Legal News

“Where seldom is heard a discouraging word?” Supreme Court Allows the Federal Registration of Disparaging Trademarks

By Mitchell Stabbe|2017-06-22T05:53:00-05:00June 22nd, 2017|Legal News|

The U.S. Supreme Court has invalidated the statutory bar against the federal registration of disparaging trademarks, on the ground that it violates the First Amendment and is unconstitutional. What does this mean for businesses in general, including, in particular, broadcasters and the Washington DC National Football League franchise? History of the Case The case involved...… Continue Reading

Modernization of Media Regulation – What Rule Changes Should Broadcasters be Requesting?

By David Oxenford|2017-06-19T11:33:08-05:00June 19th, 2017|Legal News|

It is not every year that the FCC seriously asks broadcasters for suggestions as to what rules it should abolish or modify, but that is exactly what the FCC is doing in its Modernization of Media Regulation proceeding (about which we wrote here and here). Comments due the week after next, on July 5, and...… Continue Reading

Almost 80 Radio Stations Hit With New FCC EEO Audit Letter

By David Oxenford|2017-06-17T21:13:59-05:00June 17th, 2017|Legal News|

While the FCC in April made broadcaster’s compliance with the FCC’s EEO rules easier by allowing the wide dissemination of information about job openings through online sources (see our article here), there still remain significant obligations under those rules (see our article here). The FCC made that clear on Friday, releasing a Public Notice announcing...… Continue Reading

Court Rejects Stay on FCC’s Reinstatement of UHF Discount – Does it Mean TV Ownership Consolidation is in the Clear?

By David Oxenford|2017-06-16T10:01:13-05:00June 16th, 2017|Legal News|

Yesterday, in a very short one page decision, the US Court of Appeals rejected the requests filed by public interest groups to stay the effect of the FCC’s decision to reinstate the UHF discount (see our article here about some of the issues involved in this stay request, and our article here about the reinstatement...… Continue Reading

No Stay for You: UHF Discount Now in Effect

By Scott R. Flick|2017-06-15T11:58:01-05:00June 15th, 2017|Legal News|

As we wrote about at the time, in April the Pai FCC continued its efforts to modernize broadcast regulation by restoring an old rule–the UHF Discount–until it can take a broader look at its national ownership cap later this year. While restoration of the Discount merely reinstated the status quo that existed before the Wheeler […]

FCC Announces Potential Solutions for LPTV Stations that are Displaced Before Getting the Opportunity to File for a New Channel

By David Oxenford|2017-06-15T10:14:07-05:00June 15th, 2017|Legal News|

The FCC in a Public Notice released yesterday recognized that some LPTV stations and TV translators may get bumped from their current channels even before full power stations start their transition to new channels to repack the TV band to make parts of it available for wireless Internet operations. The FCC has established windows for...… Continue Reading

FCC Reminds Repacked TV Stations of Upcoming June and July Deadlines

By David Oxenford|2017-06-08T08:56:29-05:00June 8th, 2017|Legal News|

The incentive auction, where the FCC agreed to buy the spectrum of numerous TV stations so that they could repackage that spectrum and sell it to wireless users, ended with the FCC’s Closing Notice released in April. But, in order to clear contiguous blocks of spectrum for the wireless companies who bought spectrum in the...… Continue Reading

UPDATE: FCC Announces Deadline for Comments on Proposed Elimination of the Main Studio Rule

By Dan Kirkpatrick and Keenan Adamchak|2017-06-07T16:55:07-05:00June 7th, 2017|Legal News|

In a previous entry, we discussed the Federal Communications Commission’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to eliminate the main studio rule, which requires radio and television broadcasters to maintain a main studio located at or near a station’s community of license. The NPRM was published in the Federal Register on June 2, 2017, which means...… Continue Reading

FCC Releases Instructions for Window for AM Stations to File for FM Translators and Announces Translator Filing Freeze – Pay Attention to the Details!

By David Oxenford|2017-06-07T10:00:28-05:00June 7th, 2017|Legal News|

Late yesterday, the FCC released the Public Notice setting out the instructions for the upcoming window for Class C and D AM stations to file for new FM translators. The window will be open for the submission of applications from July 26 to August 2 – and mutually exclusive applications filed during that window will...… Continue Reading