Broadcast licensees want the FCC to rebalance the network-affiliate relationship by regulating the contracts stations reach with networks, while the networks don’t believe an imbalance exists or that the FCC has authority over their affiliation agreements, according to comments filed by Wednesday’s deadline in docket 25-322. Stations called for the agency to delve into virtual MVPD negotiations, apply restrictions to network-affiliate contracts, and cap network fees, but the big four networks said the FCC injecting itself here could kill broadcasting. Agency intervention “has the potential to severely disrupt the broadcasting ecosystem, threatening the continued survival of broadcasters facing a thinning market,” said NBCUniversal. “The market is working, and the government should not interfere.”
Communications Daily is tracking the lawsuits below involving appeals of FCC actions.
An array of educational policy experts and parents lambasted what they see as an overly heavy reliance on technology in classrooms on Wednesday during an NTIA listening session. Administrator Arielle Roth said earlier this month that a focus of the agency is looking at issues related to excessive screen use in educational settings (see 512020015). The FCC's E-rate program was also criticized by multiple speakers.
A Netflix/Warner Bros. Discovery deal "appears to be in for a long and bumpy road as it navigates the global regulatory review process," Paramount Skydance warned WBD shareholders in a letter Wednesday. Paramount launched a hostile takeover bid for WBD this week after Netflix announced it was buying parts of the company for $82.7 billion in cash and stock (see 2512080007). In the letter, Paramount argued it was offering "a much shorter and more certain path to completion," as well as an all-cash purchase offer that's potentially more lucrative if Netflix stock drops.
A big impediment to safe operations in orbit is the difficulty of getting anyone on the line about an impending near-miss, satellite operators said in an Aerospace Corp. webinar Wednesday. Communication, particularly with Chinese satellite operators, "is getting better," but needs further improvement, said Ryan Shepperd, Iridium's lead engineer for collision assessment and avoidance. The space sustainability event also included discussions about ways to better separate satellites from one another as orbits become increasingly congested.
Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Florida, lead GOP sponsor of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (HR-979), acknowledged Tuesday night that the House’s timeline for passing the bill has slipped slightly but insisted that its leaders still plan to bring it to the floor for a vote soon. He and other backers of HR-979 and Senate companion S-315 had expected a fast-track House vote earlier this month on the measure, which would require the Department of Transportation to mandate that future automobiles include AM radio technology.
A Senate Natural Resources National Parks Subcommittee hearing Tuesday featured limited but positive discussion about the Making National Parks Safer Act (S-290) amid a larger focus on a slate of more than two dozen other measures on the agenda. S-290 would require the Interior Department to develop a plan within one year to install next-generation 911 technology at the National Park System's emergency communications centers. Tuesday's hearing didn’t touch on lingering questions about how Congress would fund NG911 upgrades after Republicans decided in July against allocating future spectrum auction revenue for that purpose in the budget reconciliation package, previously known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (see 2507080065).
The space industry has good communication channels with the U.S. government, but the efficacy of discussions among its agencies about space policy and regulation are less clear, space experts said Tuesday at a seminar in Washington organized by ForumGlobal. Tahara Dawkins, Astroscale's policy director, called for one set of rules across agencies, noting that it’s unclear if, for example, the FCC is talking with NOAA when they craft their regulations. Commercial Space Federation (CSF) Executive Director Alicia Brown added that there must be greater efforts to avoid regulatory conflicts and duplication in areas like payload reviews.
The FCC's supplemental coverage from space (SCS) rules framework, adopted in 2024 (see 2403140050), tackled critical issues but is ready for an update, SpaceX Vice President of Satellite Policy David Goldman said Monday at a seminar in Washington organized by ForumGlobal. Also discussed at the event was use of terrestrial versus satellite spectrum for direct-to-device (D2D) service.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday signaled a willingness to uphold President Donald Trump’s firing of FTC Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, a decision that liberal justices said could totally upend existing structures at independent agencies like the FTC and the FCC (see 2511280002).