Regulation

President Trump has nominated a full slate of commissioners to the Federal Trade Commission, which has been operating with only two of its five seats filled throughout his administration. They are: Joseph Simons, Noah Phillips, Rohit Chopra and Christine S. Wilson. If confirmed, the four will join Democratic Commissioner Terrell McSweeney in overseeing mergers and policing companies for violations of consumer protection laws.

The FCC Media Bureau denied a must carry complaint the Minority Television Project filed against DISH last year after the satellite provider said it wasn’t required to carry the channel because its election notice was not sent via certified mail. The owner of noncommercial KMTP San Francisco sent its election letter via USPS Priority Mail.

Here’s what broadcasters should be thinking about when taking advantage of the commission’s new rules abolishing the main studio and staffing requirements.

New Jersey’s two U.S. senators charged Secaucus-based WWOR with failing to live up to its federal mandate to cover its hometown state, and have asked FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to ensure that the Fox-owned station fulfill its legal obligations to “devote itself to meeting the special needs of its … community (and the needs of the Northern New Jersey area in general).”

In the latest sign that music copyright reform could be on the horizon, a Senate version of the Music Modernization Act is expected to be filed on Wednesday. The Senate bill follows the House version filed in December. The legislation aims to improve digital royalty payouts to songwriters and publishers, while also greatly reducing the legal liability that streaming companies like Spotify and Apple Music have faced to license songs for use on their services. The NAB opposes some of its provisions.

Sarah Whitesell today was appointed as a deputy chief of the FCC’s Media Bureau.  “Sarah has a tremendous reputation for her vast knowledge of communications and media issues — a reputation that […]

In a Des Monies Register op-ed, FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel bemoans the FCC’s relaxing of ownership rules and the proposed Sinclair-Tribune merger, saying “Washington should not be clearing the way for big companies to overwhelm local media markets.  Because local traditions — and local coverage — matter.”

As Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight prepares to defend himself at a murder trial, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge has convened an emergency hearing Tuesday morning to discuss an application by two journalists who have been summoned to testify before a grand jury.

Fox News analyst Howard Kurtz argues that press misjudgment has upended coverage of the White House and boosted the president’s agenda in this exclusive excerpt from his new book, Media Madness.

Montana’s Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock on Monday signed an executive order requiring all internet service providers with state contracts to commit to net neutrality, the principle that all traffic on the internet should be treated equally. That makes Montana the first state to successfully push back against last month’s ruling of the Republican-led FCC, which essentially dismantled the rules adopted under the Obama administration in 2015.

The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority issued a preliminary ruling Tuesday that 21st Century Fox’s planned $16.3 billion takeover of satellite service Sky plc isn’t in the public interest because it would give Rupert Murdoch and his family too much control over the country’s news media. The Competition and Markets Authority’s decision will be finalized by May 1, when the regulator will send its report to the secretary of state for culture, media and sport, who will make a final decision on the deal.

Once again, Judge Judy finds herself on the other side of the bench with a new breach-of-contract complaint filed against the top TV judge and CBS. While the jury-trial seeking suit from Kaye Switzer and the trust of the late Sandi Spreckman doesn’t specify damages, it does state that the plaintiffs are owed $4.75 million from the $95 million sale of Judge Judy to CBS in August.

Now that it boasts one of television’s largest audiences, Netflix isn’t spending much time worrying about the demise of the government rules that once protected it. With millions of subscribers still flocking to its service, Netflix figures internet providers are unlikely to do anything that might alienate large numbers of their own customers who also turn to Netflix for trendy shows such as Stranger Things, The Crown and Black Mirror.

Republican FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly said Monday that regulators should not crack down on big tech companies like Facebook and Google.

The cable group says the commission should make changes to the 2011 Comcast-NBCU deal in light of the Justice Department’s concerns over AT&T-Time Warner.

Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell announce a deal to re-open the government after a three-day standoff. The Senate voted 81-18 to move forward on a bill to fund the government through Feb. 8 after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) agreed to end the shutdown and continue to negotiate on immigration and spending matters.

The commission on Friday announced that “In the event of a partial government shutdown, because of available funding, the Federal Communications Commission plans to remain open and pay staff at least through the close of business on Friday, Jan. 26.”

As the Starz-Altice USA carriage dispute drags on, the Lionsgate-owned network has filed two separate petitions with the FCC that aim to force the cable company to restore it on New York-area Optimum systems.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — One of the former stars of the “Jersey Shore” reality TV show is due in federal court in Newark on Friday to plead guilty to cheating […]

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on Thursday appointed Nirali Patel as special counsel. She joins the Office of the Chairman from the Office of Commissioner Brendan Carr, where she has been […]

In November, the FCC eliminated the rule requiring that eight independent TV voices remain in a market before a TV duopoly would be approved, eliminated the newspaper/broadcast and radio/television crossownership rules, and made other changes. Now, Prometheus Radio Project and Media Mobilizing Project, public interest groups who have been opponents of relaxation in the FCC’s broadcast ownership rules, have filed the first petition for review of that action.

The Senate Commerce Committee voted to confirm Commissioner Brendan Carr for a full five-year term at the FCC. The panel advanced the nomination in a 14-13 party-line vote on Thursday. Carr, a Republican, was nominated and confirmed in August to a partial term that was set to expire later this year.