February 2026 Regulatory Dates for Broadcasters – EEO Reports; ATSC 3.0 and Earth Station Rulemaking Comment Deadlines; Class A, LPTV, and TV Translator Rules Effective Dates; Political Windows; and More (If the Government Does Not Shut Down)

While most of the country is currently frozen, February promises to heat up with several regulatory dates and deadlines broadcasters need to be aware of.  But the possibility of another federal government shutdown looms.  To end the longest shutdown in history last November, Congress gave themselves until January 31 to pass a budget bill covering the operations of many parts of the federal government, including the FCC.  No “continuing resolution” to fund the government at last year’s levels has been adopted … Read the rest

Government Enforcement, Compliance & Investigations Webinar Series: Trends in State Attorneys General Multistate Litigation

On December 11, Matt Diehr, Kyle Gilster, and Rebecca Furdek presented this month’s session in Husch Blackwell’s Government Enforcement, Compliance & Investigations webinar series. They highlighted the capabilities of the firm’s State Attorney’s General practice through a robust discussion about trends in multistate litigation. The presentation focused on enforcement trends in consumer protection and antitrust as well as the tension with federal enforcement–both when the states “fill the gaps” in federal enforcement and when the states sue the federal government. … Read the rest

Government Accountability Office finds problems with FDA inspection rates

In response to a report from the Government Accountability Office, the FDA says the biggest stumbling block to conducting inspections of food facilities is understaffing.

The Food and Drug Administration hasn’t met targets for inspections of domestic and foreign food facilities since 2018, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The FDA is responsible for 80 percent of the U.S. food supply, including domestic and imported food.

The FDA conducted thousands of routine surveillance food safety inspections of domestic and … Read the rest

Federal government asks court to allow enforcement of Title IX rule

Federal government asks court to allow enforcement of Title IX rule

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The Biden administration on Monday asked the Supreme Court to temporarily put on hold a portion of two orders issued by federal trial courts in Louisiana and Kentucky that prohibit the Department of Education from enforcing any part of an April 2024 rule implementing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which bars sex discrimination in education programs that receive federal funding.

The two challenges—originally filed in Louisiana by four states (Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, and Idaho, along with … Read the rest

Oil companies, government point fingers over cleanup of World War II-era pollution

Oil companies, government point fingers over cleanup of World War II-era pollution

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The Petitions of the Week column highlights a selection of cert petitions recently filed in the Supreme Court. A list of all petitions we’re watching is available here.

During World War II, Congress authorized President Franklin Roosevelt to enlist oil refineries for the war effort. Centralization helped meet the war’s rapidly increasing demand for fuel. But it also led to a glut of hazardous waste, some of which leaked into the ecosystems surrounding the refineries. This week, we … Read the rest

Government counters call to halt consideration of race in U.S. Military Academy admissions

Government counters call to halt consideration of race in U.S. Military Academy admissions

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The U.S. Military Academy on Tuesday urged the Supreme Court to stay out of a dispute over the use of race in the school’s admissions policy. Telling the justices that a group of students opposed to the consideration of race in college admissions was seeking to block “policies that military leaders have long deemed essential to ensuring the effectiveness of the Nation’s military,” the academy asked the court to turn down the group’s request for an order that would … Read the rest

Government power, from federal agencies to counties, highlights January session

Government power, from federal agencies to counties, highlights January session

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The justices returned to the bench on Jan. 8 for a packed session of oral arguments – starting with immigration policy and the post-9/11 “No Fly List” and ending on Jan. 17 with two cases that could upend the functional power of the federal administrative state.

Monday’s arguments began with two consolidated cases, Campos-Chaves v. Garland and Garland v. Singh, in which the court will consider what kind of notice the government must provide before a noncitizen can … Read the rest

Justices allow federal government continued communication over social media content moderation

Justices allow federal government continued communication over social media content moderation

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The Supreme Court on Friday granted a request from the Biden administration to temporarily block a lower court’s order that would limit the ability of government officials to communicate with social media companies about their content moderation policies. The Biden administration contends that it has sought only to “mitigate the hazards of online misinformation” by flagging content that violated the social media platforms’ own policies. But two states and several individuals whose social media posts were removed or downgraded … Read the rest