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: FCC Proposes $10,000 Fine to FM Licensee for Public Inspection File Violations Spoofed Calls Lead to $25,000 Fine Wireless Licensee…
Articles Posted by Scott R. Flick
Letters From the Public: Pai FCC Takes First Step on Broadcast Deregulation
It took a while to get to this point, but at the first public meeting of the Pai FCC, the Commission voted today to eliminate the requirement that stations maintain “Letters and Emails from the Public” in their public inspection files. As discussed below, that decision will have differing impacts…
Annual EEO Public File Report Deadline for Stations in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, and Oklahoma
January 2017 This Broadcast Station Advisory is directed to radio and television stations in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, and Oklahoma, and highlights the upcoming deadlines for compliance with the FCC’s EEO Rule. February 1, 2017 is the deadline for broadcast stations licensed to communities in…
Breaking News: FCC Moves Forward on Eliminating the Need to Maintain a Local Public File
Last May, Jessica Nyman and I wrote about the potential impact of an FCC Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposing to eliminate the requirement that stations keep “Letters and Emails from the Public” in their Public Inspection File. In moving public inspection files online, the FCC recognized that posting such letters…
FCC Makes Airing Political Ads Much More Complicated
If trying to maintain the required paperwork for political advertising aired by your station gives you a headache, prepare for a migraine of biblical proportions. With the departure of Commissioner Rosenworcel leaving the FCC in a 2-2 partisan split, there are really only two types of broadcast orders coming out…
2016 Fourth Quarter Children’s Television Programming Documentation
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”)…
2016 Fourth Quarter Issues/Programs List Advisory for Broadcast Stations
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…
FCC Enforcement Monitor ~ December 2016
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…
How to Predict an Unpredictable 2017: The Pillsbury Broadcasters’ Calendar
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…
FCC Postpones 2017 Noncommercial Biennial Ownership Report Deadlines Until December 1
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…