Political Broadcasting

September Regulatory Dates for Broadcasters: Annual Regulatory Fees, Lowest Unit Rate Window Opening, C-Band Reimbursement, Rulemaking Comments and More

By David Oxenford|2020-08-27T11:18:16-05:00August 27th, 2020|Legal News|

As broadcasters continue to respond to the coronavirus while sometimes juggling work duties with family responsibilities like at-home virtual schooling, it would be easy to overlook regulatory dates and responsibilities. This post should help alert you to some important dates in September that all stations should keep in mind – and we will also provide... Continue Reading…

This Week in Regulation: August 15, 2020 to August 21, 2020

By David Oxenford and Adam Sandler|2020-08-23T09:57:48-05:00August 23rd, 2020|Legal News|

Here are some of the regulatory and legal actions and developments of the last week of significance to broadcasters, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. We noted in last week’s update that the FCC’s Annual Regulatory Fees Order, setting the the... Continue Reading…

Lowest Unit Rate Window for the November Election Opens on September 4 – Thoughts on Computing Your Lowest Unit Charges to Political Candidates

By David Oxenford|2020-08-17T10:59:20-05:00August 17th, 2020|Legal News|

With the lowest unit charge window for the November elections going into effect on September 4, just two and a half weeks from now, we thought that it was a good idea to review the basic FCC rules and policies affecting those charges. In this election, with the Presidency and control in both houses of Congress... Continue Reading…

This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: July 25, 2020 to July 31, 2020

By David Oxenford and Adam Sandler|2020-08-02T10:34:34-05:00August 2nd, 2020|Legal News|

Here are some of the regulatory and legal developments of the last week of significance to broadcasters – and a look ahead to the FCC’s consideration of two media modernization items in the coming week. Links are also provided for you to find more information on how these actions may affect your operations. This week,... Continue Reading…

Now Available: 2020 Politcal Broadcasting Rules Refresher

By FHH Law|2020-07-31T09:33:33-05:00July 31st, 2020|Legal News|

On July 30, Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth attorneys, Frank Montero and Dan Kirkpatrick, along with the FCC’s political programming experts, Bobby Baker, Gary Schonman, and Sima Nilsson, discussed the requirements and latest developments in the FCC’s political broadcasting rules, including equal time, lowest unit rates, PAC ads, BCRA, and record keeping. If you didn’t catch the...… Continue Reading

This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: July 18, 2020 to July 24, 2020

By David Oxenford|2020-07-25T18:34:52-05:00July 25th, 2020|Legal News|

Here are some of the FCC regulatory, legal, and congressional actions of the last week—and music licensing action in the coming week—of significance to broadcasters, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. The Media Bureau settled investigations into six major radio groups... Continue Reading…

FCC Enters Consent Decrees with Six Big Radio Groups – Looking at What the FCC’s Political File Rules Require

By David Oxenford|2020-07-24T11:09:15-05:00July 24th, 2020|Legal News|

The FCC this week announced consent decrees with six large radio groups over problems with the political files maintained by these groups. The consent decrees included very specific compliance plans for each company to ensure that it met all FCC political file obligations in the future. And it suggested that the penalties were mitigated by... Continue Reading…

Facebook Defends Not Censoring Political Ads – Looking at the Differences In Regulation of Political Speech on Different Communications Platforms

By David Oxenford|2020-06-12T11:25:18-05:00June 12th, 2020|Legal News|

The question about what to do with the protections offered by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act took another turn this week, when Joe Biden suggested that online platforms needed to take responsibility for the content posted on them and correct misinformation in those ads. That position is seemingly the opposite of the President’s... Continue Reading…

Looking at the President’s Executive Order on Online Media – Part 2, What Real Risk Does It Pose for Media Companies?

By David Oxenford|2020-06-05T11:24:46-05:00June 5th, 2020|Legal News|

We summarized the provisions of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act on Monday, looking at the application of the law that the President has sought to change through the Executive Order released last week. Today, it’s time to look at what the Executive Order purports to do and what practical effects it might have... Continue Reading…