Late yesterday, the FCC released a public notice providing information on the repacking process that will follow the broadcast spectrum incentive auction. This is the FCC’s second response to calls by a number of parties seeking greater transparency (and information in general) regarding the technical aspects of the repacking process,…
Articles Posted in Television
Today’s Aereo Decision: Technology Takes a Backseat
In a decision that disappointed but didn’t entirely surprise broadcasters, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit today declined to rehear in banc its earlier decision rejecting a request by broadcasters to terminate with extreme prejudice Aereo’s broadcast subscription service in New York. Today’s announcement was not a…
FCC Seeks Greater Clarity on IP Video Captioning Rules
Last month, the FCC released an Order on Reconsideration and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that clarified a number of aspects of the FCC’s complex closed captioning requirements for video programming delivered using Internet Protocol (IP) and the devices used by consumers to view it. In the FCC’s words, the…
Comments Due Soon on FCC’s Proposed 2013 Regulatory Fees
Last month, the FCC issued its latest annual Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) as well as a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) containing regulatory fee proposals for Fiscal Year (FY) 2013. Those who wish to file comments on the FCC’s proposed fees must do so by June 19, 2013,…
FCC Grants Extension of Indecency Comment Deadlines
A few minutes ago, the FCC issued a Public Notice granting a thirty-day extension of the deadlines for submitting comments and reply comments in response to the FCC’s April 1, 2013 Public Notice seeking input on whether the Commission should make changes to its current broadcast indecency policies. Comments and…
FCC Issues Lessons Learned From First Ever Nationwide EAS Test
As our readers are aware, we did a great deal of reporting before and after the first-ever Nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) Test conducted on November 9, 2011. The purpose of that test was to assess the readiness and effectiveness of the system in the event of an actual national…
FCC Announces Immediate Freeze on TV Modification Applications
This morning, the FCC released a Public Notice announcing that, commencing immediately and until further notice, it will no longer accept modification applications (or amendments to modification applications) from full power and Class A television stations if the modification would increase the station’s coverage in any direction beyond its current…
Pillsbury Attorneys Heading to NAB Show in Vegas
Marking the end of a winter that has been way too long is an annual rite of Spring for the media industry–the National Association of Broadcasters’ Show in Las Vegas. This year’s Show is taking place from April 6th to the 11th at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The NAB…
FCC Hits Reset Button on Indecency
After nine months of rumors and uncertainty as to where the FCC is headed after last summer’s indecency decision by the Supreme Court in FCC v. Fox Television Stations, Inc. (which we discussed in this post), the FCC today released a very brief public notice that: Announces the FCC staff…
First Quarter FCC KidVid Reports Confirm Accuracy of Mayan Calendar
At the end of every quarter, TV stations across the land must electronically file with the FCC a Form 398–The Children’s Television Programming Report. However, stations attempting to do that filing for the first quarter of 2013 are discovering that the FCC’s online filing system for those forms ends with…