Do you know what FCC filing deadlines are coming up in early May through early June? We do. Note our list is not comprehensive, and other proceedings may apply to you. Please do not hesitate to contact FHH if you have any questions. … Continue Reading
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
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
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
Do you know what upcoming FCC filing deadlines early April through early May 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. April 1, 2017 – EEO Public File Reports – All radio and television stations with … Continue Reading
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
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
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
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
(Our Annual Reminder to be careful how you use “Super Bowl”® and other NFL trademarks) If I had my way, I’d probably never write on this topic again. Every year I rack my brain for a hook to help re-remind readers about the dangers of using the term “Super Bowl”® – and any “Super Bowl”®-related … Continue Reading
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
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
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
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
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
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
If you own a tower subject to the FCC's Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) requirements, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau's got something to say to you.… Continue Reading
Interested in Auction 98 (featuring 131 FM construction permits)? The FCC has released lists of the complete and the incomplete applications (and one rejected application) filed by would-be bidders.… Continue Reading
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
A seemingly small but crucial element of the FCC's incentive auction preparations has survived a broadside attack in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.… Continue Reading