On May 26, 2021, a Sixth Circuit panel rejected challenges by numerous municipalities to a 2019 order by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that most “in kind” (non-cash) contributions required by cable franchisees...more
When the FCC’s Cable Franchise Order became effective on Sept. 26, it upended 35 years of common understanding on what a local government could obtain in cable franchise negotiations, which could cost local governments...more
The FCC released its third Section 621 Report and Order late Friday, which has the potential to cost local governments hundreds of millions of dollars in cable franchise fees. Also, unlike FCC cable orders in the past 10...more
On Thursday, August 1, 2019, the FCC took several actions to address persistent, decades-long efforts by local governments to convert their control over local rights-of-way into ever-increasing revenue streams from cable...more
The FCC today released a Second Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that, if adopted, would allow cable operators to deduct the value of in-kind contributions from cable franchise fee payments, and would limit the authority of...more
The Federal Communications Commission, in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking released this month, requested public input about whether it should classify certain Internet-based video programmers as “multichannel video...more