FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel is again prodding Congress to allocate an additional $3.08 billion to fully fund the FCC's Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program, writing Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Wednesday that the commission “will need to plan to proceed” with prorating reimbursements to providers if lawmakers don’t bridge the current shortfall by July 15. Rosenworcel’s renewed push comes as congressional leaders are still negotiating a spectrum legislative package that could direct some auction proceeds to increase rip and replace funding.

Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member John Thune of South Dakota, Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz of Texas and nine other panel Republicans pressed NTIA Thursday to “revise or issue a new” notice of funding opportunity for the $42.5 billion broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program “to address” a range of GOP concerns. They want the agency to respond by May 4. NTIA’s existing BEAD NOFO previously drew Senate Commerce Republicans’ ire during a June hearing.

Newsmax is returning to the DirecTV lineup this week, the cable news network said Wednesday. It didn't divulge terms of what it said was a multiyear distribution deal. Newsmax's going dark on DirecTV in January was met by considerable criticism from House GOP members and the FCC saw dozens of complaints by the public in the days afterward. “Newsmax recognizes and appreciates that DIRECTV clearly supports diverse voices, including conservative ones,” Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy said in a statement.

The FCC’s administrative law judge denied the Standard/Tegna broadcasters’ motion to certify the Standard/Tegna deal to the full commission, said an order Thursday. The broadcasters raised only one “unsettled question of law” that could be certified, on the constitutionality of ALJs, the order said. “This complex constitutional issue is the subject of a pending petition for certiorari before the United States Supreme Court and accordingly will not be analyzed here,” wrote ALJ Jane Halprin. The certification process is “an exceedingly rare avenue of redress” and the broadcasters faced “a substantial burden in showing that an entire case should be certified without hearing.” With the motion denied, the hearing proceeding is expected to continue, though the broadcasters could look for assistance from the courts, attorneys told us. The deal’s final extension date is May 22. Standard General didn't immediately comment.

Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Communications Subcommittee ranking member John Thune, R-S.D., pressed the FCC in a letter we obtained ahead of its planned sending Thursday morning for a detailed accounting of its distribution of money to four broadband programs enacted via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and COVID-19 aid measures. Thune in December began his own review of all federal broadband programs’ oversight of funding disbursals. Cruz has joined Thune in raising concerns about some of these programs since taking over as lead Commerce Republican in January.

The FCC’s spectrum auction authority is all but certain to expire late Thursday night, with Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., telling reporters he expects talks between him and Hill leaders to continue into next week over dueling proposals to extend the mandate. The FCC declined comment on what plans it has for conducting spectrum operations if its authority lapses Thursday night.

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., told us he plans a Senate floor showdown tonight to pass by unanimous consent his bill to lengthen a new extension of the FCC's spectrum auction authority to last through Sept. 30 (S-650). That's instead of accepting a House-passed plan to renew it until May 19 (HR-1108). Rounds' push may lead to the FCC's mandate expiring altogether Thursday, given he firmly opposes passing HR-1108 by UC and Hill leaders don't back his proposal, lawmakers and lobbyists said in interviews. The Senate can pass legislation by UC only if no senator objects.

FCC nominee Gigi Sohn confirmed Tuesday she asked the White House to withdraw her from Senate consideration following an often fractious year-plus confirmation process that involved President Joe Biden naming her three times. Sohn's request for Biden to withdraw her nomination came "last night," before Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia became the first Democrat to formally oppose her confirmation.

The FCC Media Bureau designated the $8.6 billion proposed Standard General/Tegna deal for a hearing, said a release Friday. “The Hearing Designation Order focuses specifically on material concerns in the record related to how the proposed transaction could artificially raise prices for consumers and result in job losses,” said the release. Designating a deal for hearing is widely perceived as a death knell for the transaction because hearing proceedings take months or years and have uncertain outcomes. The FCC’s HDO for Sinclair’s proposed buy of Tribune in 2018 led to that deal’s dissolution shortly after. “As part of the FCC’s mission, we are responsible for determining whether grant of the applications constituting this transaction serves the public interest,” said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in the release. “That’s why we’re asking for closer review to ensure that this transaction does not anti-competitively raise prices or put jobs in local newsrooms at risk,” she said. Standard didn't comment, but the companies said this week they expected the deal to close within two months.

FTC Commissioner Christine Wilson announced Tuesday that she will “soon resign,” citing Chair Lina Khan’s “disregard for the rule of law and due process.” Wilson said she has “failed repeatedly to persuade Ms. Khan and her enablers [senior FTC staff] to do the right thing, and I refuse to give their endeavor any further hint of legitimacy by remaining.” Commissioner Noah Phillips announced his resignation from the commission in August and finished his tenure early in October.