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

 Fighting fraud in age of AI is more complicated!

SCWorld.com reported that “The latest fraud figures are sobering: U.S. consumers reported more than $ 12.5 billion in fraud losses in 2024, a 25% jump from the previous year, according to the FTC. Businesses are feeling the effects too, with nearly 60% reporting higher fraud losses year over year, according to new Experian research.”  The October 16, 2025 article entitled ” How to fight fraud in the age of AI” (https://tinyurl.com/2st2zetc) included these comments:

As fraudsters scale their operations with … Read the rest

FDA steps up import enforcement for pesticides, Salmonella and more import

The Food and Drug Administration uses import alerts to enforce U.S. food safety regulations for food from foreign countries. The agency updates and modifies the alerts as needed.

Recent modifications to FDA’s import alerts, as posted by the agency, are listed below.

Click here to go to the FDA page with links to details on specific alerts. See chart below for list of alerts.

Click on chart to enlarge. Use link above to go to FDA page with links to
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FDA steps up enforcement of import laws against pet treats, cilantro and more

The Food and Drug Administration uses import alerts to enforce U.S. food safety regulations for food from foreign countries. The agency updates and modifies the alerts as needed.

Recent modifications to FDA’s import alerts, as posted by the agency, are listed below.

Click here to go to the FDA page with links to details on specific alerts.

Import Alert Number Import Alert Type Publish Date Import Alert Name
99-42 DWPE 01/30/2025 DETENTION WITHOUT PHYSICAL EXAMINATION OF FOODS DUE TO HEAVY
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Marler Clark files multiple Grimmway Carrot E. coli Lawsuits – more coming

As of November 17, 2024, 39 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli have been reported from 18 states according to the CDC: Wyoming 1, Washington 8, Virginia 1, Texas 1, South Carolina 2, Pennsylvania 1, Oregon 3, Ohio 1, North Carolina 1, New York 5, New Jersey 2, Missouri 1, Minnesota 5, Michigan 1, Massachusetts 1, Colorado 1, California 3 and Arkansas 1. Illnesses started on dates ranging from September 6, 2024 to October 28, 2024. Of … Read the rest

With eight more executions scheduled, 2024 could conclude with most US executions in nearly a decade

I flagged here last month that a flourish of executions in multiple states had been scheduled over just a week, and all five of those executions were ultimately carried out.  I now see from this Death Penalty Information Center page that eight more executions are scheduled for the final few months of 2024.  If seven of those executions go forward as planned, the US will have completed 26 total execution in 2024, which would be more than in any calendar … Read the rest

Financial Ombudsman Service compensation limit increased again – by more than 10%

The Financial Conduct Authority confirmed last month that the limit for compensation that can be awarded by the Financial Ombudsman Service (“FOS”) will be raised from £375,000 to £415,000, for complaints made after 1 April 2023 relating to acts or omissions on or after 1 April 2019 – an increase of over 10%.

A lower limit of £190,000 applies to any complaints made from 1 April 2023 relating to events that occurred prior to 1 April 2019 – again an … Read the rest