From Broadcast Law Blog

Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the past week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations.

• FCC Chairman Carr published a tweet saying that there had been a “significant surge in entirely Fake Polls and Suppression Polls” designed to interfere with the election process. 

Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the past week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations.

• The U.S. Supreme Court issued an order extending the temporary stay it issued last week (see our note here),

The question of whether ads from political parties and joint fundraising committees, when authorized by federal candidates, receive Lowest Unit Charge (LUC) from broadcasters and local cable systems has been a contentious one since early in this election year.  We wrote about the FCC Media Bureau’s March Public Notice “reminding” broadcasters that these ads were entitled to LUC,

Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the past week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations.

• There was an additional flurry of activity related to the controversial FCC Media Bureau’s Public Notice issued in March which “reminded” broadcasters that Lowest Unit Charges (LUC) apply to advertising bought by political parties and joint fundraising committees when authorized by a federal candidate (see our Broadcast Law Blog articles here and here). 

Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the past week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations.

• The FCC released the final text of its Report and Order eliminating the 39% national TV ownership cap – an Order adopted at its August Open Meeting (see our note here).  

Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the past week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations.

• Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) wrote a letter to the sole Democratic FCC Commissioner, Anna Gomez, highlighting questions about whether it was legal for the FCC to operate with three Republican commissioners. 

October is another busy month of regulatory dates and deadlines for broadcasters.  Unlike previous years, there is no threat of a federal government shutdown on its October 1 start of the new fiscal year, so the dates and deadlines discussed below should not move on broadcasters.  As we detail below, all stations will need to observe EAS reporting requirements for the filing of ETRS Form One in anticipation of the upcoming Nationwide EAS Test,

On September 29, new rules go into effect requiring broadcasters to secure their EAS equipment and other equipment in their program chain that is connected to the internet – the FCC wanting to avoid false emergency alerts being transmitted on broadcast stations (see our articles providing details of this new obligation here and here). The three-point program (requiring stronger passwords,

On September 4, as we noted in our weekly update of regulatory activity of importance to broadcasters, the Supreme Court seemingly decided that Lowest Unit Rates for this year’s elections would be governed by the Media Bureau’s March Public Notice – the Public Notice announcing that ads from political parties and joint fundraising committees, when approved by a federal candidate,

Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the past week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations.

• The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau announced that the FCC, in coordination with FEMA, will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System at 2:20 p.m.

The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau this week announced in a Public Notice that, in coordination with FEMA, the FCC will conduct a Nationwide EAS test scheduled for November 17 (with a back-up date of December 3 if there is a real emergency or another reason that the test can’t be conducted on the initial date) – the first such test since 2023. 

Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the past week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations.

• The FCC released a draft Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking which, if adopted at its September 30 regular monthly Open Meeting,