You already know (because we told you last week) that the Commission has received eight petitions for reconsideration of various aspects of its new rules establishing the Citizens Broadband Radio Service. Now, thanks to a notice in the Federal Register, we know when comments (and replies to those comments) about any or all of those … Continue Reading
September 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 Admonishes TV Station Licensees for Violating Commercial Limits in Children’s Programming Telecommunications Provider Agrees to $1.175 Million Payment to Resolve Investigation of […]
The legal issues surrounding the use of music in broadcast and digital media is one of those topics that is usually enough to make eyes glaze over. The importance of understanding these issues is illustrated by this week’s request from the Department of Justice for more information about the rights of songwriters to authorize ASCAP… Continue Reading
DMCA requires consideration of “fair use” before infringement can be alleged. Thanks to digital technology, copyright infringement is easier than ever – and the Internet provides a tempting place to display infringing uses of copyrighted material. Recognizing that, Congress passed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), creating a simple mechanism by which copyright owners could … Continue Reading
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