David Oxenford, Author at Tennessee Association of Broadcasters

May Regulatory Dates for Broadcasters – License Renewal Preparations, FCC Meeting, and Comments on the Communications Marketplace, Significant Viewing and FM Zonecasting

By David Oxenford|2020-04-27T11:04:09-05:00April 27th, 2020|Legal News|

During most months, FCC procedures, rules and regulations, with their mostly predictable schedules and deadlines, give broadcasters a feeling of routine. In this time of stay-at-home orders, social distancing measures, and face-mask wearing, even FCC deadlines cannot provide the semblance of normality we are all looking for. In fact, May is one of those months... Continue Reading…

FCC Issues Guidance on TV License Renewals and Announces New Ownership Question on Radio Renewals

By David Oxenford|2020-04-24T09:15:55-05:00April 24th, 2020|Legal News|

The FCC issued public notices this week on the license renewal process for both radio and television operators. The Public Notice on television renewals was perhaps more significant, as it addressed several issues and procedures for the television renewal process which begins with the filing of renewals for stations located in Maryland, DC, Virginia and... Continue Reading…

FCC Issues Guidance on TV License Renewals and Announces New Ownership Question on Radio Renewals

By David Oxenford|2020-04-24T09:15:55-05:00April 24th, 2020|Legal News|

The FCC issued public notices this week on the license renewal process for both radio and television operators. The Public Notice on television renewals was perhaps more significant, as it addressed several issues and procedures for the television renewal process which begins with the filing of renewals for stations located in Maryland, DC, Virginia and... Continue Reading…

FCC Clarifies Its Ruling on Political File Obligations for Federal Issue Ads

By David Oxenford|2020-04-23T20:36:15-05:00April 23rd, 2020|Legal News|

The FCC this week issued an Order reconsidering some of the issues addressed in its October 2019 orders (which we summarized here) interpreting its political advertising rules. Those October interpretations required that broadcasters who run ads addressing federal issues must include in the political file, maintained as part of their online public file, information about... Continue Reading…

FCC Denies Application of Hoax Rule to Trump Press Conferences on COVID-19 – Looking at the First Amendment and the Commission’s Regulation of Political Speech

By David Oxenford|2020-04-22T11:29:44-05:00April 22nd, 2020|Legal News|

Recently, FCC staff dismissed a request by the organization Free Press asking the FCC to investigate the broadcast of the President’s press conferences on the coronavirus and programs where commentators supported the President’s pronouncements. In addition to an investigation, the request asked that the FCC require that broadcasters “prominently disclose when information they air is... Continue Reading…

FCC and Industry Groups Ask for Supreme Court Review of Third Circuit Ownership Decision

By David Oxenford|2020-04-20T11:05:57-05:00April 20th, 2020|Legal News|

On Friday, the FCC (with the Department of Justice) and a group of interested media industry companies filed requests asking that the Supreme Court review the decision of the Third Circuit overturning the FCC’s 2017 decision on its ownership rules (the FCC petition for a writ of certiorari is available here). The FCC’s 2017 decision... Continue Reading…

Comment Dates Set on Possible Revision to Rules on Significantly Viewed Television Stations for MVPD Carriage Purposes – What Is Being Asked?

By David Oxenford|2020-04-17T11:03:11-05:00April 17th, 2020|Legal News|

This week, the FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Significant Viewing was published in the Federal Register, setting a comment deadline of May 14, with reply comments due by June 15. The NPRM asks for comments as to whether the FCC should update its rules for establishing whether or not a TV station is “significantly... Continue Reading…

Comment Dates Set on Possible Revision to Rules on Significantly Viewed Television Stations for MVPD Carriage Purposes – What Is Being Asked?

By David Oxenford|2020-04-17T11:03:11-05:00April 17th, 2020|Legal News|

This week, the FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Significant Viewing was published in the Federal Register, setting a comment deadline of May 14, with reply comments due by June 15. The NPRM asks for comments as to whether the FCC should update its rules for establishing whether or not a TV station is “significantly... Continue Reading…

Court Decision Dismissing Photographer’s Lawsuit Shows Breadth of Rights Granted to Social Media and Denies Infringement Claim for Instagram Embedded Photo

By David Oxenford|2020-04-15T22:42:44-05:00April 15th, 2020|Legal News|

In an interesting Court decision from the Southern District of New York, a judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by a photographer for the use of her photo without permission by the website Mashable. Mashable defended against the claim by arguing that it did not need a license directly from the photographer as it had not... Continue Reading…

About David Oxenford