On November 14, 2023, Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced that she has circulated a proposal to the other Commissioners that, if adopted, would begin a proceeding to support local journalism and broadcasters’ commitment to their communities. The details of the proposal are not publicly available.

As described in the announcement, the actual proposal would be quite narrow: prioritizing the processing and review of license renewal, assignment, or transfer applications filed by radio and television broadcast stations that provide locally originated programming. The announcement does not say how this would support local journalism. But Chairwoman Rosenworcel emphasized the importance of acknowledging broadcasters’ “dedication” and “important service to” their local communities.

***

Stephanie Rigizadeh, a law clerk in the Telecom, Media & Technology Practice, contributed to this Alert.