Changes will update policies and procedures to accommodate developing technologies. Among the FCC’s many functions is one known to a small community of technical experts – and, of course, CommLawBlog readers: the equipment authorization program. These procedures seek to ensure that devices capable of emitting radio-frequency energy comply with the FCC’s requirements as to frequency, … Continue Reading
Back in February the FCC released its new E911 standards designed to improve E911 location capability. As we reported in March, most of those new standards were to take effect in April … except for a small handful that happened to be “information collections” and thus subject to the hilariously named Paperwork Reduction Act. Thanks … Continue Reading
July 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: Repetitive Children’s Programming Costs TV Licensee $90,000 It’s Nice to Be Asked: FCC Faults Red-Lighted Licensee’s Failure to Request STA FCC Proposes $25,000 […]
Last month we reported on the Commission’s proposal to preserve vacant UHF TV channel space in every geographic area of the country for use by unlicensed TV white space devices and wireless microphones. The deadlines for comments on the proposal were set tout de suite, and things seemed to be moving merrily along on the … Continue Reading
The FCC looks to plug loopholes in advance of the Incentive Auction. One never fails to marvel at the ingenuity of man. No matter what program, policy or rule the FCC adopts to further some worthy public interest goal, a clever gamesman inevitably figures out a way to manipulate the system to garner a benefit … Continue Reading
Federal judge in California declares Aereo clone potentially eligible for compulsory copyright license. Sometimes, getting there first doesn’t mean that you’re the winner. Just look at Aereo, whose innovative technology was going to revolutionize the delivery of video programming. Although supposedly embraced by the consuming public, Aereo was sued for copyright infringement by lots of … Continue Reading
FCC OK’s reopening of seemingly closed historic review process … eight years after the question is raised. Getting governmental approval to build a tower can take a long time. As a recent FCC decision demonstrates, it can take a lot longer when the government can’t decide when the approval process has come to an end. … Continue Reading
We’ve all heard the warning: once you put something on the Internet, it will be there forever. But an Oregon TV station learned the hard way that records in the FCC’s online public inspection file are easier to delete than you might like—and backdating restored files is not an option. As detailed in our May […]
Yesterday, it was announced that the Radio Music License Committee (RMLC) settled its lawsuit with SESAC (see the press release here, and the full agreement here), where the RMLC had charged that SESAC’s practices in collecting its music royalties from the radio industry violated the antitrust laws (we wrote about the filing of the lawsuit… Continue Reading