A joint statement released today by AT&T, the National Association of Broadcasters, and Verizon criticized the FCC for seeking comments on new proposals for reorganizing the spectrum currently used by television broadcasters, which the statement said would go against the “growing consensus” of the broadcast and wireless industries.
Category Archives: Broadcasting & Cable
Subscribe to Broadcasting & Cable RSS FeedSpectrumWatch: FCC Considers Alternative Band Plans for Post-Incentive Auction Spectrum
Posted in Broadcasting & Cable, Spectrum & Mobile, TelecommunicationsIn a Public Notice released yesterday, the Federal Communications Commission asked for comments on several possible plans for reorganizing the spectrum currently used by television broadcasters. Initial comments are due June 14, with reply comments due June 28. Under a statute passed last year, broadcast television stations will be allowed to voluntarily participate in an… Continue Reading
Leadership Changes at the Federal Communications Commission
Posted in Broadcasting & Cable, TelecommunicationsChange is in the air at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The agency’s chairman, Julius Genachowski, announced yesterday that he will be stepping down on Friday, May 17. (He had announced his plans to leave the FCC in March, but the date of his departure has been uncertain since then.) Until his successor is confirmed… Continue Reading
FCC Adopts Rules Requiring Emergency Information Provided During Non-News Programming To Be Conveyed on Secondary Audio Stream
Posted in Broadcasting & CableNew rules adopted by the FCC require that when television stations in the U.S. display emergency information visually during non-news programming, they must provide the same information aurally on a secondary audio stream. The new rules do not change the requirement that emergency information provided visually during newscasts be conveyed aurally on primary audio. The… Continue Reading
FCC Conducts Review of RF Exposure Policies
Posted in Broadcasting & Cable, Spectrum & Mobile, TelecommunicationsRecently, the FCC took action in a wide-ranging series of proceedings designed to reassess its rules regarding the effect of radiofrequency (RF) emissions on human health and safety.
FCC Online Public Inspection File Suffers Outage
Posted in Broadcasting & CableThe public-facing portion of the FCC’s online public inspection file system for broadcast TV stations apparently was unavailable for part of the day on Wednesday. Although the outage was fairly brief — we first saw the error below late in the morning, and we could access the system again by mid-afternoon — it is a reminder that… Continue Reading
March 30, 2013, Deadline Nears for Online Captioning of Live and Near-Live Programming
Posted in Broadcasting & CableUnder the Internet closed captioning requirements established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), after certain triggering deadlines, video programming shown on television with captions in the United States and distributed in full-length form over Internet Protocol (IP) must be provided with captions online. Beginning on March 30, 2013, the IP closed captioning requirements will apply… Continue Reading
Annual Employment Report Requirement For Broadcasters and MVPDs Back in Effect
Posted in Broadcasting & CableThe Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has published a notice in the Federal Register that the requirement to file an Annual Employment Report is effective immediately. This requirement — entailing the filing of an FCC Form 395-A for multichannel video programming distribution systems (MVPDs) and an FCC Form 396-B for broadcasters — was adopted years ago,… Continue Reading
Commenters Debate FCC Proposals on Ownership Reporting
Posted in Broadcasting & CableInterested parties have filed comments at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding proposed changes to the requirements for ownership reports. In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking released in January, the FCC asked for comment on several issues related to the ownership reports filed by broadcast licensees and by others with attributable interests in licensees. Among… Continue Reading
SpectrumWatch: 3 Key Areas of Industry Agreement Regarding the FCC’s Spectrum Auction and Repacking Proposals
Posted in Broadcasting & Cable, Spectrum & Mobile, TelecommunicationsThe Federal Communications Commission received over 300 comments from the public regarding its proposals to allow broadcast television stations to voluntarily participate in an auction of their spectrum to mobile broadband providers and to involuntarily repack remaining television stations into a smaller television spectrum band. Broadcast television station groups, individual stations, mobile broadband providers, wireless… Continue Reading
FCC Proposes Requiring Emergency Information On Secondary Audio Stream
Posted in Broadcasting & CableThe Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently proposed requiring that when broadcast television stations or cable/satellite companies display emergency information visually during non-news programming, they must provide the same information aurally on a “secondary” audio stream. When viewers tune to a channel, they ordinarily hear the primary audio stream; the secondary audio stream can be used to provide… Continue Reading
FCC Adopts Rules to Promote Expansion of Low-Power FM Stations
Posted in Broadcasting & CableAn order adopted by the Federal Communications Commission at its Nov. 30 open meeting will allow schools, tribal nations, and other community groups to apply to operate new low-power FM (LPFM) radio stations starting in the fall of 2013. LPFM stations, which cover much smaller areas than full-power stations, are intended to promote highly local… Continue Reading
9th Circuit Will Rehear Challenge to Law Barring Public Broadcasters from Airing Paid Political Ads
Posted in Broadcasting & CableA federal appeals court will rehear a case in which a split three-judge panel ruled it was unconstitutional to prohibit non-commercial broadcast stations from selling political advertisements. A federal statute, 47 U.S.C. § 399b, generally prohibits public broadcasters from airing “advertisements,” which the statute defines to include paid messages that (1) promote a for-profit entity’s… Continue Reading
SpectrumWatch: All Five FCC Commissioners will Testify Before House Communications and Technology Subcommittee on December 12 Regarding Spectrum Act Implementation
Posted in Broadcasting & Cable, Spectrum & MobileAll five Federal Communications Commission Commissioners will testify on “Keeping the New Broadband Spectrum Law on Track” on Wednesday, December 12, 2012 before the Communications and Technology Subcommittee of the House Energy & Commerce Committee. As they become available, further details will be posted here. Congress gave the FCC authority to conduct incentive auctions to… Continue Reading
A Mixed Decision for Fox in the Hopper Case
Posted in Broadcasting & Cable, Intellectual PropertyThe California court that is hearing Fox’s challenge concerning DISH’s Hopper set-top-boxes and related AutoHop feature has issued a decision denying Fox’s request for a preliminary injunction. The Hopper can be used to automatically record primetime programming from the four major broadcast television networks, and the AutoHop feature allows viewers to automatically skip the commercials… Continue Reading
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to Issue Decision in Long-Running LPFM Proceeding
Posted in Broadcasting & CableThe Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced that at its upcoming open meeting, which will take place on November 30, it will issue an order in its proceeding on low power FM radio translators. You can see the agenda here. This is another step in a years-long proceeding to implement the Local Community Radio Act… Continue Reading
Spectrum Watch: FCC Holds Broadcaster LEARN Program Workshop
Posted in Broadcasting & Cable, Spectrum & MobileOn Friday, October 26, 2012, the Federal Communications Commission held its first workshop as part of its Learn Everything About Reverse-Auctions Now (“LEARN”) Program — a series that seeks to provide broadcasters guidance on the incentive auction process by which the FCC will reallocate a to-be-determined amount of broadcast television spectrum in the 600 MHz… Continue Reading
Oral Argument Scheduled in Aereo Appeal
Posted in Broadcasting & Cable, Intellectual PropertyOn November 30, 2012, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral argument regarding whether to uphold the trial judge’s decision to decline to enjoin Aereo’s “Watch Now” television streaming service pending the outcome of a full trial. Major television networks and broadcast stations serving the New York City-area market are seeking to prevent… Continue Reading
Spectrum Watch: UK Completes Digital Television Transition, With Plans to Auction Freed Up Spectrum for 4G Services Within a Year
Posted in Broadcasting & Cable, Spectrum & MobileThis week the United Kingdom completed its five-year transition from analog to digital broadcast television operations. The switch to digital has allowed broadcasters in the UK to offer more channels and high-definition television services to the public. In addition, the transition freed up spectrum that the UK government will auction for fourth generation (4G) mobile broadband services in… Continue Reading
Spectrum Watch: A Closer Look at the FCC’s Proposed Rules for First-Ever Incentive Auction and Repacking of Broadcast Spectrum
Posted in Broadcasting & CableAs we reported previously, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Matter of Expanding the Economic and Innovation Opportunities of Spectrum Through Incentive Auctions (“NPRM”), along with an accompanying paper by auction specialists Auctionomics and Power Auctions. In this post, we describe the proposed rules for the incentive… Continue Reading
FCC Allows All-Digital Cable Systems to Encrypt Basic Tier
Posted in Broadcasting & CableCable systems that have converted to all-digital transmission will be allowed to encrypt their basic-tier programming, the Federal Communications Commission decided last week. The FCC on Friday released its full Report and Order, which explained the decision and outlined transitional protections for existing subscribers who might be affected. Background Previously, FCC rules prohibited cable operators… Continue Reading
Spectrum Watch: FCC Releases Agenda for October 26th Reverse Auction Workshop
Posted in Broadcasting & CableThe FCC today released details for its October 26th Broadcaster Learn Everything About Reverse-Auctions Now (“LEARN”) Program Workshop, to be held in the Commission Meeting Room at the FCC’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. and webcast live at www.fcc.gov/live. The workshop is the first in a series that seeks to provide broadcasters guidance on the incentive… Continue Reading
FCC Updates Online Public File System for TV Broadcasters
Posted in Broadcasting & CableThe Federal Communications Commission has announced the addition of several new features to its online public inspection file system for TV broadcasters. The new features allow stations to upload documents such as Annual EEO Public File Reports, lists of ownership-related contracts and agreements, and supplemental materials related to applications, authorizations, and EEO investigations. The FCC’s… Continue Reading
SpectrumWatch: FCC Initiates Incentive Auction Rulemaking
Posted in Broadcasting & Cable, Spectrum & MobileYesterday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released the full text of its widely-anticipated proposed rules for an incentive auction of television spectrum and broadcast “repacking” process that will accompany the auction. (The FCC had voted to adopt these proposed rules on Friday, but had not released the text until yesterday.) The proposed rules address three… Continue Reading