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Children’s Programming Commercial Limits Violations Result in $3M Fine for Broadcasters

For one of our authors, their kids’ current favorite treat is a chocolate bar sold by a popular YouTube personality (and philanthropist!). The kids know about this particular chocolate bar because the personality promotes it...more

FCC Reexamines Options to Expand Protections for Federal Earth Stations Communicating with Commercial Satellite Systems

Deadlines have been announced for responses to the FCC’s Public Notice inviting comment on expanding protections for U.S. government earth stations communicating with commercial satellite systems. Because most spectrum used...more

FCC’s Space Bureau Seeks to Refresh the Record on Orbital Debris Mitigation and Space Sustainability

On May 2, the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Space Bureau issued a Public Notice seeking to refresh the record on orbital debris mitigation rule changes originally proposed in a Further Notice of Proposed...more

Say What? FCC Fines NCE Broadcaster for Underwriting and Sponsorship ID Violations

In 1972, comedian George Carlin famously released a bit on the seven “Filthy Words” you can never say on the public airwaves. The bit became the subject of a landmark Supreme Court decision, FCC v. Pacifica Foundation, in...more

Failure to Promptly Award $396 Contest Prize Results in $8K Penalty for Broadcaster

If you’re a contestant in a radio or TV contest, it’s important to follow the rules of the contest, lest you be disqualified. Likewise, if you’re a broadcaster conducting an on-air contest, it’s important to follow the rules...more

What NCE Broadcasters Need to Know About the FCC’s EEO Workforce Data Collection

The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) newly reinstated requirement (which we discussed here) that broadcasters annually report workforce composition data, including the gender, race, and ethnicity of their employees,...more

FCC Restarts Collection of EEO Workforce Data on Form 395-B

As anyone who has shopped for jeans recently can appreciate, sometimes what’s old is new again. Indeed, some of us wish we had not been quite so hasty in Marie Kondo-ing our closets now that ‘90s-style jeans are making a...more

FCC Releases Draft NPRM on ISAM Licensing Framework

Some acronyms are so perfect, so effortless in their articulation and application that they eventually come to embody the very thing for which they are meant to stand. Here, “radar” comes to mind, as does “laser.” The jury’s...more

1/31/2024  /  FCC , Innovation , NPRM , Outer Space , Radar , Satellites

FCC Doubles Down on 'Case-by-Case' Approach to Orbital Debris Mitigation Plan Review

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) remains committed to its new rules for the mitigation of orbital debris. Earlier this month, Commissioners voted unanimously to approve an Order addressing several...more

FCC Seeks Public Comment on Television Blackout Reporting Requirements

Members of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have long expressed concern about the consumer impacts of so-called retransmission consent “blackouts,” which occur when a multichannel video programming distributor...more

FCC Adopts Procedures for Limited New Class A Television Window

On December 12, 2023, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) released a Report and Order (Order) that adopted rules to implement the Low Power Protection Act (LPPA). The rules, consistent with the FCC’s...more

NCE Broadcaster Fined $9K for Issues/Programs Report Violations

There are certain regulatory “perks” to being a non-commercial educational (NCE) broadcaster, such as not paying regulatory fees. There are also certain regulatory drawbacks (looking at you, underwriting rules). One thing in...more

FCC Fines Broadcaster $25K for EEO Violations

A recent fine imposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) underscores how important it is for broadcasters to keep up with their Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) obligations. On October 16, 2023, the FCC’s...more

FCC Updates Frequency Allocations and Licensing Rules for Commercial Space Launch Operations

In an effort to support commercial space launch operations, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved a Report and Order (Order) enhancing access to 2200-2290 MHz band spectrum and revising spectrum licensing...more

9/27/2023  /  Aerospace , FCC , Licenses , NTIA , Proposed Rules , Satellites

FCC Modernizes Satellite and Earth Station Licensing Process

Looking to keep pace with the rapid evolution of the space industry, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved a Report and Order (Order) to accelerate existing processes for licensing satellite and earth stations....more

9/26/2023  /  FCC , Licenses , NPRM , NTIA , Satellites , Telecommunications

Reminder: Keep Breathing and Prepare for Ownership Reports!

On particularly difficult rides, Peloton instructor Denis Mortin (a personal favorite) will encourage us huffing and puffing mortals not to quit, which he says can be accomplished by “picking a spot on the floor about 10 feet...more

ALJ Declines to Rubber Stamp EB Position on License Revocation

According to the internet, rubber stamps can be traced back to 100 AD, when people in China carved text into wood (rubber as we know it in the 21st century wasn’t around until the 1800s) and then dipped the carved wood into...more

Weighing in on a Debate: The Audio Division Finds No Consent Needed for Gradual Changes in Governing Boards

For many years, attorneys who represent public broadcasters and other non-commercial educational licensees (NCEs) have debated whether an application for Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) consent must be...more

Hosted Payload Episode 7: Wiley All-Stars / Starship Troopers [Audio]

Is Starship Troopers an effective satire, so bad it’s good, or just bad? An all-star team of Wiley satellite attorneys – Jennifer Hindin, Kate Dickerson, and Madi Lottenbach – join me to discuss the 1997 box office bomb....more

FCC Begins Mid-Term Review of EEO Reports

The FCC announced that its mid-term review of EEO compliance will begin on June 1, 2023 and continue on a rolling basis through April 1, 2027. During the mid-term review, the FCC will review the Station Employment Unit’s...more

FCC Media Bureau Announces Further Extension of Filing Deadlines

On January 27, The FCC’s Media Bureau issued a Public Notice announcing that it is extending through February 28, 2023 the deadline for licensees to: (1) upload any documents into the Online Public Inspection File (OPIF)...more

FTC’s PrivacyCon Highlights Risks and Opportunities For Children’s Privacy

This post is the second of our series reviewing the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) seventh annual “PrivacyCon." In yesterday’s overview, we summarized the discussions focused on consumer privacy and data security in areas...more

FTC Hosts Event to Examine Children’s Advertising in Digital Media

Our broadcast clients are already well aware of their obligations to air children’s programming in accordance with the FCC’s rules, including the rule prohibiting “host selling.”...more

FTC Seeks Comment on Updating Endorsement Guides on Digital Advertising

On July 26, 2022, the Request for Comment approved by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission) in May seeking public input on a number of proposed changes to the FTC’s Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and...more

New Foreign Programming Sponsorship ID Rules Published in Federal Register; Compliance Obligations Await OMB Approval

On June 17, 2021, the Report and Order adopting the FCC’s new foreign sponsorship identification rules for broadcasters was published in the Federal Register. The rules, summarized here, require broadcasters to take certain...more

6/21/2021  /  Broadcasting , FCC , OMB , Programming
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