Internet Radio Equality Act Introduced in the Senate
The Internet Radio Equality Act was introduced in the Senate today by Senators Wyden and Brownback. The Bill tracks the substance of the Bill that was introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressmen Inslee and Manzullo. The Senate Bill in addition includes broader provisions providing relief to large noncommercial webcasters who were not specifically addressed by the House legislation.
The Press release on the introduction of the bill can be found here. In introducing the legislation, the Senators cite the webcasters, the listeners and the musicians who will benefit from the preservation of Internet radio. Of course, the bill has a long way to go before it becomes law. See our discussion offered when the House Bill was introduced discussing the process that a bill will follow before it becomes law.
I'm unable to find a good overview of the old rules affecting internet broadcasters. What fee structure would a non-commercial broadcaster previously had to deal with?
For a complete background on the royalty system and the old rates, see our memo published last year: http://www.dwt.com/practc/broadcast/bulletins/08-06_InternetRadio.htm