FEMA and the FCC announced that this year’s Nationwide EAS Test is scheduled for October 4, 2023 (with a back-up date of October 11 in case there is a real or threatened event that occurs around October 4). FEMA will transmit the nationwide test of the EAS at 2:20 pm EDT on October 4, 2023… Continue Reading…
Looking at the Rules for the November Window for Filing for New LPFM Stations – and the September 1 Freeze on Changes in Existing FM Translator and LPFM Facilities
The FCC’s Media Bureau this week issued a Public Notice announcing the rules for filing applications for new Low Power FM stations during a filing window that will open on November 1 and close on November 8, 2023 at 6 PM EST. As part of that announcement of the rules for the preparation and processing… Continue Reading…
Court Rejects Appeals of Copyright Royalty Board Decision on 2021-2025 Webcasting Royalties
The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit issued a decision last week rejecting all of the appeals of the decision by the Copyright Royalty Board (“CRB”) setting the rates that noninteractive webcasters pay to SoundExchange for the digital public performance of sound recordings in the period 2021-2025 (see our article here on the… Continue Reading…
August Regulatory Dates for Broadcasters: Reg Fee Order, EEO filings, HD Power Increase Proposal, and More
August may be a light month for regulatory dates, as everyone enjoys the end of the summer with many, including Congress, taking the last of their summer vacations. But there are still dates to which broadcasters should be paying attention. One that most commercial broadcasters should be anticipating is the order that will set the… Continue Reading…
This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: July 24 to July 28, 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. These changes would be made to a bill that includes many additional new requirements for captioning and audio description of… Continue Reading…
TV Channel 6 – FCC Resolves Franken FM and Broader Questions of FM Use, But Issues About Interference from Reserved Band FM Stations Remain
Last week, at its regular monthly open meeting, the FCC resolved an issue that has been pending for years – what to do about Low Power TV stations operating on Channel 6 that use their audio to provide a radio service that can be heard on most radios at 87.7 -below the 88.1 official start… Continue Reading…
FCC Reminder About Conveying Emergency Information in an Accessible Manner to All TV Audience Members
The FCC last week released a Public Notice reminding TV stations and other video programming providers, including cable and satellite television providers, of their obligation to make emergency information accessible for all viewers. With a few tweaks, the reminder is very similar to what the FCC has issued in past years. This year, the reminder added smoke from Canadian… Continue Reading…
This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: July 17 to July 21, 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. Continue Reading…
Artificial Intelligence in Political Ads – Legal Issues in Synthetic Media and Deepfakes in Campaign Advertising – Concerns for Broadcasters and Other Media Companies
Stories about “deepfakes,” “synthetic media,” and other forms of artificial intelligence being used in political campaigns, including in advertising messages, have abounded in recent weeks. There were stories about a superPAC running attack ads against Donald Trump where Trump’s voice was allegedly synthesized to read one of his tweets condemning the Iowa governor for not… Continue Reading…
Reminders About Upcoming Routine FCC Filings – LMS to be Used for AM and LPFM Applications and Upcoming Biennial Ownership Reports
While there are certainly policy issues throughout the media industry, it is often the small, routine issues that trip up broadcasters. In the last week, there have been two public notices worth noting – one announcing the final transition of broadcast applications to the LMS database, and a second reminding broadcasters that Biennial Ownership Reports… Continue Reading…
This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: July 10 to July 14, 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. Continue Reading…
This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: July 3 to July 7, 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. Continue Reading…


