House Judiciary Committee Republicans accused Democrats of trying to censor testimony Thursday in a way that mirrors how they allege the federal government colluded with social media companies to censor legitimate news stories.
Wiley hires former FCC Deputy Bureau Chief Diane Holland as partner-telecom, media and tech … Nexstar signs multiyear contract extensions with President-Networks Sean Compton and President-Distribution and Strategy Dana Zimmer; Nexstar's 8-K filing Monday said Compton’s contract runs through September 2027, Zimmer’s through September 2026 ... Colohouse collocation, cloud, bare metal and managed services provider announces Aptum Technologies’ Ross Woodham as chief legal officer.
An FCC draft order on FM6 low-power TV stations is expected to change little from the draft version and to be unanimously approved Thursday, FCC and industry officials said. The stations -- sometimes called “Franken FMs”-- broadcast primarily audio content that can be picked up with FM radio receivers and “will get to stay on the air and continue serving the public,” said Wiley broadcast attorney Ari Melzer, who represents several FM6 broadcasters.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision last week in the student loan case, Biden v. Nebraska, didn’t touch on communications law, but it delves deeper into the "major questions doctrine" laid out a year ago in West Virginia v. EPA (see 2206300066). Legal experts told us the opinion, by Chief Justice John Roberts, appears to further expand when the doctrine may apply and moves the court further away from the Chevron doctrine. The case also has implications for the most controversial items addressed by the FCC, including net neutrality, experts said.
Industry breathed a sigh of relief after a California state court delayed enforcement of California Privacy Rights Act regulations Friday. The California Chamber of Commerce (CalChamber) said the ruling by the California Superior Court in Sacramento righted an unfair situation for businesses. “Significant portions” of CPRA remain enforceable, despite the court’s ruling, said California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) Executive Director Ashkan Soltani.
Umair Javed, chief counsel to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, left the agency, he confirmed on LinkedIn. Javed, who joined Rosenworcel’s staff from Wiley in 2017, had been recusing himself from work on various items for several months, industry officials said. Javed is seen as a potential replacement for FCC nominee Anna Gomez if she leaves her position as head of the U.S. delegation to the World Radiocommunication Conference before the start of the conference Nov. 20 (see 2306010075). The FCC didn't comment.
Wiley announces former Senate Commerce Committee staffer Crystal Tully as special counsel in the firm’s Telecom, Media and Technology Practice … Data center developer CyrusOne says CFO Katherine Motlagh will leave June 1; Senior Vice President-Finance Michael Schafer becomes interim CFO on Motlagh’s departure while the company launches a search for her permanent successor ... Gray Television promotes Senior Managing Vice President Sandy Breland to executive vice president-chief operating officer, succeeding Bob Smith, retired … Private equity firm Welsh Carson adds Dun & Bradstreet’s Andrew Hausman, also former IDC, as an operating partner-technology group.
President Joe Biden’s decision to simultaneously announce his intended pick Monday of former NTIA acting Administrator Anna Gomez to the long-vacant fifth FCC seat and his renomination of sitting Commissioners Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks, as expected (see 2305180067 and 2305220020), is likely to speed Senate confirmation for all three candidates, said congressional officials and communications policy observers in interviews. There’s not a hard timeline for Senate consideration of the trio, but a Commerce Committee confirmation hearing is likely sometime in June and some stakeholders said they will push the chamber to approve all three before the start of the August recess.
The League of United Latin American Citizens has shifted away from an executive’s past backing of former acting NTIA Administrator Anna Gomez to be President Joe Biden’s nominee to fill the FCC seat former Chairman Ajit Pai vacated in 2021 and instead endorsed retired T-Mobile Vice President-Legal Affairs Chris Luna for the role. Many communications sector stakeholders believe Gomez is the prohibitive favorite to be the next nominee (see 2305020001).
Former FCC nominee Gigi Sohn told reporters Wednesday she’s ready for her next act in the communications policy space, after her withdrawal from contention for the vacant commission slot almost two months ago (see 2303070082). Sohn confirmed during and after an appearance at a Broadband Communities event in Houston that she will sign on in June as the American Association for Public Broadband’s first executive director. The House Commerce Oversight Subcommittee, meanwhile, plans a May 10 hearing on the government’s administration of $65 billion in broadband funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and other federal programs.