A social media post by President Donald Trump on Sunday condemning proposals to do away with the national cap on TV station ownership drew a flurry of responses Monday from NAB, Nexstar CEO Perry Sook and Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy, who wants the cap to remain in place. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has been widely seen as likely to do away with the cap, but he has also been clear about his deference to Trump. “If this would also allow the Radical Left Networks to ‘enlarge,’ I would not be happy,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “ABC & NBC, in particular, are a disaster - A VIRTUAL ARM OF THE DEMOCRAT PARTY. They should be viewed as an illegal campaign to the Radical Left. NO EXPANSION OF THE FAKE NEWS NETWORKS. If anything, make them SMALLER! President DJT.”
A bill that would require U.S. manufacturers of advanced AI chips to make their products available to American firms before selling them to China “is pretty common sense,” said Daniel Remler, a former State Department official.
Industry groups and companies don’t want the FCC to overhaul emergency alerting, but public safety communications officials are calling on the agency to expand alerting to streaming and additional devices, according to reply comments posted last week (docket 25-224) in response to an August NPRM (see 2508070037). CTIA, NAB, T-Mobile and alerting equipment manufacturer Digital Alert Systems said wireless emergency alerts (WEAs) and the emergency alert system (EAS) already meet the FCC’s objectives. However, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) said alerts need to be delivered through the media platforms that people most commonly use.
The U.S. should work with its allies to increase export restrictions on semiconductor manufacturing equipment (SME), components and services to limit China’s ability to make computing chips, former government officials told lawmakers Nov. 20.
The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management would establish a hyperlocal text alert system for flood and severe weather conditions under legislation (AB-5993) introduced this week by Assemblyman Christopher Tully (D). The text alerts would integrate real-time reports from localities, flood sensors, river height monitors, localized emergency warning systems, the National Weather Service and the Federal Emergency Management System, among other data sources. Those who opt in would receive information on rainfall levels, local river levels, water level rise, storm surge, reported flood damage and the location and severity of floods exceeding 1 foot of water. The bill was referred to the Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee.
Four major public safety groups on Wednesday opposed a NextNav proposal for the FCC to reconfigure the 902-928 MHz band to enable a “terrestrial complement” to GPS for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT).
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Communications Subcommittee ranking member Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., led the refiling Wednesday of the 988 Lifeline Location Improvement Act to create a multi-stakeholder advisory committee to examine policy and other issues with transmitting location information of calls to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline system. The committee will in part explore ways that local call centers can more efficiently dispatch emergency services to callers. The senators cited support from the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International and National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Communications Daily is tracking the lawsuits below involving appeals of FCC actions.
An Indonesian jewelry company and its co-owner, along with two other employees, were charged last week with taking part in a scheme to evade over $86 million in customs duties on jewelry imports, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey announced. Two of the individuals, Indonesian national Icha Anastasia and Italian national Claudio Fogale, were arrested last week and each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud (United States v. PT Untung Bersama Sejahtera a/k/a UBS Gold, D.N.J. # 2:25-12158).
President Donald Trump, speaking at a Saudi investment forum, said that if the Supreme Court rules against the use of national emergency authorities to impose reciprocal tariffs, the administration will manage.