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FCC Requires MVPDs to Submit Reports of Broadcast Station Blackouts

By Mark Malonzo|2025-01-08T13:07:47-06:00January 8th, 2025|Legal News|

Tags: Broadcast, TV, MVPD, Cable, Satellite, FCC, Retransmission Consent, Medi The FCC adopted rules on January 3 that require Multichannel Video Programming Distributors, including cable or satellite providers (“MVPDs” or “Reporting Entities”) to report certain broadcast station blackouts. The rules will be effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register, but MVPDs will not be required to comply until the...… Continue Reading

FCC Received Petition for New FM Broadcast Station Class

By Travis Andring|2024-06-21T15:18:40-05:00June 21st, 2024|Legal News|

On June 20, the FCC released a Public Notice announcing a June 13 Petition for Rulemaking submitted by Commander Communication Corporation (“Commander”) to create a new FM station class “A10.” In its Petition, Commander proposed a new FM class with operating parameters of maximum of 10,000 watts effective radiated power (ERP) and 100 meters height...… Continue Reading

Partial Return of the Radio Duplication Rule

By Daniel Brown|2024-06-12T11:02:05-05:00June 12th, 2024|Legal News|

Continuing its progression of reversals, the FCC announced on June 5, 2024 that it would once again reinstate section 73.3556 of the Commission’s rules (the “Radio Duplication Rule” or “Rule”) for commercial FM stations. The Radio Duplication Rule does not apply to noncommercial educational stations nor AM stations. As some of our readers might recall,...… Continue Reading

FCC Announces Lift of Channel Change Freeze for Class A Television, LPTV, And TV Translator Stations

By Daniel Brown|2024-05-29T09:15:54-05:00May 29th, 2024|Legal News|

The FCC has announced that the current freeze on major modification to Class A television, LPTV, and TV translator will be partially lifted to allow applications to change channels as of August 20, 2024, subject to certain limitations. Channel change applications will be permitted on a nationwide basis without geographic limitation. For the limited number...… Continue Reading

FCC Releases NPRM Seeking Comment on Proposal to Require Subscriber Rebates for Retransmission Consent Blackouts

By Daniel Brown|2024-01-24T10:00:32-06:00January 24th, 2024|Legal News|

On January 17, 2024, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) seeking comment on a newly proposed requirement for cable operators and direct broadcast satellite (“DBS”) providers, which, if enacted, would require those cable operators and DBS providers to make available rebates to their subscribers for programming blackouts caused by failed retransmission consent...… Continue Reading

FCC Releases NPRM Proposing New Reporting Requirements for Retransmission Consent Blackouts

By Daniel Brown|2024-01-03T13:30:40-06:00January 3rd, 2024|Legal News|

On December 21, 2023, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) proposing new reporting requirements for multichannel video programming distributors (“MVPDs”). The amendments to the FCC’s rules, if enacted, would give MVPDs 48 hours to notify the FCC when a blackout of 24 hours or more of a broadcast television station, or stations,...… Continue Reading

FCC Releases Report and Order Concluding Its 2018 Quadrennial Regulatory Review

By Daniel Brown|2023-12-27T14:26:12-06:00December 27th, 2023|Legal News|

After receiving a mandated deadline from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the FCC presented its long-awaited Christmas gift to the broadcast industry with the December 26 release of the 2018 Quadrennial Review Report and Order (“R&O”). By a 3-2 vote, with both Republican commissioners dissenting, the R&O found that the FCC’s...… Continue Reading

FCC Releases Report and Order Concluding Its 2018 Quadrennial Regulatory Review

By Daniel Brown|2023-12-27T14:26:12-06:00December 27th, 2023|Legal News|

After receiving a mandated deadline from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the FCC presented its long-awaited Christmas gift to the broadcast industry with the December 26 release of the 2018 Quadrennial Review Report and Order (“R&O”). By a 3-2 vote, with both Republican commissioners dissenting, the R&O found that the FCC’s...… Continue Reading

EAS Nationwide Test Scheduled for Wednesday, October 4, 2023

By Daniel Brown|2023-08-03T13:06:42-05:00August 3rd, 2023|Legal News|

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”) and the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) have announced that a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (“EAS”) will take place on October 4, 2023, at 2:20 pm EDT. As we previously reported, EAS participants, with limited exceptions, should have already filed their ETRS Form 1 providing the FCC...… Continue Reading