FCC Chairman Carr Visits North Dakota With Senator Cramer to Talk Broadcast Rules and Drones
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr joined U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer in North Dakota on November 2, holding a roundtable with radio and television leaders in Fargo, Cass County, and touring the state's growing drone technology sector.
At the roundtable, station managers raised concerns about advertising dollars flowing to digital platforms such as Google and Facebook. Carr said the FCC is reviewing decades-old ownership rules to give local broadcasters more flexibility to compete and invest in community news, describing the shift in ad dollars as a 'break-glass moment' for the industry. Cramer warned that without regulatory updates, local broadcast stations could face the same steep decline seen in the newspaper business. The two also backed federal efforts to keep AM radio in new car dashboards, with Carr emphasizing that AM radio remains a vital part of the nation's Emergency Alert System.
Earlier that day, Cramer and Carr traveled to Grand Forks to review North Dakota's uncrewed aerial systems industry, including meetings at Grand Forks Air Force Base, visits with defense contractors Northrop Grumman and General Atomics, and a stop at Badlands Battery. The FCC recently freed up spectrum in the 800 megahertz band to support drone operations; Cramer said building domestic components and secure communications networks is critical for national defense. Carr said feedback from the day's discussions would go back to Washington as commissioners weigh upcoming regulatory decisions.
(Source: KFGO)
Source: KFGO
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：北达科他州法戈市中心。P. Hughes 摄，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Downtown Fargo, North Dakota. By P. Hughes, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
