Tag Archives: Broadcast

FCC Brings Spectrum Auction to a Close, Sets Repack Transition in Motion

With the release of the Incentive Auction Closing and Channel Reassignment Public Notice (affectionately known as the “CCR”), the FCC officially draws the spectrum Incentive Auction to a close. The CCR is a must-read for TV broadcasters and wireless carriers alike. It announces broadcast and wireless winning bidders, sets deadlines and timetables for filings, and … Continue Reading

FCC Releases Instructions on Receiving Incentive and Reimbursement Payments after the Incentive Auction Closes

On March 29, 2017, the FCC released a Public Notice providing instructions to full power and Class A television broadcasters and Multi-Channel Video Programming Distributors (MVPDs) on receiving incentive and/or reimbursement payments following the closure of the Incentive Auction.  The Public Notice stated that, in order to receive payments, winning bidders in the reverse auction … Continue Reading

Tomorrow’s Broadcast Leaders: Their Future’s So Bright, They Wear Shades

FHH Profs Montero and Kirkpatrick show up-and-comers the ropes. Another class of the brightest and the best is working its way through the Broadcast Leadership Training Program, and FHH is there to help. The BLT is a 10-month Executive MBA-style program created by the National Association of Broadcasters Education Fund (NABEF) to provide rising executives the … Continue Reading

Drones for Tower Inspections? Lookout for FAA Regulations

FAA Waivers May Be Required Last summer, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued its first regulations allowing commercial flights of small unmanned aircraft (sUAS, colloquially known as drones). As we reported, those rules place a number of restrictions on flying drones for commercial use, although the agency provided the opportunity to obtain waivers of some … Continue Reading

Upcoming FCC Broadcast, Telecom Filing Deadlines

Do you know what upcoming FCC filing deadlines now and through early April apply to you? We do. Note our list is not comprehensive. Other proceedings may apply to you. Please do not hesitate to contact FHH if you have any questions.  March 1, 2017 – Local Telephone Competition and Broadband Report – Facilities-based providers of broadband … Continue Reading

Second Circuit Gives Belated Valentine’s Day Gift to Music Licensees by Ruling for Sirius XM Regarding Its Use of Pre-72 Sound Recordings

We previously told you about the Christmas gift that New York’s highest state court had given to licensees that play “oldies” recordings by finding that the owners of those recordings had no right to demand payment when the recordings were publicly performed in New York.  That ruling came in one of many lawsuits that Flo … Continue Reading

.RADIO Domain Names Available Soon, But Many Unanswered Questions about Availability

After many years of preparation, the roll-out of .RADIO domain names will finally be underway shortly. The news has potential for broadcasters worldwide (for example, you could have Nashvillehits.radio as your URL.) Yet there are many unanswered questions about how .RADIO domain names will be allocated and what happens when multiple parties want the same … Continue Reading

Frank Montero Dishes on New FCC

FHH’s own managing member, Frank Montero was featured in a front page profile interview for Radio World Magazine where he discusses his views on the Trump Administration’s impact on the new FCC and the potential effect on broadcasters. Here is the interview:    … Continue Reading

Noncommercial Broadcasters Receive Welcome Reporting News

Copyright Royalty Judges Reinstate Reporting Relief for Most Noncommercial Broadcasters You may recall that in August 2016, we reported that the Copyright Royalty Judges had proposed to modify the rules governing how noncommercial broadcasters are supposed to report the sound recordings that they stream to SoundExchange. That proposal was published at the urging of the … Continue Reading

GMR Strikes Back

We previously informed you about the Radio Music License Committee’s (RMLC) antitrust lawsuit filed against the “fourth” performing rights organization (“PRO”), Global Music Rights (“GMR”) for engaging in anticompetitive conduct designed to drive up music licensing prices.  Now, GMR has filed an antitrust lawsuit of its own in a different federal court against the RMLC. … Continue Reading

The Quad Pulls A Sisyphus … Again

Three’s the charm, as the Third Circuit sends the FCC’s Quadriennial Review proceeding back to the Commission for a third time We once described the FCC’s quadrennial ownership review process as Sisyphean in nature. Keeping with that analogy, we can report that the rock has now rolled back down the hill … again. But this … Continue Reading

Who’s That Behind Those CommLawBlog Shades? It’s Tomorrow’s Broadcast Leaders!

FHH Profs Montero and Kirkpatrick show them how it’s done. If you’re going to learn, you’re best off learning from the best. That’s why, each year, a class of aspiring broadcast executives makes the pilgrimage to NAB’s D.C. HQ to participate in the 10-month Executive MBA-style program created by the National Association of Broadcasters Educational … Continue Reading

Intern-al Affairs IV: The Employer Strikes Back

The Second Circuit has weighed in on the on-going litigation by unpaid interns looking for pay. Who says that unpaid internships don’t teach interns anything? Why, just recently a number of unpaid interns learned an important lesson: what a trial judge giveth, an appeals court can taketh away. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the … Continue Reading

EAS Rules Revised

After analyzing the performance of the Emergency Alert System during the 2011 nationwide test, and after twice soliciting input from interested parties, the Commission has decided to tweak the system.… Continue Reading
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