As we reported here, the FCC released its proposals regarding 2015 regulatory fees last May. As August turned into September, licensees were getting anxious as to when the FCC would get around to issuing an order setting the fees and opening the “Fee Filer” online payment system. That happened today with the release of this […]
Fire up your computer, free up some space on your credit cards and get your FRN information ready – you’ve got until SEPTEMBER 24, 2015 to get your reg fees paid … but don’t count on paying between 6:00 p.m., September 2 and 8:00 a.m., September 8. And we thought last year – when the … Continue Reading
August 2015 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: FCC Again Cracks Down on Wi-Fi Blocking at Conference Centers Licensee Faces $27,000 Fine for Repeatedly Failing to File Kidvid Reports Too Little […]
Surprisingly, the rights to some call signs turn on degrees of relatedness. Most of our postings here deal with grave concerns of policy and regulation. Once in a while, though, a not-so-grave item catches our eye. From one such we learned that, even in the American meritocracy, it really all depends on who you’re related … Continue Reading
A month or two ago we reported on some fine-tuning of the FCC’s experimental licensing rules. This arose in the context of the Commission’s consideration of several petitions for reconsideration of its 2013 overhaul of the experimental rules. The recent order effecting that fine-tuning has now made it into the Federal Register, which means that … Continue Reading
The FCC today released a tentative meeting agenda for its September 17, 2015 Open Commission Meeting. The agenda includes consideration of a Report and Order granting broadcasters greater flexibility in making rule disclosures required by the FCC for station-conducted contests. As we posted here and here, the Commission previously adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking […]
On the agenda: What we know so far about the planned auction of the 600 MHz band, and what wireless carriers and other bidders interested in getting a piece of this beachfront can expect when it gets here. There’s no denying it: the unprecedented incentive auction is barreling toward us. While many details are still … Continue Reading
Bureau reiterates view that using “deauthentication frames” to bounce hotspot users constitutes prohibited “interference”. Conference goers, rejoice! It looks like the FCC really is serious about preventing hotels and other conference venues from blocking access to the venues’ Wi-Fi networks through personal “hotspot” network devices. The Commission’s Enforcement Bureau had staked out its position on … Continue Reading
When he reported on the FCC’s proposal to overhaul its equipment authorization processes, our colleague Mitchell Lazarus observed that, “[f]or an NPRM of this scope and complexity, the comment periods are brutally short.” He was not alone in that view. The Telecommunications Industry Association, the Information Technology Industry Council, the Consumer Electronics Association and the … Continue Reading