News – Page 146 – Tennessee Association of Broadcasters

$100,000 Penalty in Consent Decree Shows Teeth in Requirement for Good Faith Negotiation of Retransmission Consent Agreements

By David Oxenford|2020-05-07T09:28:20-05:00May 7th, 2020|Legal News|

The requirement that television broadcasters and MVPDs (including cable and satellite television providers) negotiate in good faith over the provisions of retransmission consent agreements is often cited in arguments by one side or the other when negotiations over the fees to be paid under those agreements break down. In a consent decree released last week,... Continue Reading…

The Basics of Music Rights for Webcasters and Podcasters – A Webinar at World Audio Day

By David Oxenford|2020-05-06T10:08:11-05:00May 6th, 2020|Legal News|

Music licensing issues are always confusing. At the request of streaming service provider Live365 which hosted World Audio Day as a virtual substitute for our all getting together at last month’s cancelled NAB Convention in Las Vegas, I participated in a discussion of those issues, trying to provide the basics as to who gets paid... Continue Reading…

The Basics of Music Rights for Webcasters and Podcasters – A Webinar at World Audio Day

By David Oxenford|2020-05-06T10:08:11-05:00May 6th, 2020|Legal News|

Music licensing issues are always confusing. At the request of streaming service provider Live365 which hosted World Audio Day as a virtual substitute for our all getting together at last month’s cancelled NAB Convention in Las Vegas, I participated in a discussion of those issues, trying to provide the basics as to who gets paid... Continue Reading…

FCC Lobs More Fireballs at Robocallers and Spoofers

By Peter Tannenwald and Seth Williams|2020-05-06T09:44:18-05:00May 6th, 2020|Legal News|

The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) has taken several steps in recent years to deter robocalls of all kinds, with some success, but not enough to give us poor ordinary folks the telephone peace and quiet for which we yearn. Last year, Congress passed the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (“TRACED Act”),...… Continue Reading

EEO Relief for Broadcasters Hiring in the Post-Shutdown World

By David Oxenford|2020-05-05T09:22:12-05:00May 5th, 2020|Legal News|

The FCC yesterday announced a policy that will relieve broadcasters of wide-dissemination EEO obligations in rehiring laid-off employees in a post-shutdown world. Because of the significant economic hit taken by broadcasters when so many advertisers pulled their advertising schedules as so many businesses shut down, many broadcasters who did not receive PPP loans were forced... Continue Reading…

FCC Waives Some Broadcast EEO Requirements for Rehires

By Davina Sashkin|2020-05-05T00:30:21-05:00May 5th, 2020|Legal News|

As part of its efforts to provide relief to broadcasters reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) has announced a limited waiver of recruitment requirements for the re-hiring of employees who were laid off as a direct result of COVID-19 economic conditions. Under normal conditions, radio and TV broadcast station employment units...… Continue Reading

FCC Adds EEO Relief to List of COVID-19 Actions

By Scott R. Flick|2020-05-04T14:47:40-05:00May 4th, 2020|Legal News|

This afternoon, the FCC released a brief Order looking toward the day when life in the U.S. hopefully returns to normal, and broadcast stations begin rehiring furloughed workers. In the two-page Order, the FCC waived the requirement in its EEO Rule that broadcasters and MVPDs engage in “broad outreach” when filling each full-time job position. […]

This Week at the FCC: April 25, 2020 to May 1, 2020

By David Oxenford|2020-05-03T11:29:21-05:00May 3rd, 2020|Legal News|

Last week, we started this feature of Here are some of the Washington actions of importance to broadcasters – at the FCC and elsewhere – which occurred in the last week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how this may affect your operations. The comment period ended in... Continue Reading…

FCC’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program – One Month Later

By Lee G. Petro|2020-05-01T18:00:43-05:00May 1st, 2020|Legal News|

On April 2, 2020, the FCC established the COVID-19 Telehealth Program (Program), which will guide the disbursement of $200 million to health care providers for connected care services to their patients. We published our summary of the Program on April 3, 2020, and followed up with a discussion of the FCC’s application procedures on April 9, 2020, and […]