Digital Television Info

ROUGH WEATHER AHEAD

MAY 25, 2005 . The FCC is again demonstrating how seriously it takes the Visual Display Rules, this time by issuing fines against three Washington D. C. Television stations. The stations were issued Notices of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NAL) today for not providing a visual display of information about a tornado watch last spring. The stations are being fined $8,000.00 per violation. The charges were the result of complaints filed by an advocacy group for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.

These violations are a signpost on the road to Nevada 's severe weather season. In the NAL's issued today, the FCC notes that the staff at the three fined stations thought the weather information was important enough to interrupt regular programming. In making that decision, the FCC says station personnel should have known the same information was important enough to provide a visual display for persons with disabilities.

There has been a long-standing mentality among broadcasters that says you only need to do a visual display if you're broadcasting an EAS activation, and that if you don't do the activation, you don't have to present the visual display. In the past, the FCC has stated that this attitude is untrue, and they reinforced that point of view earlier this year when they fined several Southern California television stations for not presenting visual displays of information related to the 2003 wild fires. Today's fines show that the agency is once again telling broadcasters that the Visual Display rules apply to more information than EAS activations. It is worth noting that today's fines are the result of information about a severe weather/tornado watch , an event that is one step below the National Weather Service category of warning which actually triggers an EAS activation.

While there isn't a news producer alive out there who doesn't live for the opportunity to use the words "Breaking News", there is a burden that comes with those words. Please remind your news department staff of the importance of visual presentations of important information presented within your newscasts as well as within the breaking news cut-ins. The FCC, under pressure from Congress, is very sensitive to the needs of the disabled members of our audience. We need to demonstrate the same kind of sensitivity or live with consequences.

For more information, contact:

Adrienne Abbott
NBA Field Engineer
775-750-5987

ACC LICENSEE, INC., LICENSEE OF WJLA-TV. Proposed NALF in the amount
of $8,000 against ACC Licensee, Inc., licensee of WJLA-TV , Washington ,
D.C., regarding making emergency information accessible to persons with
hearing disabilities (Closed Captioning Rules). Action by: Acting
Chief, Enforcement Bureau. Adopted: 05/25/2005 by NALF. (DA No.
05-1511). EB

NBC TELEMUNDO LICENSE CO, LICENSEE OF WRC-TV. Proposed NALF in the amount of $16,000 against NBC Telemundo License Co, licensee of WRC-TV , Washington , D.C., regarding making emergency information accessible to persons with hearing disabilities (Closed Captioning Rules). Action by: Acting Chief, Enforcement Bureau. Adopted: 05/25/2005 by NALF. (DA No.
05-1512). EB

FOX TELEVISION STATIONS, INC., LICENSEE OF WTTG-TV. Proposed NALF in the amount of $16,000 against Fox Television Stations, Inc., licensee of WTTG-TV , Washington , D.C., regarding making emergency information accessible to persons with hearing disabilities (Closed Captioning Rules). Action by: Acting Chief, Enforcement Bureau. Adopted:
05/25/2005 by NALF. (DA No. 05-1513). EB

About the FCC

The Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, was established by the Communications Act of 1934 and is charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable. The FCC is an independent United States government agency, directly responsible to Congress.

The FCC is directed by five Commissioners appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for 5-year terms. The President designates one of the Commissioners to serve as Chairperson. Only three Commissioners may be members of the same political party. None of them can have a financial interest in any Commission-related business.

More information on the FCC can be found at their web site, www.fcc.gov

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The information in the NBA's FCC reports is taken from the FCC's Daily Digest. The digest is a daily summary of the FCC's actions and activities. The information that relates to Nevada 's broadcast industry was mined from the Daily Digest by Adrienne Abbott. The Daily Digest is available free of charge at

FCC Daily Digest