By David Oxenford on Posted in Cable Carriage,Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionLast week, the FCC announced a consent decree with Sinclair Broadcast Group where Sinclair agreed to pay $9.495 million to the FCC to settle claims that it negotiated retransmission consent agreements involving stations that it did not own with MVPDs (cable and satellite companies). Sinclair did not admit any liability – but stated that it settled the… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Broadcast Auctions,Cable Carriage,Digital Television,On Line Media,TelevisionA month ago, the FCC released its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking looking to reassess the requirement that broadcasters and MVPDs (cable and satellite television) engage in “good faith” negotiations over the retransmission consent necessary for the MVPD to rebroadcast the signal of a broadcast television station, triggering numerous questions throughout the industry (and among financial… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Cable Carriage,Digital Television,Internet Video,On Line Media,TelevisionCould a change in the FCC treatment of Internet delivered video services be in the works – and how would that affect services like Aereo? There were a number of published articles last week that suggested that the FCC was considering extending the definition of a Multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) to over-the-top video providers… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Cable Carriage,FCC Fines,TelevisionThe FCC yesterday issued an order imposing a $2.25 Million fine on a set of companies that operated a system that retransmitted TV signals to households in large housing units in the Houston area. The system had paid retransmission consent fees to the TV stations, then stopped doing so, claiming that it was changing so… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Cable Carriage,Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionIn today’s Federal Register, the FCC is published its new rule on prohibiting the joint negotiation of retransmission consent agreements by stations that are not commonly owned. According to the notice, “it is a violation of the duty to negotiate retransmission consent in good faith for a television broadcast station that is ranked among the… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Cable Carriage,Programming Regulations,Public Interest Obligations/Localism,TelevisionThe FCC is now taking comments on the proposal to do away with the syndicated exclusivity and network nonduplication protection rules. The Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, about which we wrote here, was published in the Federal Register today, giving interested parties until May 12 to file their initial comments, and until June 9 to… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Cable Carriage,TelevisionWhile we are waiting for the full text of the FCC’s decision taken Monday on the multiple ownership rules, rolling one Quadrennial Review into another and prohibiting most Joint Sales Agreements, we can look in more detail at the FCC’s decision on retransmission consent issues. We wrote about the historical background of both of these… 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 RulesSince the start of the FCC’s examination of its multiple ownership rules in anticipation of its Quadrennial Review of these rules, the question of TV shared services agreements has been one raised by public interest groups, suggesting that combinations of local TV stations for news or sales purposes are not in the public interest, as… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Cable Carriage,Internet VideoAs we wrote last month, the Commission has asked for public comment on whether an Internet delivered video programming service can qualify under the FCC rules and the Communications Act to be treated as a multichannel video programming distributor (an "MVPD"). While the FCC has in the past determined that an MVPD needs to have facilities… Continue Reading
By Brendan Holland on Posted in Cable Carriage,Digital Television,TelevisionJust a reminder that by October 1, Television stations must once again make their triennial carriage elections. By that date, TV stations must notify the local cable systems and satellite carriers in their market in writing as to whether the station intends to be carried pursuant to must-carry or a retransmission consent agreement for the… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Cable Carriage,Programming Regulations,Public Interest Obligations/Localism,TelevisionThe FCC just issued a Report to Congress concerning the access of television viewers to in-state television stations. This report was requested by Congress as part of STELA (the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act), which extended the compulsory license for direct to home satellite television operators (DISH and DirecTV) – a license which gives them copyright clearances to retransmit all the… Continue Reading
By Brendan Holland on Posted in Cable Carriage,Digital Television,TelevisionThe Commission’s recent Notice of Proposed Rule Making exploring possible changes to the television retransmission consent rules has now been published in the Federal Register setting the date for Comments as May 27th, with Reply Comments due by June 27. As we wrote about recently (here), the FCC has commenced a rule making to consider… Continue Reading
By Brendan Holland on Posted in Cable Carriage,Digital Television,TelevisionAmong the many items adopted by the Commission at last week’s open meeting was a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) regarding retransmission consent agreements and the carriage of broadcast television stations by cable and satellite providers. Retransmission consent has been a hot topic of late both in Washington and in the national press. During… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Cable Carriage,FM Radio,General FCCAfter a series of FCC meetings where the only mention of broadcasters was in connection with taking TV spectrum for wireless broadband, the tentative agenda for the next FCC meeting, to be held on March 3, 2011, is full of broadcast issues – issues that could have broadcasters wishing that they were ignored once more. The biggest issue is… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Cable CarriageThe FCC’s Media Bureau today asked for public comment on the Petition recently filed by a number of multichannel video providers – including seven large cable companies, both DBS companies, and Verizon – along with the American Cable Association and several public interest and trade organizations. The Petition seeks changes in the rules governing the retransmission… Continue Reading
