MVPD – Tennessee Association of Broadcasters

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

Broadcast Regulation Does Not Take a Vacation: FCC Resolves 2018 Quadrennial Review with No Significant Changes in Ownership Rules; Proposes a Reporting System for Retransmission Blackouts; and Advances New EEO Reporting Rules

By David Oxenford|2023-12-28T10:48:32-06:00December 28th, 2023|Legal News|

While we normally publish a weekly summary of regulatory actions relevant to broadcasters, the weekend before last we said that we would take the holiday weeks off – and return with a summary on January 7 of all that occurred over the break – unless there was news in the interim. Well, there has been... Continue Reading…

TV Stations and MVPDs Must Upload Contact Information by July 31st

By Paul J. Feldman|2020-06-30T11:03:17-05:00June 30th, 2020|Legal News|

As we head into Summer, it’s important for TV broadcasters to remember the upcoming deadlines this Fall associated with notifying multichannel video program distributors (“MVPDs”) – primarily cable TV and direct broadcast satellite operators – of the station’s election of either must-carry or retransmission consent carriage status on the MVPD systems. Two critical deadlines are...… Continue Reading

The FCC Releases Reconsideration of Procedures for Conversion from ATSC 1.0 to 3.0

By Peter Tannenwald|2020-06-19T15:35:49-05:00June 19th, 2020|Legal News|

The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) has issued a Second Report and Order and Order on Reconsideration, largely leaving intact the rules it adopted in 2017 authorizing television broadcast stations to implement the ATSC 3.0 technical standard, now known as “NextGen” TV. Full Power and Class A TV stations converting to NextGen must continue to simulcast...… Continue Reading

“Sweeps” Are Under the Rug: FCC Seeks Comment on New Metrics to Establish Significant Viewership

By Peter Tannenwald|2020-04-20T08:30:36-05:00April 20th, 2020|Legal News|

The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) has invited comments on it’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) on whether it should update its rules that determine whether a television broadcast station is “significantly viewed” in communities outside of its Designated Market area (“DMA”) for purposes of carriage on Multichannel Video Program Distribution (“MVPD”) systems, both cable and...… Continue Reading

Effective Date of Truth-in-Billing Statute Deferred

By Peter Tannenwald|2020-04-15T09:30:32-05:00April 15th, 2020|Legal News|

Last year, a new law, the Television Viewer Protection Act of 2019 (“TVPA”), was enacted, requiring Multichannel Video Programming Distributors (“MVPDs”) and providers of fixed broadband services to disclose all charges that a consumer will have to pay before he or she signs up for service. The statute requires compliance by June 20, 2020, but...… Continue Reading

Update: Comment Deadlines Available for Proposal to Drop Cable TV Public File Reports of Interest in Video Programming Services

By Peter Tannenwald|2020-04-02T11:47:12-05:00April 2nd, 2020|Legal News|

On March 16, 2020, we wrote that the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) has proposed to eliminate the rule that requires cable television systems to post in their online public inspection file (“OPIF”) information about the nature and extent of their attributable interests in video program services and which of those services they own are carried on...… Continue Reading

FCC Invites Comment on Extending Deadline for Total Price Disclosure for MVPD Services

By Peter Tannenwald|2020-03-17T11:37:58-05:00March 17th, 2020|Legal News|

The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) has invited comments as to whether it should grant a six-month extension of time for Multichannel Video Program Distributors (“MVPDs”) to comply with the “Right to Transparency” provisions of the Television Viewer Protection Act of 2019 (“TVPA”). This proceeding will be a quick one, with Comments due April 6, and...… Continue Reading

TV Must-Carry/Retransmission Consent Elections Must Be Made This Year: Election Notification System Will Now Be All Electronic

By Peter Tannenwald|2020-03-10T10:30:25-05:00March 10th, 2020|Legal News|

In Report and Orders released in July of 2019 and February of 2020, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) has converted the system for television broadcast stations to notify multichannel video program distributors (“MVPDs”), of their election of must-carry or retransmission status from paper sent by certified mail to electronic notices posted on the FCC’s website,...… Continue Reading