The next Children’s Television Programming Report must be filed with the FCC and placed in stations’ public inspection files by January 10, 2017, reflecting programming aired during the months of October, November, and December 2016. Statutory and Regulatory Requirements As a result of the Children’s Television Act of 1990 (“Act”)…

The next Quarterly Issues/Programs List (“Quarterly List”) must be placed in stations’ public inspection files by January 10, 2017, reflecting information for the months of October, November, and December 2016. Content of the Quarterly List The FCC requires each broadcast station to air a reasonable amount of programming responsive to…

Pillsbury’s communications lawyers have published FCC Enforcement Monitor monthly since 1999 to inform our clients of notable FCC enforcement actions against FCC license holders and others. This month’s issue includes: Headlines: Broadcaster Loses Appeal of $20,000 FCC Fine FCC Issues Citation for Violations of Radio Frequency Equipment Authorization and Labeling…

Being close observers of the FCC, Congress, and the federal government in general, we get a lot of questions about what the next year will likely bring in DC.  While changes in administrations tend to increase the number of questions like that, rarely have I been as deluged with such…

Noncommercial stations caught a break today.  For many years, broadcast stations filed annual ownership reports on the anniversary date of their license renewal deadline.  Since those deadlines varied from state to state (and even between radio and TV in the same state), determining whether a station had filed its reports…

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the station, staffers laughed and sang carols, and enjoyed jubilation. Except for the staffers in charge of the file, who were sweating and cursing a deadline most vile. A Christmas Eve deadline that was set by the fed, a public file deadline…

At the end of Stage 2 of the Spectrum Auction, I wrote about bidder fatigue and the hope that the FCC would drop its spectrum clearing target a couple of notches for Stage 3 to expedite the conclusion of a now seemingly interminable auction.  Unfortunately, the FCC held fast to…

Pillsbury’s communications lawyers have published FCC Enforcement Monitor monthly since 1999 to inform our clients of notable FCC enforcement actions against FCC license holders and others. This month’s issue includes: Headlines: Broadcaster Agrees to Pay $100,000 Fine for Filing Applications Under False Names FCC Proposes $13,000 Fine for Late License…

What a difference a day makes. As previously discussed in CommLawCenter, the Department of Labor announced in May a change to its overtime regulations.  That change would more than double the minimum salary needed to qualify an employee as exempt from overtime pay, and was scheduled to go into effect…

November 2016 This Broadcast Station Advisory is directed to radio and television stations in Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Vermont, and highlights the upcoming deadlines for compliance with the FCC’s EEO Rule. December 1, 2016 is the deadline…