The FCC deserves praise for its response to 2017’s rush of storms but could improve its Disaster Information Reporting System, provide incentives or funding to strengthen communications infrastructure in remote areas, and establish a regional office in Puerto Rico, said commenters in docket 17-344 to a call for comments on communications resiliency and FCC handling of hurricanes Irma, Maria and Harvey.
Congress was on the path Monday toward ending a three-day government shutdown, which already had widely varying impacts on communications-policy agencies. Senators voted 81-18 at our deadline to pass a continuing resolution that would fund the federal government through Feb. 8, after a bipartisan group of negotiators worked out a deal to debate immigration legislation. The shutdown began at midnight Friday after Senate Democrats voted overwhelmingly against cloture on a slightly longer CR amid disagreements with Republican leaders on immigration and other issues (see 1801190055). The House was also set to vote on the shortened CR later Monday.
Though ATSC 3.0 will enable advancements in emergency alerts, it can’t address the problems of an outdated, underfunded emergency alert system (EAS) operated by personnel who may be undertrained, said Advanced Warning and Response Network (AWARN) Alliance Executive Director John Lawson at an FCBA event on ATSC 3.0 Friday. Panelists at the event also spoke about the upcoming trials of ATSC 3.0 technology and the process remaining for the new standard to go into effect.
The FCC should react to the recent false missile alert in Hawaii by developing best practices for the emergency alert system, studying improvements to the system and committing “right now” to having changes in place before summer, said FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel Thursday at an NAB event on how broadcasters can prepare for emergencies (see 1801160054). “We need to look at everything from state training and practices to improved user interfaces for public safety that can reduce the likelihood of error.” Broadcasters told us preparation and funds are important to staying on-air (see 1712220028).
Dallas will be the first test market of plans by a new consortium for the ATSC 3.0 transition and, if things go well, possibly the location of the first commercial offering of the new standard as well, said American Tower and Sinclair executives in interviews Wednesday. “We fully expect this to go on to be a commercial market,” said American Tower Vice President-Broadcasting Peter Starke. “We don’t plan to take this equipment down.” The broadcast consortium of American Tower, Nexstar, Sinclair and Univision hopes to use the Dallas test bed to work out the details of 3.0 simulcasting, connectivity and wireless offerings, said Mark Aitken, Sinclair vice president-advanced technology.
With the exact nature of expected divestitures from Sinclair buying Tribune likely depends on DOJ, industry officials and analysts said in interviews they expect stations to be spun off in the Seattle and St. Louis areas and that 21st Century Fox is a likely buyer. Broadcast attorneys and analysts don’t draw any conclusions from the FCC’s stopping of the deal shot clock Thursday (see 1801110063). Since the 180-day shot clock is largely a formality anyway, the agency’s decision to start or stop it rarely signifies much, said Holland and Knight broadcast attorney Charles Naftalin. “I wouldn’t read too deep into the tea leaves.”
It’s not clear when the FCC will address interference issues between the growing number of FM translators and full-power radio stations, but with a coming influx of translators from the latest AM Revitalization window, broadcasters told us something needs to happen. Though departing Audio Division head Peter Doyle said in September (see 1709070039) that an upcoming agency adjudication of an interference dispute between two Indiana licensees would address the issue and provide some clarification, that case has been stalled for months. One of the parties, Radio One, on Wednesday urged the full FCC to rule on the matter. “Removing FM translator service from local listeners due to purported interference to a distant FM station far outside the local listening area unfairly, inefficiently and inequitably favors the extension of a weak signal of the distant station to vast non-local areas, to the disfavor of thousands,” said Radio One’s filing.
The FCC will tackle the 2018 quadrennial review of ownership regulations this year, and the item is expected to take up matters left over from the recent order on reconsideration (see 1711160054), industry and FCC officials told us. The remaining top-four network rule, AM/FM subcaps, disclosure of shared service agreements, and rules barring tri-opolies and the dual network rule could all be on the table, said industry and FCC officials. The quad review also could be used to respond to any issues over judicial review of the recon order, published in the Federal Register Monday (see 1801050049. “They may want to wait and see what happens in the courts,” said Georgetown University Institute for Public Relations Senior Counselor Andrew Schwartzman, who's involved in the ongoing appeal of the 2014 and 2010 quadrennial reviews in the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. With so many ownership rules already rolled back under the recon order, the 2018 quadrennial review could be “anticlimactic,” said Pillsbury Winthrop broadcast attorney Scott Flick.
As elimination of FCC main studio requirements takes effect Monday, broadcasters, attorneys and a union official told us they don’t expect immediate office shutterings or layoffs. The change won’t matter greatly for many broadcasters and is seen as more likely to shape long-term plans. “It won’t be a bloodbath Monday,” said International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers International Representative-Broadcasting and Telecommunications Neil Ambrosio. However, IBEW believes the rule change eventually will shrink staff, he said.
A bevy of public interest groups and a newspaper publisher oppose an FCC proposal to relax public notice rules, but broadcasters and the Multicultural Media Telecom and Internet Council support the FCC stance, according to comments filed in docket 17-264 for Monday’s comment deadline on an FCC NPRM. A second deregulatory move proposed in the NPRM -- to exempt broadcasters that don’t offer ancillary services from filing ancillary services earnings reports -- was less controversial, drawing support only from broadcasters and no attention at all from public interest groups.