Public broadcasters aren’t struggling with funding during the pandemic like commercial stations are, several public media groups and individual stations said in interviews. Public TV stations mainly look to donations as their primary funding source, rather than commercial underwriting, and donations are up during the time of COVID-19, said every public media official we interviewed. This comes as more people stay home, consuming more news and entertainment there during the health crisis.
Newly named Democratic chairmen of the Senate Communications Subcommittee and Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over the FCC budget, set their sights on influencing the broadband-focused legislation expected to be an early priority for President Joe Biden’s administration (see 2101150001). Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., chairs the Senate Commerce Committee's Communications Subcommittee (see 2102190056). Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., leads the Appropriations Committee's Financial Services Subcommittee, which oversees the FCC and FTC budgets (see 2102120067).
Provide an open radio access network push for 5G, stopping short of a mandate, NTIA heard at virtual “listening session” Thursday, its second on the topic (see 2101280053). FCC members will vote March 17 on an ORAN notice of inquiry (see 2102240063).
Connecticut’s attorney general supported a comprehensive privacy bill, with caveats including on enforcement. The legislature’s Joint Committee on General Law heard testimony on SB-893 at a webcast hearing Thursday. The New England Cable & Telecommunications Association (NECTA) supports the bill, which mirrors Virginia's, as long as no further changes are made, said Davis Wright privacy attorney Nancy Libin.
"Incredible" proceeds of the C-band auction "changed the game somewhat" in federal spectrum management, greasing the path for more federal agency participation in sharing or relocation, FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington said Thursday in a Lincoln Network talk. The $81.2 billion in auction proceeds (see 2102180041) show how valuable some spectrum is to commercial operators, making it clear there will be ample funds available for spectrum relocation fund (SRF) uses and "mitigating somewhat" the pain of federal relocation from those bands, he said.
Verizon and AT&T face financial questions after they were the top spenders in the C-band auction, analysts said. Verizon dominated at $45.4 billion, almost twice the $23.4 billion bid by AT&T. T-Mobile was third, at $9.3 billion, while cable companies and Dish Network largely sat on the sidelines. The pending 3.45-3.55 GHz auction may have had some effect on bidding, experts said.
Data portability and interoperability could get early movement as the House Antitrust Subcommittee looks to draft bipartisan bills for its antitrust review, Chairman David Cicilline, D-R.I., and ranking member Ken Buck, R-Colo., told us. At a hearing earlier Thursday, members of both parties showed support for working on portability and interoperability. Buck highlighted both items for potential subcommittee collaboration.
Broadcasters aren’t back to their pre-pandemic financial states, but they see improvements on the horizon, said Cumulus, Sinclair, Nexstar and Graham Holdings in quarterly reports and calls this week. CEO Perry Sook said Nexstar has enough certainty about its outlook to reinstate guidance for upcoming quarters, conceding that broadcasters aren't out of the woods. “We don’t anticipate being back above 2019 levels” in advertising revenue in the next year, Sook said. Nexstar will be “still retracing our steps” and recovering in 2022, he said.
Congress, not courts, should decide net neutrality, said a federal judge Tuesday, ruling from the bench denying ISPs a preliminary injunction against California’s law (see our bulletin). “I don't find that the plaintiffs have demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits at this stage of the litigation,” said Judge John Mendez on the motion by ACA Connects, CTIA, NCTA and USTelecom in case 2:18-cv-02684. This paves the way for the law to take effect, cheering fans of using Communications Act Title II to regulate broadband service, while industry plaintiffs agreed with the judge that Congress must step in.
A Wednesday House Communications Subcommittee hearing on broadcasting and cable companies’ role in spreading disinformation focused on letters two subpanel members earlier sent to 12 major providers asking them to justify carrying Fox News, Newsmax and One America News Network, as expected (see 2102230001). Republicans said the letters (see 2102220068), from Reps. Anna Eshoo and Jerry McNerney, both D-Calif., are evidence Democrats want to punish conservative news media. Democrats emphasized they aren’t seeking new legislation to regulate the media.