We tend to focus on regulatory and legislative issues here at CommLawCenter, as that is the common ground for many of our media clients. However, the truth is that—just like our clients—we spend more time working on business issues than regulatory ones. Whether it’s mergers and acquisitions informed by regulatory rules, program negotiations, or novel […]
October is one of those months where the regulatory stars align, when not only do broadcasters in many states have EEO Public File report obligations, but also Quarterly Issues Programs Lists need to be placed in the public files of all commercial and noncommercial stations, and Quarterly Children’s Television Reports need to be filed at… Continue Reading
The FCBA’s Annual Charity Auction, that is. If you’re going to be in Washington on November 5, be sure to clear your evening schedule. That’s the night of this year’s Annual Charity Auction hosted by the FCBA’s Young Lawyers Committee. November 5 is a Thursday, if that makes a difference to you. The place: The … Continue Reading
Petitioners’ suggestions are all over the map. We reported last May on the FCC’s adoption of preliminary rules for the Citizens Broadband Service at 3550-3700 MHz. Under those rules, a control database and automated frequency assignment mechanism, dubbed the Spectrum Access System (SAS), will assign frequencies to users on the fly in three priority levels: … Continue Reading
The FCC’s Media Bureau this week released a decision denying the license applications of five new FM stations, and cancelling the construction permits for those stations. While the principal reasons for the denial of the license applications was the failure of the applicant to complete the applications correctly after the several deadlines imposed by the… Continue Reading
A decision that noncommercial broadcasters should note was released by the Commission last week. The decision was one that upheld a 2012 consent decree where, to resolve objections against the sale of a noncommercial radio station owned by the University of San Francisco, the Media Bureau imposed a fine of $50,000 for a pre-sale LMA… Continue Reading
The FCC yesterday agreed to modernize its contest rules, allowing broadcasters to publicize the material terms of a contest that is conducted by a station through posting those rules on an Internet website, rather than requiring that the material rules be read on the air often enough so that a listener is likely to have… Continue Reading
An order deciding on the steps the FCC will take to revitalize AM radio is currently being actively considered by the Commissioners. As we wrote earlier this week, the biggest argument about the proposal that is circulating is reportedly whether or not that order will provide for a window for filing for new FM translators… Continue Reading
Long-pending Entercom proposal adopted … finally. If you’re a broadcast station that conducts contests and promotes those contests on the air, the FCC has just ushered you into the 21st Century. Soon you will be able to advise your audience about the material elements of your contests by simply posting them online (as opposed to … Continue Reading