’s a move he could make without a majority at the commission. Sook is also looking to Carr to eliminate the simulcast requirement for the ATSC 3.0 transition and establish a date certain to end ATSC 1.0. “We are spending time working with both the legislative and the executive branch to try and affect these changes.”
In what could be its last full meeting under Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, the FCC on Dec. 11 will consider rules that would expand parts of the 6 GHz band where new very-low-power (VLP) devices can operate without coordination, beyond the initial 850 MHz commissioners approved last year (see 2310190054). Commissioners at the open meeting will also consider changing rules that govern letters of credit for USF programs and an item updating several broadcast radio and TV rules. Also on the agenda are various enforcement items, which will be released after the commission's approval.
Broadcast executives during Q3 earnings calls were hopeful for ownership deregulation and progress on ATSC 3.0 from a Republican-controlled FCC, but FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr -- the perceived front-runner to chair the agency -- said Thursday that scrutinizing broadcasters is among his priorities. “We're very excited about the upcoming regulatory environment,” said Sinclair Broadcast CEO Chris Ripley during Sinclair’s call Wednesday. “It feels like a cloud over the industry is lifting ... and ... some much-needed modernization of the regulations will be forthcoming.” In a news release Thursday, Carr said when the transition to the next administration is complete “the FCC will have an important role to play reining in Big Tech, ensuring that broadcasters operate in the public interest, and unleashing economic growth while advancing our national security interests and supporting law enforcement.”
NEW YORK -- 2025 isn't a “cliff” for the broadcast TV industry despite falling retransmission consent revenue, ad sales declines and growing streaming competition, said executives at the NAB Show New York Wednesday. “We're not at the cliff,” said Nexstar President-Broadcast Andy Alford. “I think 2025 is going to have its challenges,” but “there is lots of opportunity for 2025 to be a good year." Said CBS News and Stations President Jennifer Mitchell during a TV NewsCheck-hosted panel, “Despite year-over-year declines heading into 2025 there is a lot of optimism.”
Panasonic will begin offering a range of ATSC 3.0 receivers and ADTH is offering a USB stick-sized receiver, said a news release Tuesday from Pearl TV ahead of the NAB New York trade show. Along with the new receivers, Pearl announced increased availability of features from ATSC 3.0 broadcasters such as high dynamic range and multichannel broadcast audio. HDR is available to 80 million households from ATSC 3.0 broadcasters, said Pearl Managing Director Anne Schelle in the release. Broadcasters will also kick off a holiday-themed ATSC 3.0 advertising campaign after the November election, the release said. “Anywhere that NEXTGEN TV is on the air, we’d like our member stations to run an informational campaign to let consumers know that they should be looking for the NEXTGEN TV certification mark as they shop for new receivers during the holidays,” Schelle said in the release.
After more than a year of meetings, the NAB-led, FCC-involved ATSC 3.0 task force, the Future of TV Initiative, hasn’t reached consensus on controversial topics, we're told. Its members include broadcasters, cable interests, and consumer and public interest groups. Its first meeting was in June 2023, and it was expected to issue a final report in the fall, yet members told us that it's likely merely to reiterate many of the positions stakeholders held going into the effort. It's also unlikely to provide a firm timeline for the sunset of ATSC 1.0. Just before the initiative's launch, ATSC President Madeleine Noland said the goal was for the diverse group to “chart a path forward together,” and NAB told us the goal was to make concrete recommendations to the FCC by June 2024.
The FCC Media Bureau granted Microsoft’s request to withdraw its petition of reconsideration against FCC rules easing the creation of broadcaster-distributed transmission systems, according to a public notice in Friday’s Daily Digest. Microsoft dropped the petition in a filing posted Tuesday (see 2408060043). The DTS order was intended to aid the ATSC 3.0 transition. Microsoft had raised concerns that the order would lead to broadcasters interfering with devices using the TV white spaces.
Microsoft withdrew its 2021 petition for reconsideration of an FCC order relaxing interference rules for distributed transmission systems, a request for dismissal posted Tuesday in docket 20-74 said. The DTS order was intended to help broadcasters using ATSC 3.0 craft single frequency networks. However, Microsoft had argued it would lead to disruption for unlicensed devices using the TV white spaces (see 2105240067). “Microsoft is no longer pursuing or advocating for the matters raised in the Petition,” the request for dismissal said. “Accordingly, the Petition for Reconsideration is no longer needed or of concern to Microsoft and may be dismissed.” The previous FCC approved the DTS order 3-2, with current FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel -- then a commissioner-- and Commissioner Geoffrey Starks dissenting.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, which overruled the Chevron doctrine (see 2406280043), and in SEC v. Jarkesy (see 2406270063) were “a good thing,” FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said Wednesday during a Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council webinar. Other former FCC officials disagreed sharply with the rulings that appear to expand judges' power while reining in regulatory agencies like the FCC.
Ballard Spahr names Jeffrey Morgan, ex-Barnes & Thornburg, as of counsel, intellectual property … Maryland Innovation Initiative hires Southern Research Chief Business Officer Abishek Kulshreshtha as its new executive director, effective July 1 ... WISeKey International Holding cybersecurity company announces retirement of Peter Ward as chief financial officer, effective June 30, succeeded by SEALSQ’s John O’Hara, effective July 1; Ward remaining on board … Intracom Telecom Group hires Kyriakos Vergos, ex-Codium Networks, as chief commercial officer ... Redwire, space infrastructure company, taps Virgin Galactic’s Aaron Futch, also former Intelsat, as executive vice president-general counsel and secretary.