As broadcasters continue to respond to the coronavirus while sometimes juggling work duties with family responsibilities like at-home virtual schooling, it would be easy to overlook regulatory dates and responsibilities. This post should help alert you to some important dates in September that all stations should keep in mind – and we will also provide… Continue Reading…
C-band Earth Station Licensee Can Elect Lump Sum Reimbursement Payments for Repacking Costs by September 14 – NAB Webinar Helps Clarify the Choice
Many broadcasters who receive satellite-delivered programming do so through satellite dishes picking up transmissions from spectrum referred to as the C-band. Part of that spectrum is to be auctioned to wireless users for 5G service starting in December. Because of that auction, those using the band to receive satellite-delivered programs will be compressed into a… Continue Reading…
RMLC and SESAC Agree to Extend Current License Agreement for Commercial Radio – Music Licensing Update for Radio
The Radio Music License Committee and SESAC yesterday announced an extension of the terms of the royalty agreement that is currently in place between the commercial radio industry and this performing rights organization. As we wrote here, the agreement under which radio broadcasters have been paying for the last three years was arrived at after… Continue Reading…
This Week in Regulation: August 15, 2020 to August 21, 2020
Here are some of the regulatory and legal actions and developments of the last week of significance to broadcasters, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. We noted in last week’s update that the FCC’s Annual Regulatory Fees Order, setting the the… Continue Reading…
Lowest Unit Rate Window for the November Election Opens on September 4 – Thoughts on Computing Your Lowest Unit Charges to Political Candidates
With the lowest unit charge window for the November elections going into effect on September 4, just two and a half weeks from now, we thought that it was a good idea to review the basic FCC rules and policies affecting those charges. In this election, with the Presidency and control in both houses of Congress… Continue Reading…
This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: August 8, 2020 to August 14, 2020
Here are some of the regulatory and legal actions and developments of the last week of significance to broadcasters, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. The FCC released two Public Notices tied to extreme weather events. In one Notice, the FCC… Continue Reading…
NAB Announces that a Majority in Congress Have Signed on to the Local Radio Freedom Act – A Look at the Broadcast Performance Royalty Debate
The NAB recently announced that a majority of Congress has signed on to the Local Radio Freedom Act, the nonbinding resolution where Congressional representatives declare their opposition to the adoption of a broadcast performance royalty. With that announcement, it is worth taking another look at what a broadcast performance royalty is and what might happen… Continue Reading…
FCC Issues Reminder of Obligations to Make Televised Emergency Information Available to Viewers with Disabilities
About this time each year, as hurricane season ramps up, the FCC issues a notice reminding television broadcasters and other video providers of their obligations to make accessible emergency information to all of the populations which may be using their services – especially if parts of the audience cannot see or hear the emergency information… Continue Reading…
Window for Filing Applications for New Noncommercial FM Stations Appears to be Coming Soon – With an LPFM Window to Follow
A window for the filing of applications for new noncommercial FM stations in the reserved FM band (below 92.1 FM) appears to be on its way – either later this year or early next. As we reported in our summary of last week’s broadcast legal actions, Chairman Pai last week responded to a Congressional inquiry… Continue Reading…
FCC Eliminates Program Duplication Rules for AM and FM Stations
At its meeting last week, the FCC adopted an order that eliminated its rule that prohibits radio stations in the same service (AM or FM) that have over 50% overlap of their principal community contours (the 70 dBu for FM stations and the 5 mV/m contour for AM stations) from duplicating more than 25 per cent… Continue Reading…
This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: August 1, 2020 to August 7, 2020
Here are some of the regulatory and legal actions and developments of the last week of significance to broadcasters, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. The FCC acted this week on two media modernization items that had been teed up for… Continue Reading…
$12,000 Fine to Translator Operator for Overpower Operations – Review Your Translator’s Operations to Ensure they Comply With All Requirements of Your License
A $12,000 fine issued to an FM translator operator for operating with a transmitter power output that exceeded its licensed limits was upheld by the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau in a decision released this week. The Commission rejected the licensee’s argument that the Commission should have first given it notice and an opportunity to fix the… Continue Reading…
