The Daily Ex Parte, July 22, 2025
EchoStar (AWS-3), GoGo (Anterix NPRM), Ligado (NPRM 1675-1680 MHz), Zixi (Upper C-Band), ACAM Broadband Coalition (E-ACAM), Silicondust (PEARL/HDHomeRun), Skydance (Paramount)
Filers
EchoStar - AWS-3 Auction Rules
Gogo - Anterix NPRM
Ligado - NPRM 1675-1680 MHz
Zixi - Upper C-Band
ACAM Broadband Coalition - E-ACAM
Silicondust USA Inc - Responding to PEARL on DRM and HDHomeRun
Skydance Media - For the love of God, approve our deal
EchoStar Corporation
Proceeding(s): 25-70, 25-71, 13-185, 25-117
Date of Meeting: July 17, 2025
Date Disseminated: July 22, 2025
Participants:
EchoStar Corporation:
Jeff Blum (Executive Vice President, External & Government Affairs),
Alison Minea (VP & Associate General Counsel, Regulatory Affairs),
Hadass Kogan (VP, Regulatory Affairs), and
Grant Gendron (Senior Corporate Counsel).
FCC (Meeting 1):
William Holloway, Acting Legal Advisor to Commissioner Olivia Trusty.
FCC (Meeting 2): Representatives from the office of Commissioner Anna Gomez
Deena Shetler (Chief of Staff and Legal Advisor),
Edyael Casaperalta (Legal Advisor), and
Cassiopea Porter (Intern).
Summary of Discussion:
On July 17, 2025, representatives from EchoStar Corporation held two separate meetings with staff from the offices of FCC Commissioners Olivia Trusty and Anna Gomez. The discussions focused on the rules and procedures for a potential reauction of AWS-3 spectrum licenses.
EchoStar made two primary arguments consistent with its previous filings in these dockets:
Application of Designated-Entity Rules: EchoStar argued that the FCC should apply the same designated-entity (DE) rules that were in effect during the original AWS-3 auction (Auction 97) to any subsequent reauction of the licenses. The company reasoned that since it may be subject to deficiency payments from the original auction, applying new rules would be impermissibly retroactive and a violation of its due process rights. EchoStar asserted that using the original Auction 97 rules would also promote greater participation in the reauction.
Proposed Reserve Price: EchoStar urged the FCC to adopt a reserve price of $3.3 billion for the reauction. The company presented two justifications for this figure. First, a $3.3 billion reserve would ensure that the auction generates sufficient revenue to fully fund the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program ("Rip and Replace"), a goal EchoStar attributes to Chairman Carr and Congress. Second, a substantial reserve price would serve as a safeguard against potential undetected bidder manipulation during the auction process.
Source: [NOTICE OF EXPARTE, EchoStar Corporation, https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/1072297306104/1]
Source: [NOTICE OF EXPARTE, EchoStar Corporation, https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/10722254636192/1]
Gogo Business Aviation LLC
Proceeding(s): 24-629
Date of Meeting: July 17, 2025
Date Disseminated: July 21, 2025
Participants:
Gogo Business Aviation LLC ("Gogo"), including
Pat Amodio,
Noah Cherry,
Yong Liu, and
Mike Baker
FCC Wireless Bureau:
Roger Noel,
Peter Trachtenberg,
Linda Chang, and
Christine Parola.
Summary of Discussion:
In a virtual meeting, Gogo discussed its comments on the FCC's NPRM regarding Advanced Air Mobility. Gogo operates a nationwide air-to-ground (ATG) network, providing in-flight internet, VoIP, and other communication services to the business aviation, government, and critical infrastructure sectors, utilizing the 849-851 MHz and 894-896 MHz bands.
The key points raised by Gogo were:
Power Limit Modernization: Gogo urged the FCC to modernize the rules for Commercial Aviation Air-Ground Systems. They proposed replacing the current peak power limit with a 13 dB average radiated power (PAR) limit, which would align their service with the rules governing other cellular services. Gogo characterized the existing peak power rule as outdated.
Interference Mitigation: Gogo advocated for relying on the existing Part 22 interference mitigation procedures. The company affirmed its commitment to respond in good faith to any interference notifications from Part 90 licensees, even if they are not operating on adjacent frequencies.
Signal Identification Exemption: The company requested that the FCC exempt Commercial Air-Ground Systems from what it described as an "outdated, unnecessary, and burdensome" signal identification requirement.
Waiver Order Conditions (WT Docket No. 21-282): Referencing a previous FCC Waiver Order, Gogo agreed to operate with an out-of-band emission limit of 50 + 10Log(P) dB for its base stations in the 851-854 MHz band. Gogo also noted it maintains a 24/7 contact for interference reports. However, Gogo argued that specific prior notification and testing conditions are unnecessary due to the nature of its operations, the protections already in Part 22, its status as the sole licensee in the 894-896 MHz band, and its limited number of base stations located primarily in sparsely populated areas. Despite this, Gogo stated its readiness to discuss its operations with any interested Part 90 licensee.
Source: [NOTICE OF EXPARTE, Gogo Business Aviation LLC, https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/1072263803285/1]
Gogo Business Aviation LLC
Proceeding(s): 24-99, RM-11977
Date of Meeting: July 17, 2025
Date Disseminated: July 22, 2025
Participants:
Gogo:
Pat Amodio,
Noah Cherry,
Yong Liu, and
Mike Baker
FCC's Wireless Bureau:
Roger Noel,
Alice Koethe,
Morgan Mendenhall, and
Nina Shafran
Summary of Discussion:
In a virtual meeting, Gogo Business Aviation LLC (Gogo) expressed significant concerns about the FCC's NPRM regarding the 896-901/935-940 MHz band. The core of Gogo's argument is that the proposal to create a new 5/5 MHz broadband segment by eliminating the existing guard band directly threatens its critical air-to-ground (ATG) network. Gogo's ATG network, which provides vital in-flight communications for business aviation, government, and critical infrastructure, uses the adjacent 894-896 MHz band for aircraft-to-ground uplinks.
Gogo argued that the proposal to remove any guard band is a major reversal of the FCC's previous position, which had acknowledged that a 1.5 MHz separation was necessary to prevent interference. Gogo presented its technical analysis, which indicates that out-of-band emissions (OOBE) from new 5/5 MHz operations would cause significant interference to its ground station receivers within a 5-kilometer radius and measurable degradation up to 9 kilometers away.
To mitigate these risks while allowing for new broadband deployment, Gogo proposed a series of mandatory safeguards that the FCC should implement as rules or license conditions for new 5/5 MHz licensees:
Mandatory Pre-Deployment Coordination: Require new licensees to coordinate with Gogo before deploying any equipment within 5 miles of Gogo's current or future ground stations.
Real-World Testing: Mandate that new licensees conduct comprehensive lab and field testing at their own cost to identify and resolve interference issues prior to large-scale deployment.
Legal and Financial Responsibility: Establish clear rules making new licensees legally and financially responsible for preventing and remediating any harmful interference they cause to ATG operations.
Single Point of Contact: Require a single, 24/7 point of contact for all 5/5 MHz licensees to streamline coordination, or at a minimum, require each licensee to have a contact who can cease operations immediately upon an interference report.
Stricter OOBE Standards: Align FCC rules with 3GPP OOBE specifications, which are more stringent than current requirements.
Gogo also addressed the technical analysis submitted by Anterix, which claimed its deployments would pose no risk. Gogo contended that Anterix's model used a less conservative assumption for free-space propagation (1 km vs. Gogo's 10 km) and that interference risk is highly dependent on site-specific terrain. Gogo asserted that even using Anterix's model, harmful interference could occur under certain real-world conditions, underscoring the need for mandatory, site-by-site coordination.
While Gogo noted that Anterix seems to acknowledge the need for coordination, it expressed concern that Anterix has not accepted that the burden of preventing interference should fall on the new licensees. Gogo argued that private agreements are insufficient, as they lack FCC enforcement power and may not apply to future license holders.
As an alternative, if the FCC does not adopt its proposed procedural safeguards, Gogo insisted the Commission must establish a stricter OOBE limit of 50 + 10 log (P) dB to protect its network. Gogo pointed out that Anterix's own filings indicate its equipment can meet even more stringent limits, but this capability may not be true for all future licensees, reinforcing the need for binding rules.
Gogo concluded by urging the FCC to balance its goal of spectrum efficiency with the need to protect existing, licensed services that support national security, law enforcement, and critical infrastructure.
Source: [NOTICE OF EXPARTE, Gogo Business Aviation LLC, https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/10722474911016/1]
Ligado Networks LLC
Proceeding(s): 19-116
Date of Meeting: July 17, 2025 and July 21, 2025
Date Disseminated: July 21, 2025
Participants:
July 21, 2025 Meeting:
Ligado Networks LLC: Doug Smith, Sachin Chhibber
Counsel to Ligado: Gerry Waldron of Covington & Burling LLP
FCC (Office of Chairman Carr): Arpan Sura
July 17, 2025 Meeting:
Ligado Networks LLC: Doug Smith, Sachin Chhibber, Scott Wiener
Counsel to Ligado: Gerard J. Waldron of Covington & Burling LLP
FCC (Wireless Bureau): Jessica Greffenius, Roger Noel, Paul Powell, Nellie Foosaner
FCC (OET): Michael Ha, Serey Thai
Summary of Discussion:
In two separate meetings, representatives from Ligado Networks LLC ("Ligado") met with FCC staff to discuss the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the 1675-1680 MHz band. The primary purpose was to review the record and urge the Commission to take prompt action to auction the band, particularly since its auction authority has been reinstated.
Ligado's central argument is that studies from the NTIA have resolved all significant technical questions in the proceeding. Specifically, they pointed to the "Spectrum Pipeline Reallocation Engineering Study Follow-On (SPRES-FO) Final Report," filed by NTIA in November 2024. Ligado emphasized that this report affirmed the FCC's initial conclusion in the NPRM: sharing the 1675-1680 MHz band between federal and commercial users is feasible for both uplink and downlink, provided reasonable coordination requirements are established.
Following the release of the SPRES-FO Report, a Wireless Bureau Public Notice in January 2025 sought to update the record. Ligado characterized the resulting comments as showing broad support for reallocation from entities like Select Spectrum LLC and EchoStar Corporation, who cited benefits for 5G in critical infrastructure, increased competition, and significant economic value. Ligado asserted that the few opposing commenters merely repeated prior concerns and failed to substantively address the findings of the SPRES-FO Report.
A key topic of discussion was the SPRES-FO Report's observation that internet-based distribution is a viable alternative for the NOAA weather data currently transmitted via satellite in the band. Ligado reaffirmed its long-held position that the future licensee of the 1675-1680 MHz band could be required to operate a terrestrial content delivery network to provide this alternative distribution for NOAA. Ligado expressed its willingness to collaborate with the FCC, NTIA, and other stakeholders to develop a concrete plan for this solution.
Finally, Ligado highlighted that Congress has restored the FCC's spectrum auction authority through the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (BBB). This legislation specifically identifies the 1675-1680 MHz band as a "covered band" to be considered for reallocation. As this band is not subject to any exceptions, Ligado argued that the Commission has full authority to proceed with an auction and should do so without further delay to make more mid-band spectrum available for 5G services.
Source: [NOTICE OF EXPARTE, Ligado Networks LLC, https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/10721104891631/1]
Zixi, LLC
Proceeding(s): 25-59
Date of Meeting: July 21, 2025
Date Disseminated: July 22, 2025
Zixi, LLC: Alan Young (Vice President of Strategic Business Development)
Carpenter Strategic Consulting, LLC: Jot Carpenter (Principal)
FCC: Staff, Office of Commissioner Gomez
Edyael Casaperalta and
Harsha Mudaliar
Summary of Discussion:
Representatives from Zixi, LLC, and Carpenter Strategic Consulting, LLC, met with FCC staff to discuss the future of video content delivery in light of the Commission's Notice of Inquiry (NOI) regarding the Upper C-band spectrum (3.98 GHz to 4.2 GHz). The discussion centered on Zixi's position that the mandatory auction and subsequent reallocation of C-band spectrum necessitate a transition to a more modern, IP-based delivery model.
Zixi argued that while the C-band has been the cornerstone of reliable video delivery for broadcasters and cable networks, the impending reduction in spectrum availability presents an opportunity to migrate to an IP-based system that can offer superior quality and resilience.
The core of Zixi's presentation focused on a solution to the key challenges posed by the C-band transition, particularly for rural and edge-market facilities:
The Problem: The loss of C-band satellite delivery removes a critical redundant path for video transport. Many rural TV stations and MVPD headends rely on a single terrestrial fiber connection, creating a single point of failure that could lead to prolonged signal loss from events like fiber cuts. Furthermore, these rural locations often lack the bandwidth needed to support high-quality video feeds over a single terrestrial link.
The Proposed Solution: Zixi advocated for a software-defined multipath redundancy and bonding approach. This solution combines two or more independent IP paths—such as a terrestrial ISP and a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) or Geostationary (GEO) satellite internet provider—into a single, unified delivery stream.
Technical Implementation: The system leverages the SMPTE 2022-7 industry standard for "hitless switching," which allows for real-time, packet-by-packet failover between paths without any disruption to the video feed.
Zixi's Technology Enhancements: Zixi's proprietary protocol builds upon this foundation by incorporating features to maximize reliability over unmanaged IP networks, including:
Forward Error Correction (FEC) to recover corrupted data.
Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) to resend lost packets on bi-directional networks.
Null Packet Compression to reduce bandwidth consumption.
Telemetry for real-time performance monitoring.
Alignment with FCC Goals: Zixi asserted that this bonded IP approach aligns with key FCC objectives. It ensures public safety by maintaining broadcast continuity during emergencies, promotes rural inclusion by enabling reliable service where terrestrial options are weak, and fosters technical efficiency by reducing wasted bandwidth. By being provider-agnostic (supporting any combination of LEO, GEO, fiber, or wireless), it also supports competitive neutrality.
In conclusion, Zixi urged the Commission to formally consider and support multipath redundancy and bonding-enabled architectures as a viable, standards-based, and resilient successor to C-band satellite delivery, especially as part of any transition framework designed to protect service in rural markets.
Source: [NOTICE OF EXPARTE, Zixi, LLC, https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/1072182728995/1]
ACAM Broadband Coalition
Proceeding(s): 10-90, 14-58, 09-197, 16-271, RM-11868
Date of Meeting: July 17, 2025
Date Disseminated: July 22, 2025
Participants: Representatives of the ACAM Broadband Coalition, including Sara Cole of TDS, Staci Malikowski of Arvig, Kevin McGuire of Great Plains Communications, Wendy Fast of Consolidated Communications, Scott Schultheis of Reynolds Schultheis Consulting, and Genevieve Morelli of the ACAM Broadband Coalition, met with staff from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC staff included AJ Burton and Nathan Egan from the Wireline Competition Bureau, and Paul Lafontaine and Peter Gingeleskie from the Office of Economics and Analytics.
Summary of Discussion:
The ACAM Broadband Coalition met with the FCC to discuss significant discrepancies and errors in the updated interim eligible locations file for the Enhanced Alternative Connect America Model (E-ACAM) Program, released on June 27, 2025. The Coalition argued that the file fails to accurately reflect successful data challenges and misinterprets grant funding rules, which could lead to incorrect E-ACAM support calculations for its members.
The key issues raised, with examples from member companies, include:
Successful Availability Challenges Not Reflected: Great Plains Communications (GPC) detailed how thousands of its successful availability challenges against competitors like AMG NextLink and LTD were not correctly processed in the updated file. For instance, over 8,000 successful challenges against NextLink resulted in locations being incorrectly assigned a "status code 4," failing to remove the competitor's claimed service. Similarly, successful challenges against LTD/GigFire, adjudicated by the FCC in December 2024, were not reflected, with many locations showing no change in status in the June 2025 file.
Successful Unit Count Challenges Ignored: Consolidated Communications reported that 206 of its successful unit count challenges, adjudicated on June 24, 2024, were not included. These challenges, primarily for agricultural parcels with multiple dwellings, were intended to correct the number of Broadband Serviceable Locations (BSLs). The updated file appears to still use older data from Fabric Version 4, not the corrected unit counts, which undervalues the deployment obligation.
Accepted Fabric Additions Missing: TDS noted that over 300 locations across 19 states are missing from the updated locations file, even though the FCC had confirmed their existence in the Fabric (either through CostQuest Associates (CQA) work or by granting another challenger's submission).
Misclassification of State and Federal Grants: Several members reported incorrect classification of grant-funded areas:
Nebraska Broadband Bridge Act Grants: Consolidated Communications explained that locations covered by its own state grants were incorrectly flagged as being served by a competitor or subject to a competitive commitment (status code 6), when Consolidated was the sole recipient. The status should reflect whether the project was completed before or after the E-ACAM offer date (status code 1 or 5, respectively).
Unaccepted RUS ReConnect Grant: Arvig highlighted a case where a RUS ReConnect grant, which was offered to Tekstar Communications but never accepted, was still being treated as an enforceable commitment in its territory. This was despite RUS officially correcting the Broadband Funding Map (BFM) in March 2025 to remove the commitment.
Grants Awarded After E-ACAM Offer Date: Consolidated argued that state grants it received in January 2024 (after the E-ACAM offer) should not be treated as pre-existing enforceable commitments. The locations should be classified as "Unserved" (status code 3), but are incorrectly listed as "Unserved Subject to an Enforceable Commitment" (status code 5), resulting in a potential 10.4% annual support reduction.
Grants Not Meeting Speed Requirements: State grants awarded to Consolidated with only a 25/3 Mbps deployment requirement do not meet the FCC's definition of an enforceable commitment for 100/20 Mbps service. The Coalition asserted these locations should be reclassified from "Unserved Subject to an Enforceable Commitment" (status 5) to "Unserved" (status 3).
Data Contamination from Neighboring Providers: Consolidated showed how enforceable commitments awarded to a neighboring company (CenturyLink) were incorrectly applied across an entire census block, contaminating data for extremely high-cost locations within Consolidated's service area.
The ACAM Broadband Coalition urged the FCC to address these systemic errors to ensure the accuracy of the E-ACAM locations file and the resulting support calculations.
Source: [NOTICE OF EXPARTE, ACAM Broadband Coalition, https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/1072182192844/1; https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/1072182192844/2]
Silicondust USA Inc
Proceeding(s): 16-142
Date of Meeting: July 22, 2025
Date Disseminated: July 22, 2025
Participants: The filing is a written ex parte communication from Nicholas J Kelsey, President of Silicondust USA, Inc. The letter was addressed to Marlene H. Dortch, Secretary of the FCC, and copied to the following FCC staff:
Media Bureau: Erin Boone, Deena Shetler, Jessica Kinsey
Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau: Hillary DeNigro, Maria Mullarkey, Evan Morris, Evan Baranoff, Nancy Murphy
Enforcement Bureau: Eduard Bartholme, Mark Stone, Wesley Platt, James Brown
Office of the Managing Director: Patrick Webre, Alice Jou
This ex parte filing is a written response from Nicholas J Kelsey of Silicondust USA, Inc. to what he terms "defamatory statements" made by Pearl TV in a separate filing on July 18, 2025. The submission is a point-by-point rebuttal of Pearl TV's claims regarding Silicondust's HDHomeRun tuner devices and the implementation of Digital Rights Management (DRM) in the ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV) standard.
Silicondust asserts its position with the following key arguments:
Regulatory Authority: Broadcasters, including members of the A3SA (Advanced Television Systems Committee Applications & Solutions Alliance), do not have the authority to regulate consumer electronics; this power rests with the FCC.
Product Compliance: The HDHomeRun tuner is fully compliant with FCC requirements.
National Security Claims: The device is not a "communication device" under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019, and therefore Pearl TV's national security concerns related to its components are inapplicable.
Manufacturing: The HDHomeRun is designed in the USA and manufactured in Taiwan, not China. Silicondust accuses Pearl TV of hypocrisy, noting that many A3SA-approved devices are designed and manufactured in China.
DRM and Technology: A3SA's rules, not Silicondust's technology choices, are the root cause of DRM issues for gateway devices.
Rebuttal to Pearl TV's Claims about HiSilicon Chipset
Pearl TV claimed that HDHomeRun's issues stem from its use of a chipset from HiSilicon, a subsidiary of Huawei, which Pearl TV labeled a national security threat. Silicondust refutes this on several grounds:
The Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act does not apply to their hardware, as it is a receive-only device that does not originate telecommunications.
The use of a single System-on-Chip (SoC) does not place the final product, whose system board, firmware, and software are designed in the USA, under the Act's restrictions.
Silicondust's HDHomeRun CONNECT/FLEX 4K is fully NextGenTV certified.
Critically, Silicondust received a license from the Widevine licensing authority in 2022 to decrypt DRM-protected content on the HDHomeRun hardware, a process which included verification of the HiSilicon SoC.
The Evolving and Untenable A3SA DRM Rules
Silicondust argues that the primary obstacle to a functional DRM ecosystem is the rules set by A3SA, which they claim are designed to make gateway devices like the HDHomeRun unworkable.
Initially, A3SA required gateways to decrypt content and re-encrypt it using DTCP2. Silicondust obtained the necessary licenses, but could not bring a product to market because no consumer player devices (e.g., streaming boxes, smart TVs) supported the DTCP2 standard.
A3SA has since changed its rules to require that gateway devices pass encrypted content directly to player devices for decryption. Silicondust asserts that under these new rules, the choice of SoC in the gateway is irrelevant to DRM functionality.
Despite these changes, Silicondust states that A3SA has not approved a single DRM-capable ATSC 3.0 gateway product from any manufacturer. They also claim that A3SA's rules, which are under NDA, make it impossible to write apps for popular platforms like Roku, Apple TV, Windows, or Mac that can play protected content.
Hypocrisy in A3SA Approvals and the "Broadcast Flag"
Silicondust accuses A3SA of applying its rules unequally and with little concern for actual content security. They reviewed two A3SA-approved set-top boxes and found that both decrypted DRM content and output it over HDMI without HDCP protection, allowing for easy digital copying. This renders the DRM moot for preventing piracy and suggests its only purpose is to inconvenience legitimate viewers.
Furthermore, Silicondust argues that ATSC 3.0 DRM effectively resurrects the "broadcast flag," a system to prevent or limit DVR recording. By analyzing an A3SA public announcement from 2023, Silicondust infers that once the ATSC 1.0 simulcast requirement ends, broadcasters will be able to impose severe anti-consumer restrictions, including:
Blocking recordings entirely or making them expire.
Disabling trick-play features like ad-skipping.
Controlling which outputs can be used.
Silicondust claims that device vendors must agree to implement these "anti-viewer" restrictions to receive A3SA certification for their products.
Call for FCC Action
Silicondust concludes by asking the FCC to intervene by:
Requiring that all rules and restrictions imposed by private entities like A3SA on broadcasters, vendors, and consumers be made public.
Scrutinizing A3SA's actions, which amount to private industry regulating the consumer electronics market without legal authority.
Protecting the competitive market for tuner devices as ATSC 3.0 adoption grows.
Source: [NOTICE OF EXPARTE, Silicondust USA Inc, Nicholas Kelsey, https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/10722712322683/1]
Skydance Media, LLC
Proceeding(s): 24-275
Date of Meeting: July 18, 2025
Date Disseminated: July 22, 2025
Participants:
Applicants:
Elizabeth R. Park (LATHAM & WATKINS LLP), representing Skydance Media, LLC
Matthew DelNero (Covington & Burling LLP), representing Paramount Global
Rebekah Goodheart (Jenner & Block LLP), representing National Amusements, Inc.
FCC (Office of Commissioner Anna Gomez):
Deena Shetler, Chief of Staff and Legal Advisor
Jonathan Uriarte, Policy Advisor
Harsha Mudaliar, Policy Advisor
Summary of Discussion:
Representatives for the "Applicants" (Skydance Media, LLC, Paramount Global, and National Amusements, Inc.) met with advisors to Commissioner Anna Gomez to discuss the proposed acquisition of Paramount Global by the Skydance Consortium. The consortium consists of entities controlled by the Ellison family and a fund vehicle controlled by RedBird Capital Partners ("RedBird").
The applicants argued that the transaction offers significant public interest benefits. They presented the Ellison family and RedBird as "fresh leadership" with the necessary vision and experience to ensure the long-term growth of the new entity, "New Paramount," amid the challenges of the current media landscape. They committed to preserving and enhancing the legacy and reach of both the national CBS television network and the company’s 28 owned-and-operated local stations. The applicants also emphasized that the transaction would not harm competition, as neither Skydance nor RedBird hold any attributable interests in broadcast stations.
Additionally, the applicants addressed concerns and petitions for conditions filed by other parties in the proceeding. These included requests to:
Regulate the carriage of third-party programming on New Paramount's streaming platforms (raised by Fuse Media).
Mandate the expansion of collective bargaining agreements (raised by The International Brotherhood of Teamsters Hollywood Local 399, Writers Guild of America West, Inc., and Writers Guild of America East).
Intervene in commercial arrangements between CBS and its network affiliates (raised by the CBS Television Network Affiliates Association).
Condition the grant based on a petition from The Center for American Rights.
The applicants countered that these issues are not specific to the transaction itself. They argued that to the extent these matters fall under the Commission's jurisdiction, they should be addressed in separate, dedicated proceedings rather than as conditions on this merger.
Source: [NOTICE OF EXPARTE, Skydance Media, LLC, https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/10722099487818/1]