September 2007
The next Children’s Television Programming Report must be filed with the FCC and placed in stations’ local Public Inspection Files by October 10, 2007, reflecting programming aired during the months of July, August, and September.
September 2007
At a late-night meeting on September 11, 2007, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) adopted a “viewability” rule that will govern cable carriage of must-carry stations after analog broadcasting terminates in 2009. The rule requires cable operators to deliver the primary digital stream of a must-carry television station in a manner that will permit it to be viewed by all cable subscribers after the transition to digital television occurs on February 17, 2009. Specifically, cable operators will be required to carry the primary digital stream of a must-carry station, and will be required to either provide the digital signal in analog format as well, or carry the signal only in digital format, but ensure that all subscribers have the necessary equipment toview the broadcast content on their particular television.
September 2007
Content of the Quarterly List
The next Quarterly Issues/Programs List (“Quarterly List”) must be placed in stations’ local Public Inspection Files by October 10, 2007, reflecting information for the months of July, August, and September.
September 2007
The next Children’s Television Programming Report must be filed with the FCC and placed in stations’ local Public Inspection Files by October 10, 2007, reflecting programming aired during the months of July, August, and September.
September 2007
Radio stations licensed to communities in Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Florida, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico must file their Biennial Ownership Reports with the FCC by October 1, 2007. Reports for Television stations licensed to communities in Iowa and Missouri must also file their Biennial Ownership Reports by the same date.
Obligation to Provide Emergency Information to Persons with Hearing Disabilities
August 2007
Mindful of Hurricane Dean, and with three months left in this year’s hurricane season, it is imperative that television station broadcasters ensure they have adequate policies in place and reliable procedures tested to insure that persons with hearing disabilities have timely access to the emergency information that such stations have provided aurally in their programming.
June 2007
Topics include:
November 2006
This Advisory provides a review of political broadcasting rules of the FCC.
In this Advisory, of particular note are new regulations imposed on political broadcasting by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (“BCRA”) of 2002, popularly known as “McCain-Feingold.” BCRA contains several provisions that affect the way stations handle their political advertising. On December 10, 2003, the Supreme Court reviewed BCRA, and left intact all of the provisions of the law that apply to broadcasters.
November 2006
On November 20, 2002, the FCC released a Second Report and Order and Third Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (the “Second R&O”) in which it adopted new equal employment opportunity rules and policies for broadcasters and for multi-channel video programming distributors (the “new EEO Rule”). A complete copy of the new EEO Rule as it relates to broadcasters is attached.
November 2006
In an effort to reduce the risk of reversal by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the FCC successfully persuaded the Court to allow it to pull back and review four indecency decisions. Earlier this week, the FCC announced the outcome of that review. The “F-word” is still very problematic. A five-second delay mechanism may not be enough to establish a legal defense. There is a tip-of-the-hat toward the First Amendment in the context of news programs but only that. And the procedural hurdle that the FCC has thrown up against blanket indecency complaints is probably only a temporary setback for national organizations intent upon “cleaning up the airwaves.”
Comm Law Center