Government Shutdown & the FCC

January 7, 2019


Silver Linings Playbook

If there’s a silver lining in the federal government shutdown, it’s that the FCC went dark last week. That means there’s no action on the FNPRM on cable franchising or any other non-essential work of the Commission.

Once the FCC is back from the shutdown, ACM will be setting up ex parte meetings with staff and Commissioners, including newly appointed incoming Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, to talk about the impacts and legal concerns we have about the rule-making.

We talked about the shutdown and the rule-making on this month’s Public Policy call. Email me at mwassenaar@allcommunitymedia.org if you missed the call and want a recording.

Our next Public Policy call will be on Thursday, February 7 at 4:00 pm ET.

Supreme Court Hearing Set for February 25th

Oral Arguments in the US Supreme Court case of MCAC v Halleck will take place on February 25th. You can find briefs and descriptions of the case online.

You can expect ACM to file an amicus brief on behalf of our members later this month.

New England Visits in February 2019

Erica Jones, President of ACM Northeast Region, and I are holding a series of meetings with stations across New England the week of President’s Day. Our goal is to help prepare PEG organizations for changes that could happen in the coming year. Here’s the schedule:

• Hartford, CT – February 19th
• Montpelier, VT – February 20th
• Derry, NH – February 21st
• Portland, ME – February 22nd
• Belmont, MA – February 23rd

All meetings will be 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. We’ll have more details soon, but save the date and time so you can join us!

ACM Western States Reg Conference in Long Beach, CA

I’ll be speaking at a number of events at the ACM Western States Conference in Long Beach, CA later this month. You can still register to attend.

I hope to see you there.

Gearing Up for the Hometown Media Awards

The competition is now open for the Hometown Media Awards – THE national awards that recognize excellence in PEG community media.

Start planning your entries now before the deadline on March 1st. Please also consider being a part of the Hometown Media Awards by signing up to be part of a judging team!

See more details below, or contact kbenson@allcommunitymedia.org for details on judging – and good luck! I hope to see your work at the show in Portland, OR this summer.

Mike Wassenaar
President & CEO
The Alliance for Community Media