Political Broadcasting

August Regulatory Dates for Broadcasters: National EAS Test, License Renewals, EEO Reporting, Political Broadcasting Rules Proposals, Media Ownership Comments, Annual Regulatory Fees, and More

By David Oxenford|2021-07-28T15:08:32-05:00July 28th, 2021|Legal News|

While the regulatory deadlines in August may be a bit lighter than other months, there are still several important regulatory dates to keep track of, some of which are detailed below. All broadcasters should have August 11 circled and highlighted on their calendars as the date of the next National EAS Test. And there are... Continue Reading…

FCC To Clarify Political Advertising Rules – No Significant Changes Proposed

By David Oxenford|2021-07-21T23:32:48-05:00July 21st, 2021|Legal News|

Last week, it was announced that the FCC would be considering some changes to its political broadcasting rules at its monthly open meeting in August. In some quarters (see, for example, this article), that raised concern that significant changes were coming in time for the 2022 Congressional elections. But, when the draft of the proposed... Continue Reading…

This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: July 10, 2021 to July 16, 2021

By David Oxenford|2021-07-18T10:07:36-05:00July 18th, 2021|Legal News|

Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the last week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. The FCC’s Video Division of its Media Bureau has begun to release decisions on TV license renewal applications filed in... Continue Reading…

Could a Supreme Court Decision Affect Disclosure Obligations on Political Advertising?

By David Oxenford|2021-07-13T10:46:37-05:00July 13th, 2021|Legal News|

Last week, we wrote about two dissenting opinions in a Supreme Court decision that highlight the debate that is underway on the principles that govern defamation liability in the United States. While we are reviewing Supreme Court decisions that could have an impact on broadcasters, including on political advertising, we thought that we should highlight... Continue Reading…

Two Supreme Court Justices Try to Ignite Debate on Defamation Standards – What A Change Would Mean for Broadcasters News and Political Ad Sales

By David Oxenford|2021-07-09T09:43:36-05:00July 9th, 2021|Legal News|

For well over 50 years, the Supreme Court’s New York Times v. Sullivan decision has governed the principles applied by the courts when assessing any claim of defamation. That standard requires that, to find a statement about a public figure to be defamatory, not only does the statement need to be false, but it also... Continue Reading…

This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: June 26, 2021 to July 2, 2021

By David Oxenford|2021-07-05T07:58:18-05:00July 5th, 2021|Legal News|

Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the last week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. The FCC this week reminded television broadcasters of their obligation to make televised emergency information accessible to persons with disabilities.... Continue Reading…

This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: May 29, 2021 to June 4, 2021

By David Oxenford and Adam Sandler|2021-06-06T09:51:52-05:00June 6th, 2021|Legal News|

Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the last week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. Because of the Supreme Court’s decision earlier this year upholding the Commission’s 2017 relaxation of certain media ownership rules, the... Continue Reading…

Reports that Facebook Will End Policy of Not Censoring Politician’s Posts – How Other Communications Platforms are Regulated on Political Speech

By David Oxenford|2021-06-04T09:49:29-05:00June 4th, 2021|Legal News|

According to press reports (see this story in Verge and this one in the Washington Post), Facebook will end its policy of not subjecting posts by elected officials to the same level of scrutiny by its Oversight Board that it applies to other users of its platform. Facebook’s announced policy has been that the newsworthiness... Continue Reading…

This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: May 8, 2021 to May 14, 2021

By David Oxenford|2021-05-16T09:28:13-05:00May 16th, 2021|Legal News|

Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the last week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. In a speech to the Media Institute, FCC Commissioner Starks spoke of the importance of diversity in media ownership and... Continue Reading…