An FCC proposal would abandon "special use FRNs" in Ownership Reports and require social security number-based FRNs instead . . . for noncommercial licensees, too!… Continue Reading
The Media Bureau has reminded commercial broadcasters that their biennial Ownership Reports (Form 323) are due to be filed by December 1, 2012. But the Bureau doesn't mention some information that we think all Form 323 filers are entitled to know.… Continue Reading
Let's have a big "welcome back" for the video description rules - gone for years, but Congress figured it was time to bring them back and now, voilà!… Continue Reading
The Commission has announced that the time has come for the next round of biennial Ownership Reports (Form 323) for commercial broadcasters -- and it's already pushed the deadline back a month, to December 1, 2011. But watch out -- the Commission's notice says nothing about the effective elimination of the all-encompassing SSN-based FRN requirement.… Continue Reading
Irony Alert! The Third Circuit recently took the FCC to task for failing to do more to promote minority and female broadcast ownership. The Court's decision has now led to the abrupt termination of a Commission policy intended to (wait for it) promote minority and female broadcast ownership.… Continue Reading
The Third Circuit has just given major elements of the FCC's 2008 cross-ownership and diversity decisions the big thumbs down, depositing them back at Square One.… 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
The FCC has responded to the Form 323 mandamus petition in the D.C. Circuit, and the petitioners have replied. Read all about it here.… Continue Reading
With the July 8 deadline for filing commercial ownership reports fast approaching, the D.C. Circuit has ordered the FCC to respond to claims that the revised Form 323 filing requirements were not imposed lawfully.… Continue Reading
In an impressive display of regulatory shock and awe, the FCC has put a substantial dent in its NBP to-do list by launching six separate proceedings.… Continue Reading
Network neutrality seems to be dead, waiting only for someone to close its eyes and straighten its tie. Maybe we can't bring it back to life. But we can do something just as good.… Continue Reading
In the wake of the D.C. Circuit's Comcast decision, where does the FCC go from here if it wants to promulgate net neutrality regulations?… Continue Reading
The powers granted to the FCC by Congress do not include the power to regulate provision of Internet service, according to a federal appeals court.… Continue Reading
It's been 35 years since any new permanent commonly-owned newspaper/broadcast combinations could be created in any given U.S. market. But that may now change, although exactly when any changes may be realized is still up in the air.… Continue Reading
Things look bad for the FCC in the Comcast/BitTorrent case. But an FCC loss will only set off the next stage of the larger network neutrality dispute.… Continue Reading
In a case viewed with considerable interest by many wireless industry participants, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has denied a request by a jilted auction participant for money damages against the FCC.… Continue Reading
Cable programmers failed to convince a federal appeals court that new "viewability" rules (imposed by the FCC on cable operators) would directly harm those programmers. As a result, the Court slammed the door on the programmers without consideration of their substantive arguments, leaving the viewability rules undisturbed.… Continue Reading
