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GBMT-9 · Research record · No. 9

Moving-targets log (GBMT-9)

media/research/moving-targets-log.md
This is a working research document from the media filing, published as written — including the parts later corrected. It is the underlying record for Whitepaper No. 9, not a summary of it.

The media filing's Phase 0 and execution passes (2026-08-03) flagged several claims as time-sensitive moving targets. This log records dated re-checks. Dated findings files are snapshots and are not rewritten; the live site pages and the protocol's anchor table receive bracketed, dated updates where a published claim materially changed.

Re-check 2026-08-04

# Target Status Detail Page edit
1 FCC national ownership cap vote UNCHANGED Still scheduled for the Aug 6 2026 Open Meeting; draft R&O unrevised since Jul 16; Commissioner Gomez dissenting, ATVA opposing; litigation expected only post-vote None — the filing already date-stamps this
2 Florida SB 7072 remand CHANGED Judge Hinkle (N.D. Fla.) denied both sides' summary judgment Jun 18-19 2026, rejecting Florida's argument that the First Amendment doesn't reach platform editorial decisions; trial set Sept 8 2026 (caption now NetChoice v. Uthmeier) Live page Part 6 updated with trial date
3 Texas HB 20 remand CHANGED (procedural) Judge Pitman denied Texas's stay motion May 6 2026; injunction-scope question still undecided, briefing ongoing — [Verification Phase 1, 2026-08-10: not confirmable. The RECAP docket for NetChoice v. Paxton, W.D. Tex. 1:21-cv-00840 (219 documents), records no order in May 2026; its 2026 entries are Jan 30, Feb 24–25, Jun 29–30 and Jul 9. The only stay ruling on the docket is a grant, 2025-04-16, pending possible legislative action. Scope briefing closed 2025-09-10 and a "forthcoming order" was signalled 2026-07-09.] Live page Part 6 updated
4 California Google journalism deal CHANGED — prior page claim stale The enacted FY2026-27 budget (signed Jun 29 2026) restored **10M/yr × 2years * *totheCivicMediaFund, matcheddollar − for − dollarbyGoogle20-40M program; grants capped $250k/newsroom) — survived at roughly 8× reduced scale from the original $175M vision, not zeroed as the January proposal implied and as the filing's anchor row asserted Anchor row 10 + sources page corrected with dated update
5 NY Empire State media jobs program NO UPDATE FOUND ESD estimated certificates "early June 2026"; no awards list or press coverage located as of this check None — "too early to tell" stands; re-check when ESD publishes
6 Australia News Bargaining Incentive CHANGED Bill finalized Aug 3 2026 (2.5% levy on local digital ad revenue for platforms without news deals), to be introduced next parliamentary sitting — still not enacted Anchor row 7 updated with dated note
7 Meta's Canada news ban UNCHANGED Ban in effect; talks entangled with broader trade negotiations; MEO (~Jul 2026) reports FB/IG news engagement down 85% None
8 Nexstar-Tegna litigation UNCHANGED (core) E.D. Cal. preliminary injunction (Apr 17 2026) still bars integration; Ninth Circuit appeal unargued. Separate: D.C. Circuit dismissed Free Press's challenge to the FCC approval Jul 9 2026 — does not affect the California injunction None

Sources for each row are recorded in the re-check research transcript; load-bearing changed items (rows 2, 4, 6) were reported with primary/court or government-announcement sourcing.

Standing re-checks queued: the FCC vote outcome (after Aug 6 2026); the Florida trial (after Sept 8 2026); NY's first-cycle awards (when ESD publishes); Australia's NBI passage.

Re-check 2026-08-06

# Target Status Detail Page edit
1 FCC national ownership cap vote DECIDED The FCC voted 2-1 on Aug 6 2026 (Carr, Trusty for; Gomez dissenting) to repeal the 39% national television ownership cap, replacing it with case-by-case public-interest review of individual transactions. Gomez's dissent: Congress set the cap in statute and only Congress can raise or eliminate it — the anticipated litigation theory. Pre-vote reporting had anticipated exactly this outcome Live page Part 4 updated with a dated outcome bracket
2 Australia NBI CHANGED Bill finalized Aug 3 2026 (Treasury ministers' release): 2.5% levy base narrowed with rate raised; scope extended to professional-networking platforms; regional/small-publisher distribution loading doubled 10%→20% and a small-publisher (<$150k) grants program added — post-consultation design changes that respond directly to the incumbent-capture critique this filing documented. Introduction expected early Spring session; still not enacted Anchor row 7's bracket already covers "finalized, pending introduction"; the distribution-loading detail added to the log only
3 NY ESD award results NOT YET ESD's page: portal closed for 2025 tax year, next window Spring 2027; no awards release found None
4 WA Cares payout data NOT YET Benefits payable since Jul 1 2026; no claims/payout data published by DSHS/ESD as of this check (~5 weeks in) — relevant to GBMT-7's honesty box when it lands None

Standing re-checks queued: litigation against the cap repeal (expected imminently); the Florida NetChoice trial (Sept 8 2026); NY awards; Australia NBI passage; WA Cares first data release.

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