News – Page 21 – Tennessee Association of Broadcasters

FCC Proposes to Prioritize Processing of Applications by Stations with Local Programming – And Asks Many Questions About Whether the FCC Should Have Abolished the Main Studio Rule

By David Oxenford|2024-01-26T09:37:14-06:00January 26th, 2024|Legal News|

The FCC last week issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking aimed to give incentives to broadcasters to air more local journalism and local programming by prioritizing the processing of certain applications by stations that feature local programming. That decision drew dissents from both of the FCC’s Republican Commissioners, not because of the proposal for the... Continue Reading…

FCC Enforcement Monitor January 2024

By Scott R. Flick, Elizabeth Craig and Adam J. Sandler|2024-01-25T14:40:27-06:00January 25th, 2024|Legal News|

Pillsbury’s communications lawyers have published FCC Enforcement Monitor monthly since 1999 to inform our clients of notable FCC enforcement actions against FCC license holders and others. This month’s issue includes: TV Broadcaster Faces $150,000 Fine for Failure to Negotiate Retransmission Consent in Good Faith Sponsorship ID and Political File Violations Lead to $500,000 Consent Decree […]

Meeting Your Annual Children’s Television Programming Reporting Obligations

By Lauren Lynch Flick and Scott R. Flick|2024-01-24T14:13:18-06:00January 24th, 2024|Legal News|

The deadline to file the 2023 Annual Children’s Television Programming Report with the FCC is January 30, 2024, reflecting programming aired during the 2023 calendar year. In addition, commercial stations’ documentation of their compliance with the commercial limits in children’s programming during the 2023 calendar year must be placed in their Public Inspection File by […]

FCC Releases NPRM Seeking Comment on Proposal to Require Subscriber Rebates for Retransmission Consent Blackouts

By Daniel Brown|2024-01-24T10:00:32-06:00January 24th, 2024|Legal News|

On January 17, 2024, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) seeking comment on a newly proposed requirement for cable operators and direct broadcast satellite (“DBS”) providers, which, if enacted, would require those cable operators and DBS providers to make available rebates to their subscribers for programming blackouts caused by failed retransmission consent...… Continue Reading

Copyright Royalty Board Issues Correction of Deadline to File Petitions to Participate in New Proceeding to Set Webcasting Royalty Rates for 2026-2030, and Issues Notices of Audits of Webcasters

By David Oxenford|2024-01-24T09:10:12-06:00January 24th, 2024|Legal News|

The Copyright Royalty Board has published in the Federal Register a correction to its notice announcing the commencement of the next proceeding to set rates for the royalties paid by webcasters (including broadcasters who stream their music through the internet) to SoundExchange for the public performance of sound recordings in the period 2026-2030. The correction... Continue Reading…

This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: January 15 to January 19, 2024

By David Oxenford and Keenan Adamchak|2024-01-21T07:10:35-06:00January 21st, 2024|Legal News|

Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the past week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. Continue Reading…

FCC Proposes to Prioritize Application Processing for Stations that Provide Locally Originated Programming

By Mark Malonzo|2024-01-19T18:05:27-06:00January 19th, 2024|Legal News|

On January 17, 2024, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) seeking comment on a proposed rule that would prioritize review of certain broadcast applications filed by stations that certify that they provide locally originated programming. Eligible Stations Under the proposed rule, priority review would be available to radio and television stations (excluding...… Continue Reading

And They’re Off: FCC Jumps Out of the Gate with Back-to-Back Enforcement Actions and NPRMs

By Jessica T. Nyman, Adam J. Sandler and Elizabeth Craig|2024-01-19T13:05:17-06:00January 19th, 2024|Legal News|

If there was any doubt that the late-2023 confirmation of Anna Gomez as the fifth commissioner would bring a flurry of FCC activity in 2024, the FCC has laid those questions to rest. In addition to a $150,000 good faith NAL, $500,000 sponsorship ID consent decree, $26,000 EEO report NAL, and some public file NALs, […]

Media and Telecom Companies Must Adapt to New DOL Rule on Classifying Employees and Independent Contractors

By Scott R. Flick|2024-01-17T12:31:57-06:00January 17th, 2024|Legal News|

Given that the name of this site is CommLawCenter, our focus is generally on communications law and regulation. More accurately, however, our focus is on legal developments that affect the media and telecom industries, even when they emanate from entities other than Congress or the FCC. This is particularly true where a change in non-communications […]