Broadcasters, MVPD groups and public safety entities largely agree that the FCC's plans to revamp emergency alerting are a good thing, but they differ on the direction they want those plans to take, according to comments filed in docket 25-224 by Thursday’s deadline.
Social Media
Social media platforms are facing intense scrutiny over how they collect, share and monetize user data. As new state and federal laws focus on age verification, parental controls and transparency requirements, social media companies face legal risks around algorithmic targeting, third-party tracking and children's safety. This page follows key legislation, investigations and lawsuits shaping privacy practices for major social platforms.
Nexstar and Sinclair Broadcast planned to cease preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! and air the show on their ABC affiliates Friday night, said news releases Friday afternoon. A source familiar with the situation told us that Disney made no editorial or content concessions prior to the announcements.
President Donald Trump threatened ABC again Tuesday, the same night that host Jimmy Kimmel returned to the airwaves in most markets and two days after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr denied attempting to intimidate the network. “I think we’re going to test ABC out on this,” Trump said in a post Tuesday night on Truth Social. “Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative.” Trump has threatened ABC and other networks repeatedly for years (see 2410100050).
Nexstar said Tuesday it would join Sinclair in continuing to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live!, despite the show's return to ABC's lineup starting Tuesday night, while FCC Chairman Brendan Carr continued to insist on social media that he didn't cause Kimmel’s suspension.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s use of agency threats against Disney, ABC and local broadcasters on Wednesday led to Jimmy Kimmel Live! being pulled from the air within hours, and Carr is widely expected to keep repeating the tactic, academics and attorneys said in interviews Thursday.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said Tuesday that he’s generally satisfied with how Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act is playing out and raised doubts about whether the agency will plow further into the issue. The debate over Section 230 “is still alive,” but given changes by social media companies, Carr is in a “trust-but-verify posture,” he said at a Politico summit focused on AI.
Ten Senate Republicans want to mitigate parts of the GOP’s compromise on a spectrum pipeline framework, adopted in July via the budget reconciliation package, amid an ongoing push to excise language in the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (S-2296) that would give the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman authority to veto commercial use of the 3.1-3.45, 7 and 8 GHz bands (see 2509100064).
Paramount Global has appointed Kenneth Weinstein, a former CEO of the conservative policy think tank the Hudson Institute, to serve as the ombudsman for CBS News, it said in a release Monday. The Center for American Rights and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr praised the hiring, but academics told us Paramount’s creation of the ombudsman position under government pressure raises concerns about Weinstein’s independence. CBS News was recently targeted by the Department of Homeland Security over an interview with Secretary Kristi Noem and announced changes to its interview process last week.
Broadband interests are warning the U.S. Supreme Court of "dire consequences for internet access" if the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling in online piracy litigation against Cox Communications stands. Cox also saw support from the U.S. Solicitor General, tech giants, law professors and library groups in docket 24-171 amicus briefs posted Friday. The cable ISP is challenging the 4th Circuit decision upholding a lower court's copyright infringement finding against Cox for piracy by some of its internet subscribers (see 2408160034).
Google's YouTube said late Wednesday that it reached a short-term extension agreement with Fox, temporarily preventing a blackout of Fox channels on YouTube TV as it "continue[s] to work on a new agreement." The carriage agreement between the companies was set to expire at 5 p.m. Wednesday. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr took to social media this week to pressure Google to come to an agreement with Fox (see 2508270014).