TV broadcast executives during Q4 earnings calls last week were bullish on merger and acquisition opportunities under the new White House and FCC leadership, but several also mentioned “softness” in some advertising categories, possibly connected to tariffs. Concern with tariffs is “putting a natural chilling effect upon advertising in the automobile sector” but should eventually “settle out,” said Gray Media co-CEO Hilton Howell.
A group of more than 50 unions, public interest and consumer groups released a statement last week opposing White House control of independent agencies like the FCC. Meanwhile, major telecom and media trade associations and companies have been mostly quiet concerning the Donald Trump administration's actions to assert control of independent agencies and its dismissal of Democrats serving on federal commissions.
Michael Powell to retire this year as NCTA president and CEO ... FCC promotes Zenji Nakazawa to acting chief, Public Safety Bureau, replacing Deb Jordan, retiring ... Comcast names Hensey Fenton, ex-Covington & Burling, deputy general counsel-privacy and digital governance … Changes at NASA: Vanessa Wyche promoted to acting associate administrator, replacing Jim Free, retired; Stephen Koerner advanced to acting director-Johnson Space Center, replacing Wyche; Jackie Jester, ex-Relativity Space, appointed associate administrator-office of legislative and intergovernmental affairs.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Thursday rejected Hikvision’s request that the court order the FCC to begin processing the Chinese company’s authorization requests for gear it wants to sell in the U.S. (see 2502240045). The FCC had asked the court not to take that step (see 2502110040). Hikvision said many of the products it sells can’t be connected to the internet. The court issued a brief order saying the motion was denied. Hikvision and Dahua won a partial victory last year (see 2404020068) when the D.C. Circuit found that the FCC’s definition of critical infrastructure in a 2022 order was “overly broad.”
The FCC’s World Radiocommunication Conference Advisory Committee will meet in person April 15 at 11 a.m. in the Commission Meeting Room, the agency said Thursday. This will be the first meeting of the committee during Donald Trump's second presidency. The meeting will be livestreamed.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr told reporters Thursday that he will look “very closely” at the state of play on legacy copper in carrier networks. “We have a regime in place where we are requiring carriers to invest billions and billions of dollars into aging, legacy copper networks,” sometimes in parallel with building a modern network, Carr said. “We need to find a way to create the incentives so that we can transition people to next-generation services and incentivize investment in new infrastructure.”
House Oversight Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) Subcommittee Chairwoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., told us Wednesday that she has firmed up a late March date for a hearing with PBS CEO Paula Kerger and NPR CEO Katherine Maher to examine claims that public broadcasters’ content has a pro-Democratic bias (see 2502030064). Greene earlier this month proposed March 24 as one potential date for the hearing. The panel will take place amid growing GOP interest in ending federal funding for the broadcasters.
The FCC has sent letters to U.S. tech companies that are regulated under the EU’s Digital Services Act, offering to help them oppose “censorship requests coming from Europe,” said FCC Chairman Brendan Carr in a post-meeting press conference Thursday. Europe's DSA is “very discriminatory” and “Orwellian” and requires U.S. platforms to censor speech, Carr said. The letters -- sent to Alphabet, Apple, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, X, Snap, Wikipedia, LinkedIn and Pinterest -- ask the companies to schedule briefings with him on “reconciling the DSA with America’s free speech tradition” and the role of EU officials in encouraging censorship. The briefings should also include information on the economic and technical feasibility of geofencing -- separating online platforms into two, with one consistent with EU law and the other “for free speech,” Carr said. The DSA “is positioned to thwart efforts by U.S. tech companies to preserve and respect First Amendment principles on their platforms,” the letters said. They highlighted DSA rules against hate speech, blasphemy, insults and speaking ill of the dead, and an impending rule that requires companies to follow the EU’s rules against disinformation. Carr said the DSA could force U.S. companies to alter their content moderation policies to meet EU standards, which would take them away from fostering free speech. The letters give companies until Monday to respond.
NCTA President Michael Powell is retiring by year-end, the cable industry group said Thursday. He has held the position since spring 2011. Powell, 61, spent a term as FCC commissioner, starting in November 1997, and then served as chairman from 2001 through March 2005. Powell's "strategic insight and commitment have shaped the cable industry’s most significant achievements, and his leadership will be greatly missed," NCTA board Chairman and Cox Communications President Mark Greatrex said. NCTA said it would begin a national search for a successor. Powell "will have a lasting legacy in our industry," ACA Connects President Grant Spellmeyer wrote on X. "Thankful for his many years of service to this country and his kind mentorship to me!"
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is warning Verizon about what he says are its diversity, equity and inclusion practices. "While I am pleased with the progress different companies are making" in ending DEI practices, "I am concerned by the apparent lack of progress at Verizon," he said in a letter dated Thursday to CEO Hans Vestberg. Carr posted the letter on X, pointing to materials on Verizon's website where it says it is "deeply committed to sustaining a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion within our company and the communities we serve." The letter also cites media reports about DEI practices or promotions at Verizon. "[P]romoting invidious forms of discrimination cannot be squared with any reasonable interpretation of federal law," Carr said. "It can only deprive Americans of their rights to fair and equal treatment under the law." Carr said that as head of the agency, "it is important to me that the entities the Commission regulates fully adhere to our country's laws." To resolve the issue, he said, "please reach out to the agency personnel working on Verizon's pending transactions with the FCC." The FCC's Enforcement Bureau under Carr is investigating the DEI programs of Comcast and its NBCUniversal (see 2502110063).