Comcast shareholders reelect board members: Brian Roberts, Comcast (chairman); Kenneth Bacon, RailField Partners; Thomas Baltimore, Park Hotels & Resorts; Madeline Bell, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Louise Brady, Piedmont Capital; Edward Breen, DuPont de Nemours; Jeffrey Honickman, Pepsi-Cola and National Brand Beverages; Wonya Lucas, formerly Hallmark Media Networks; Asuka Nakahara, Triton Atlantic Partners; and David Novak, David Novak Leadership … Stop Scams Alliance adds Rosemary Harold, ex-FCC, to its board … The FCC names Louis Libin, Sinclair, to the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference Advisory Committee; Del Parks, Sinclair, replaces Libin on the North American Broadcasters Association board ... C Spire appoints Erick Evans, ex-Ramey, as senior vice president of marketing.
IHeartMedia wants the FCC to allow Global Media and Entertainment Investments (GMEI), an existing foreign-owned investor in iHeart, to transfer its interest in iHeart to a related corporate-owned entity, said a petition for declaratory ruling posted Wednesday in docket 25-200. GMEI is organized in the Bahamas and principally owned by U.K. citizens, including British horse-racing and media entrepreneur Michael Tabor. The FCC has previously approved foreign ownership of up to 100% of iHeart’s equity and voting interests, as well as the specific participation of GMEI, iHeart said. The petition stems from “anticipation” that Tabor’s son, Ashley Tabor-King, who is currently executive president of two of GMEI's sister companies, “will serve as a close advisor to Mr. Tabor and exert some degree of influence with respect Mr. Tabor’s investment in iHeart,” the filing said. It sought permission for Tabor-King, several GMEI-associated companies, and multiple U.K.-based people who could have influence over the companies to hold up to a 5% interest in iHeart. “The proposed changes described in the Petition do not change the aggregate amount of foreign ownership of iHeart,” the filing said. Comments on the petition are due July 18, replies Aug.4.
Industry officials expect Chairman Brendan Carr to circulate an NPRM Wednesday evening on relaxing the national broadcast ownership cap, they told us after Breitbart reported on the proposal. Carr has repeatedly said he believes the FCC has the authority to change the cap, and he wants to empower local broadcasters to reduce the power imbalance between station owners and national networks (see Ref:2505160064]). The current rules limit a single company from owning stations that reach more than 39% of U.S. TV households. With Wednesday’s confirmation of incoming FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty, Carr is seen as having the votes to relax the rules. Opponents of broadcast deregulation have said the FCC doesn’t have the authority to alter the ownership limit, and any FCC action to change it is certain to draw a legal challenge.
Network Tool & Die (NTAD) told the FCC it has filed data from last year required as part of the agency’s broadband data collection program. NTAD got a waiver last week of the March 3 filing deadline after complaining about circumstances outside its control (see 2506110015). “NTAD respectfully submits that its data submission was completed within the requirements of the Waiver Order,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 19-195.
Californians can't combine their state and federal Lifeline subsidies for stand-alone wireline broadband service, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) said in a decision published Tuesday (docket 20-02-008). The commission's Public Advocate Office and the Utility Reform Network petitioned the CPUC in April 2024 while the FCC was sunsetting the Affordable Connectivity Program. Residents were eligible during the program to combine their subsidies. Several ISPs, including AT&T, Charter, Cox, Consolidated Communications and Frontier, opposed the petition and cited legal, policy and procedural issues. "While we deny the petition based on these procedural flaws, we agree with the petitioners that the commission should explore ways to make broadband more affordable to Californians," the decision said.
Nokia filed a report this week at the FCC on its initial commercial deployment as a spectrum access system manager in the citizens broadband radio service band. Nokia asked the FCC not to make public the information it filed, which was posted Wednesday in docket 15-319 and completely redacted. The FCC approved Nokia’s application last summer (see 2407180035).
The FCC administrative law judge will hear Anuvu's arguments concerning reimbursement for C-band relocation costs. The C-band relocation payment clearinghouse appeals procedure lets any party appeal a reimbursement dispute by petitioning for an evidentiary hearing before the ALJ, said acting Wireless Bureau Chief Joel Taubenblatt in a hearing designation order Wednesday (docket 21-333). Anuvu petitioned in April for a de novo review of the bureau upholding a rejection of some of the company's reimbursement claims (see 2504070044). Anuvu received $326,520 for its relocation expenses but was denied an additional $960,694 related to its Raisting, Germany, earth station site.
The FCC Wireline and Wireless bureaus and the Office of International Affairs have signed off on the transfer of control of Windstream and Uniti Group as part of the two companies' merger, said a public notice Wednesday (docket 24-165). The merger was announced in 2024 and is expected to close in the back half of this year. The FCC said it concluded that the deal wouldn't reduce competition or hurt USF programs.
The FCC has an important but still limited role to play in cybersecurity, said Joshua Levine, a research fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation, during a Broadband Breakfast webinar Wednesday. The agency is rightly attempting to crack down on the authorization and use of unsecure telecom equipment in the U.S., including through its recent "bad labs" order (see 2505220056), he said. While the commission is well positioned to oversee the security of devices and the supply chain, he argued that it probably shouldn’t serve as the lead agency on cybersecurity.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez were among many communications policymakers and stakeholders who congratulated Republican Commissioner-designate Olivia Trusty on Tuesday night and Wednesday. The Senate voted 53-45 Wednesday to confirm Trusty to a five-year term that begins July 1 (see 2506180076). It cleared her Tuesday to finish the term of former Democratic Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, which ends June 30 (see 2506170072).