By David Oxenford on Posted in EEO Compliance/Diversity,FM Radio,Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionThe Office of Management and Budget, acting pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act, has just approved the FCC’s broadcast incubator program, about which we wrote here. That approval makes the program effective. The program permits an established broadcaster to provide assistance to a new broadcaster (generally, a qualified small business) to enter the radio broadcast… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in EEO Compliance/Diversity,Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionAs we wrote last week, Prometheus Radio Project and the Media Mobilizing Project have filed an appeal of the FCC’s November decision to eliminate the newspaper-broadcast and radio-television cross-ownership rules and to relax the local TV ownership rules (see our summary here). These groups have now filed a request – an Emergency Petition for a… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Multiple Ownership Rules,Public Interest Obligations/Localism,TelevisionPrometheus Radio Project and Media Mobilizing Project, public interest groups who have been opponents of relaxation in the FCC’s broadcast ownership rules, have filed the first Petition for Review of the FCC’s Order on Reconsideration of the Quadrennial Review of those rules. In November, the FCC by a 3 to 2 vote eliminated the rule requiring that… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Digital Television,Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionAt its meeting yesterday, as expected, the FCC approved significant changes to its broadcast ownership rules and also approved the roll out of ATSC 3.0 – the next generation television transmission standard. While any change in ownership rules is always a contentious issue, and thus the 3-2 strict party-line vote approving the ownership changes might… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Digital Television,Multiple Ownership Rules,Public Interest Obligations/Localism,TelevisionYesterday, we previewed the FCC’s likely decision to significantly change its ownership rules for television owners – proposing to take actions including allowing TV duopolies in markets with fewer than 8 independent TV voices after the combination, allowing some combination of the Top 4 TV stations in certain markets, repealing the radio-TV cross-ownership rules, and… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Multiple Ownership Rules,Public Interest Obligations/Localism,TelevisionAccording to the testimony given yesterday by FCC Chairman Pai at an oversight hearing before the House of Representatives Communications and Technology Subcommittee, the FCC is likely to release today a draft of its order on reconsideration of last year’s FCC decision on its Quadrennial Review of its broadcast ownership rules (the rules restricting the… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Multiple Ownership RulesThe FCC today announced that it is extending, by one week, the time in which to file comments on the Petitions for Reconsideration of the FCC’s decision on media ownership rules. The challenges, about which we wrote here, deal with issues including the local television ownership limits, the newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rules, the attribution for multiple… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in FM Radio,Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionTomorrow, the Petitions for Reconsideration of the FCC’s multiple ownership decision is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register (see the pre-publication draft here). This will start the clock on comments on those petitions. If publication occurs as scheduled, comments will be due on Tuesday, January 17 and replies on Friday, January 27 (update:… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in AM Radio,EEO Compliance/Diversity,General FCC,Multiple Ownership RulesAfter months of speculation, Chairman Wheeler today announced that he will step down from the FCC on Inauguration Day. Together with the Senate not confirming the renomination of Commissioner Rosenworcel (as the Senate is effectively on recess and not expected to return before the end of the term, her renomination will almost certainly not be… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in FM Radio,Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionWhile several parties went to Court to challenge the FCC’s decision ending the UHF discount, one broadcaster decided instead to ask for reconsideration. That petition for reconsideration has now been published in the Federal Register, giving interested parties until December 27 to comment, and other parties until January 6 to reply to any comments that… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in AM Radio,Assignments and Transfers,FM Radio,Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionFCC Chairman Tom Wheeler this week released a “fact sheet” setting out a summary of the draft order now circulating among the FCC Commissioners for review and possible approval. This order, if adopted, would resolve the Quadrennial Review of the FCC’s ownership rules. As we wrote here, the US Court of Appeals for the Third… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in EEO Compliance/Diversity,Multiple Ownership RulesThe Third Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday issued an opinion faulting the FCC for not completing any required review of its broadcast ownership rules since the 2006 review was completed in 2007. These reviews of its ownership rules, now done as “Quadrennial Reviews” every four years, but previously required to be done biennially, have been… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in FM Radio,Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionThe text of the FCC’s decision on the attribution of Joint Sales Agreements for multiple ownership purposes, and the termination of the 2010 Quadrennial Review of the ownership rules and the start of the 2014 Quadrennial Review, has now been released by the FCC. In a slim 211 pages of text, plus another 24 pages… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Cable Carriage,Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionThe agenda is out, and the FCC’s likely action on their Quadrennial Review of the multiple ownership rules now seems to be much clearer. And the decision seems likely to follow the rumors circulating in Washington for weeks (about which we have written here and here), with new regulatory wrinkles added to those previously suggested. … Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Multiple Ownership Rules,Public Interest Obligations/Localism,TelevisionOnly two weeks ago, we were writing about the FCC’s consideration of TV Joint Sales and Shared Service Agreements (or “side-car arrangements” as some have called them) as being an issue that was just being reviewed at the FCC by the new Chairman and his staff. Now, according to press reports (including this one), the… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in EEO Compliance/Diversity,Multiple Ownership RulesIt looks like the FCC’s long-delayed multiple ownership proceeding won’t be decided this summer. The FCC has asked for public comment on the report submitted by the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council ("MMTC") addressing the likely impact on minority ownership of broadcast stations of allowing more media cross-ownership. Moths ago, the FCC delayed the resolution of the proceeding… Continue Reading
