Ending the collection of biennial ownership data through Form 323 would eliminate virtually the only source of information about broadcast-ownership diversity, several civil rights and public interest groups told us. The FCC Media Bureau on Tuesday announced an 18-month pause on collecting Form 323 and seemed to indicate that the requirement to submit the data will be permanently deleted (see 2507300070). Halting Form 323 collection would be “yet another structural policy decision to brush civil rights under the rug, to obscure discrimination in the broadcast industry,” said Free Press co-CEO Jessica Gonzalez in an email. “It's a shameful and brazen dereliction of the FCC's duty to serve all Americans.”
The FCC Media Bureau has waived the requirement that broadcasters file biennial ownership reports for 18 months, in apparent anticipation of that requirement being eliminated, said a public notice late Tuesday. Multiple commenters in the agency's "Delete" proceeding “urged the Commission to revisit the current biennial ownership filing requirement, which they maintain is a costly and burdensome requirement without a sufficient offsetting public benefit,” the notice said. “With the next filing window approaching, we find there is good cause to waive the biennial ownership report filing requirement.”
The Trump administration's AI action plan specifies a limited role for the FCC. Released Wednesday, the 28-page blueprint focuses on accelerating innovation, building infrastructure and leading the world in AI diplomacy and security. Its priority is eliminating barriers and allowing AI to flourish.
Although potential reciprocal tariff increases have been pushed back to Aug. 1, ocean spot rates between Asia and the U.S. West Coast have been falling, suggesting a relaxation in demand for shipping containers, according to two companies tracking ocean rates.
Altice USA and a set of music labels suing it are jointly asking a federal court to pause the looming trial pending a U.S. Supreme Court decision on music label litigation against Cox Communications. In a joint motion filed Friday (docket 2:23-cv-00576) with the U.S. District Court for Eastern Texas, the labels and Altice said SCOTUS' Cox decision "will address and could alter the legal standards for key issues" in their case. Those include contributory infringement for an ISP and willful infringement, they said.
Republicans and business groups during two hearings Tuesday objected to California legislation seeking limits on surveillance pricing. They raised concerns with proposals regulating businesses’ price flexibility and providing a private right of action.
Hundreds of family members who have loved ones in prison filed comments at the FCC in recent days asking the agency not to delay some incarcerated people’s communications service (IPCS) deadlines until April 1, 2027 (see 2506300068). Meanwhile, public interest groups asked the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals not to delay its consideration of the prison-calling order, as requested by the FCC, which told the court it needed time to review the rules approved during the Biden administration.
House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Democrats jointly criticized what they called "ongoing trade chaos," and what they called secretive negotiations between the U.S. and countries under threat.
Some state lawmakers are looking to pass legislation regulating the data broker industry in the wake of the shooting deaths last month of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband and the attempted killing of John Hoffman (D), a Minnesota senator, and his wife.
With rules governing general-purpose AI under the EU AI Act becoming effective Aug. 2 and enforceable for new models one year later, the European Commission on Thursday unveiled a code of practice aimed at helping industry comply with the act's GPAI provisions.