For once, rather than gear up for all-out enforcement, the FCC treated a rule violation with restraint - even after actual interference to safety-related aviation equipment.… Continue Reading
Another piece of the ongoing ASCAP/BMI ratemaking puzzle has fallen into place - at least for a while: in late June the good folks at the Radio Music License Committee announced a final interim deal with BMI,… Continue Reading
Divisions of Univision have entered into a consent decree with the FCC's Enforcement Bureau and, separately, copped a plea to mail fraud in federal court in Los Angeles -- thereby wrapping up, at least for now and at least for these parties -- a payola investigation which has focused on Spanish-language radio.… Continue Reading
As July slips into August, it's time to remind television broadcasters that Copyright Royalty Claim forms -- for cable retransmission copyright royalties and/or satellite copyright royalties earned during 2009 -- are due at the Copyright Royalty Board by August 2, 2010.… Continue Reading
A new bill opens the door for (a) the sharing of spectrum auction proceeds - an ominous harbinger of broadband-induced spectrum repurposing - and (b) even more ominously, the specter of annual spectrum fees.… Continue Reading
In response to a surge of reader interest in his prognostications, Kevin Goldberg has agreed to give us a look-see into Kevin's Krystal Ball for a prediction of how the Supreme Court may vote if the Second Circuit's recent indecency decision in Fox goes back up.… Continue Reading
The U.S. has taken steps to "reach out" to Cuba through (among other things) increased telecommunications opportunities between the two countries. So far, though, there has been no surge in applications to take advantage of those opportunities. Por qué no?… Continue Reading
Now that the initial hoopla attendant to the release of the Second Circuit's Fox decision has quieted down, let's take a gander at legal scenarios that might be in store for us on the indecency front.… Continue Reading
Only 70 TV stations nationwide (out of more than 1,700) have committed to implementing digital mobile TV technology by the end of this year. Without that technology, some new gadgets the FCC just waived into play won't work.… Continue Reading
In a huge win for broadcasters and First Amendment-loving citizens, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has struck down the FCC's indecency policy.… Continue Reading
Last week's Court decision effectively confirmed that nobody needs to provide his/her Social Security Number (SSN) for a new FRN in order to file ANY Ownership Report - biennial or otherwise - until further notice.… Continue Reading
Deadlines for comments and reply comments have been set in the proceeding looking to impose greater consistency in the FCC's regulatory treatment of a range of wireless services.… Continue Reading
Remember back in April, when the FCC announced its proposed 2010 regulatory fees -- we said that, historically, the final fees tend not to stray too far from the initial proposals? Silly us.… Continue Reading
The FCC has adjusted some of its interim deadlines for the conversion of industrial and public safety land mobile stations in the 150-174 and 421-512 MHz bands to narrowband operation.… Continue Reading