March 2010 The next Quarterly Issues/Programs List (“Quarterly List”) must be placed in stations’ local public inspection files by April 10, 2010, reflecting information for the months of January, February and March, 2010. Content of the Quarterly List The FCC requires each broadcast station to air a reasonable amount of…
March 2010 The FCC has suspended indefinitely the deadline for commercial radio and television stations to file their Biennial Ownership Reports. However, the deadlines for filing Biennial Ownership Reports by noncommercial educational radio and television stations remain in effect, tied to their respective anniversary renewal filing deadlines. Noncommercial educational radio…
The 2010 NAB Show in Las Vegas is fast approaching! Your Pillsbury attorneys, including Dick Zaragoza, Cliff Harrington, Scott Flick, Miles Mason, Laurie Lynch Flick, Paul Cicelski and Christine Reilly will be at this annual event, which takes place in just one month, from April 10th to the 15th. We…
This Advisory provides a review of the FCC’s political broadcasting regulations. Introduction Eight years after adoption of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (“BCRA”) of 2002, popularly known as “McCain-Feingold,” Congress’ and the FCC’s interest in political broadcasting and political advertising practices remains undiminished. Broadcast stations must insure that a broad…
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has ruled that the Copyright Royalty Board is constitutional. The decision ends for now a long-running controversy over the legitimacy of the CRB, which sets royalty rates that webcasters pay to copyright owners– rates that webcasters see as excessively high and…
Comments are due by March 1, 2010 and Reply Comments are due March 30, 2010 to the FCC’s proceeding to implement national emergency alert testing at least once a year and to collect station data from such tests. In a Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) concerning updating of…
The FCC has released an Order amending its digital audio broadcasting (“DAB”) rules for FM stations operating digital facilities. According to the Order, the underlying purpose for the change is to “improve FM digital coverage and to eliminate regulatory impediments to FM radio’s ability to meet its full potential and…
FCC establishes June 12, 2010 as a “hard date” for wireless microphones and certain broadcast low power auxiliary operations to vacate 700 MHz spectrum. Some stations will have to move much sooner. The FCC has released an Order further clearing the 700 MHz band of incumbent users to permit the…
Disclosure and Disclaimer Requirements Retained. Decision Likely Invalidates Identical Political Ad Restrictions on Labor Unions. On January 21, 2010, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its long-awaited decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, a case challenging limits on political speech by corporations. The decision specifically holds…
January 2010 The FCC has established a national filing deadline for commercial radio and television stations to file their Biennial Ownership Reports. However, the schedule for the filing of Biennial Ownership Reports by noncommercial stations remains staggered, tied to their anniversary renewal filing deadlines. Noncommercial radio stations licensed to communities…