Breaking News: Moments before the release of this post, the FCC issued a Public Notice announcing an extension of time to the end of the government’s fiscal year for regulatory fee payors in areas affected by Hurricanes...more
The FCC announced on Friday afternoon that it would push back the December 1, 2017 deadline for commercial and noncommercial broadcast stations to file their biennial ownership reports. Rather than opening the filing window...more
The FCC and FEMA have established September 27, 2017 as the date for the next nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS). Like last year’s test, all EAS participants must file Form 1 a month before the test. The...more
According to a newly-released Public Notice, the FCC has directed the U.S. Department of Treasury to pay all broadcasters who had winning bids in the recently concluded spectrum incentive auction. The only exceptions are...more
Ever since the idea of holding an incentive auction to reclaim and repurpose broadcast spectrum for new wireless uses first surfaced, a major concern has been how to balance full power stations’ need to replicate their...more
To use a metaphor those headed to Vegas for the NAB Show will appreciate, two of the three wheels on the Spectrum Repack slot machine had stopped spinning, and all eyes have since been anxiously watching that third and final...more
Just 29 days ago, the FCC’s Media Bureau issued an unusual decision denying Petitions for Reconsideration of an order adopted by the commissioners themselves, raising questions as to who’s in charge at the FCC. The petitions...more
Those trying to keep up with the news surrounding the upcoming nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (“EAS”) know that a lot has been happening in a short period of time. Below, we pull together the many recent FCC...more
This advisory is directed to television stations with locally-produced programming whose signals were carried by at least one cable system located outside the station’s local service area or by a satellite provider that...more
Today, the FCC released a document entitled Fact Sheet: Updating Media Ownership Rules in the Public Interest. The driver behind the Fact Sheet is the Chairman’s promise to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals that draft...more
Friday will see the launch of the FCC’s new online public inspection file system, called, not surprisingly, the Online Public Inspection File (“OPIF”). With stations moving to a “next gen” public inspection file, Pillsbury...more
In a Public Notice released June 2, 2016, the FCC has taken the next steps towards implementing the expanded online public inspection file, which is set to go live on June 24th. Specifically, the FCC announced that on June...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit today issued a decision vacating the FCC rule effectively banning television Joint Sales Agreements (“JSAs”) and threatened to throw out all of the FCC’s remaining broadcast...more
Television broadcasters have had to comply with an online Public Inspection File requirement since 2012. This past January, the FCC announced that it would expand the online Public File requirement to certain broadcast...more
Consumer protection is always in style with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Under the FTC Act, a company cannot make a misrepresentation that would affect the consumer’s conduct or decisions with regard to a product or...more
In the face of ongoing uncertainty regarding permissible uses of modern telephone equipment under the TCPA, lawsuits and important precedents continue to pile up.
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA),...more
Today, the FCC posted to the Auction 1001 website the Reverse Auction Initial Commitment User Guide and Online Tutorial. Broadcasters that submitted an FCC Form 177 to participate in the Reverse Auction should review these...more
In late July, we posted our client alert titled FCC Expands Reach of Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The Alert discusses the FCC’s July 10, 2015 long-awaited omnibus Declaratory Ruling and Order....more
Following an 18-month investigation into the practices and operations of data brokers, the Federal Trade Commission has issued a voluminous report calling for legislation to regulate the industry in the interests of consumer...more
6/3/2014
/ Big Data ,
Data Brokers ,
Data Collection ,
Data Protection ,
Disclosure ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Information Reports ,
Internet Privacy ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Popular ,
Transparency
Resolving a conundrum faced by every business that has entered the world of consumer texting, the FCC has ruled that businesses are not violating the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act ("TCPA") by sending a...more