Twelve large telecom companies and the attorneys general of 50 states and the District of Columbia announced yesterday an agreement on eight voluntary principles that the companies will adopt to combat illegal and unwanted robocalls.  The announcement comes as regulators, telecom companies, and legislators continue to grapple with a worsening…

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: Pennsylvania AM Station’s “Shenanigans” in Connection With Tower Violations Lead to $25,000 Fine Georgia and North Carolina Radio Station Licenses…

As we noted in last week’s post, television stations eligible to file 2018 distant signal copyright royalty claims with the United States Copyright Royalty Board must do so by July 31, 2019.  While that due date still seems far away (especially to those accustomed to the FCC’s real-time electronic filing…

This Pillsbury Broadcast Station Advisory is directed to radio and television stations in the areas noted above, and highlights upcoming deadlines for compliance with the FCC’s EEO Rule. August 1 is the deadline for broadcast stations licensed to communities in California, Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Wisconsin to place…

Full power commercial and noncommercial radio stations and LPFM stations licensed to communities in Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands must begin airing pre-filing license renewal announcements on August 1, 2019. License renewal applications for these stations, and for in-state FM translator stations, are due by October 1, 2019.…

This advisory is directed to television stations with locally-produced programming whose signals were carried by at least one cable system located outside the station’s local service area or by a satellite provider that provided service to at least one viewer outside the station’s local service area during 2018. These stations…

The availability of broadband Internet service in apartment buildings, condominiums, and office buildings, or what the FCC calls multiple tenant environments (MTE), was the subject of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) and Declaratory Ruling released on Friday of last week. Prior FCC decisions have attempted to strike a balance…

At its July 2019 Open Meeting this week, the FCC voted to make several changes to its Children’s Television Programming rules.  It released its final Order adopting the changes this afternoon.  Although characterized by Commissioner O’Rielly as “modest” changes, the revised rules are likely to alter television broadcasters’ compliance efforts…

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: Investigation Into Undisclosed Radio Station Owner With a History of Felonies Leads to Hearing Designation Order FCC Settles With Alaskan…

Each full power and Class A TV station being repacked must file its next quarterly Transition Progress Report with the FCC by July 10, 2019.  The Report must detail the progress a station has made in constructing facilities on its newly-assigned channel and in terminating operations on its current channel during…