News – Page 258 – Tennessee Association of Broadcasters

FM Translators Still Contentious – New Filing Window, Suggestions for Resolving Interference Complaints and a Request for Reconsideration of Relaxation of Rules on the Location of FM Translators for AM Stations

By David Oxenford|2017-05-01T11:01:34-05:00May 1st, 2017|Legal News|

For well over a decade, since the FM translator filing window of 2003, translators have been a controversial subject. While they have become more important to the broadcast ecosystem – especially as they now rebroadcast AM stations and HD-2 channels of FM stations – their use continues to be controversial, both because of the interference… Continue Reading

May Regulatory Dates for Broadcasters – Incentive Auction, ATSC 3.0 and Broadcast Deregulation

By David Oxenford|2017-04-30T09:41:41-05:00April 30th, 2017|Legal News|

May is one of the few months without the normal list of quarterly filings and EEO public file reports. But, just because there are none of these regular filings due, that does not mean that the month will be a quiet one for broadcasters on the regulatory front. In fact, far from it. There are… Continue Reading

Making Good on Deregulation – FCC Proposes to Eliminate Main Studio Rules and Review All Other Broadcast Regulatory Requirements

By David Oxenford|2017-04-28T10:30:44-05:00April 28th, 2017|Legal News|

In his speech at the NAB Convention (available here), Chairman Pai promised to pursue a broadcast regulatory regime that made sense in today’s competitive media environment. He promised to move quickly to eliminate a number of the unnecessary broadcast rules, and specifically to repeal the main studio rule (see our articles here and here about… Continue Reading

FCC Public Notice Seeks 411 on Broadband for Health IT

By Ashley Ludlow|2017-04-27T16:28:49-05:00April 27th, 2017|Legal News|

Imagine if all Americans had seamless remote access to doctors and hospitals throughout the country, if an individual in Angle Inlet, MN (total population of 60) could consult with a doctor in Minneapolis without ever having to leave the comfort of his own home, or if a surgeon in Washington, DC, could perform an operation … Continue Reading

FCC Enforcement Monitor ~ April 2017

By Scott R. Flick, Jessica Nyman and Joseph A. Cohen|2017-04-27T15:01:26-05:00April 27th, 2017|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: Headlines: Michigan Class A TV Station Agrees to Pay $45,000 for Numerous Children’s Programming and Public Inspection File Violations New York TV Station Agrees to […]

Update: Bill to Make Register of Copyrights a Presidential Appointee Approved by House of Representatives

By David Oxenford|2017-04-27T11:25:23-05:00April 27th, 2017|Legal News|

We wrote here about the Congressional proposal to make the Register of Copyrights a Presidential appointee subject to Congressional approval, rather than a selection of the Librarian of Congress. That bill, HR-1695 (an updated version of which is available here), despite some expressed concerns from certain advocacy groups about the potentially making that position more… Continue Reading

FCC’s EEO Policies Subject of Re-examination and Update

By Anne Goodwin Crump|2017-04-27T09:05:49-05:00April 27th, 2017|Legal News|

The FCC’s policies with regard to diversity generally have taken center stage over the past few days. First up, on Friday, April 21, the Commission released a Declaratory Ruling which updated its policy as to whether the use by broadcasters and multichannel video programming distributors (MVPD’s) of only Internet-based recruitment sources provides sufficiently wide dissemination … Continue Reading

The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same – UHF Discount Restored

By Anne Goodwin Crump|2017-04-26T10:01:00-05:00April 26th, 2017|Legal News|

The Commission has acted to restore the UHF discount used to calculate audience reach in connection with determining compliance with television ownership limits. The national ownership cap currently limits the number of stations one owner may control to those which reach no more than 39 percent of national television households (with reach defined as the … Continue Reading

FTC Puts “Influencers” on Notice: Disclose Marketing Relationships in Social Media Posts

By Aaron Burstein|2017-04-26T08:23:10-05:00April 26th, 2017|Legal News|

Broadcasters and advertisers should take note of the more than 90 warning letters that the FTC sent out this week as a reminder of the need to disclose material sponsorship connections in social media promotions and endorsements. The FTC has since 2009 announced a policy that any online content for which anything of value has… Continue Reading