McConnell Says Republican Goal Is to 'Tackle' Regulatory Overreach; Durbin Wants Media Protections
Looser regulation of industry is one of the keys to the Republican plan to get the country out of "stagnation," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told the NAB State Leadership Conference Tuesday. Getting rid of "the regulatory monster" is a key goal, McConnell said in a speech that included praise for FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. "We hope he'll soon be followed up by a majority" that will take the FCC in a "less heavy-handed and regulatory direction," McConnell said of Pai. NAB President Gordon Smith and Sen Dick Durbin, D-Ill., also spoke at the event about the importance of broadcast journalism.
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Trump's persistent attacks on the media make this one of the most challenging times to be in journalism, said Durbin. "Report what you find without fear or favor," he told the crowd. To bolster media, lawmakers should invest "more not less" in federal funds in the CPB (see 1702270058), preserve federal libel standards, and pass a federal shield law to protect media sources and whistleblowers, he said. Vice President Mike Pence supported such a shield law when he was in Congress, Durbin said. "American Democracy needs you now more than ever," Durbin told the broadcasters.
Broadcasters lobbying legislators should remind them that they don't have a "partisan angle," Smith said. "You're there to find the facts," he said. Broadcasters in both TV and radio should be concerned about the spectrum repacking, Smith said. "If you are in radio and think the TV repack doesn't affect you, I would ask how many of your stations are collocated on a tower," Smith said. The repacking could affect "as many as 1,100" towers, he said. "They probably have not allocated enough money to get this done," Smith said of the $1.75 billion repacking reimbursement fund.
The FCC’s pilot of releasing full text of draft items before commissioners vote on them (see 1702020016) “seemed to go pretty well,” and the agenda items to be released Thursday will “see our pilot project advance,” Matthew Berry, Chairman Ajit Pai’s chief of staff, told broadcasters. He also said he didn't foresee the pilot program becoming mired in continual comments, since high-priority items already attract comments and ex parte meetings, but without the commenters knowing all the proposal's details.
Berry also said Pai believes power among the commissioners is tipped too far toward the chairman, and will focus more on beating back a growing partisan divide through increased collaboration and compromise. He pointed to February’s 3-0 votes on the Connect America Fund and the Mobility Fund as coming after “real negotiation [and] meaningful compromise.”
Industry consensus would help move AM revitalization forward, Berry said. He also said the FCC is at a point where it might not need to look at a comprehensive AM revitalization order, but might address individual issues. And he said for a next-generation TV standard, the FCC should move toward a similar, permitless process stance for broadcasters that the wireless enjoys when moving to new standards, such as 4G to 5G. Berry also said Pai wants to have final next-gen rules in place by year's end.
Asked about the 39-month deadline for broadcaster repacking, Berry said that timeline goal remains "unless the facts lead us otherwise." Broadcasters applauded when Berry said Pai still believes broadcasters shouldn't have to pay repacking costs themselves.