2019 EAS National Test Report Issued

Posted on May 29th, 2020 by

The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau has issued a report of the August 7, 2019 Nationwide EAS Test, highlighting a number of issues that caused breakdowns in performance by EAS Test participants.  Some of those issues are reported by broadcast station participants, and include monitoring source problems, equipment performance or configuration, or degraded/poor […]

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TV Broadcast Internet Services Regulatory Treatment Proposal Designed to Spur New Service

Posted on May 29th, 2020 by

The FCC has released a draft of a Declaratory Ruling and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking to clarify some legal matters surrounding the transition to ATSC 3.0, which will be voted on at their June 9th Open Meeting.  The Declaratory Ruling would immediately eliminate some regulatory uncertainties, and the rulemaking examines the need to modify […]

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Dates to Remember

Posted on April 30th, 2020 by

May 4, 2020 Comments due in FM booster zone-casting proceeding. June 1, 2020 Radio Stations located in Michigan and Ohio – deadline to file license renewal application and EEO program report, and air first post-filing license renewal announcement; additional post-filing announcements are due June 16, July 1 & 16, and August 1 & 16. Television […]

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FCC Continues Proactive Broadcaster Actions During Coronavirus Outbreak

Posted on April 30th, 2020 by

At the end of March, we reported a number of FCC actions taken that were helpful to broadcasters in light of access, economic and other issues resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.  The FCC continued those types of actions in April, and more may be forthcoming.  Our firm has raised questions regarding potential relaxation of some […]

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A Note About Your Online Public Inspection File

Posted on April 30th, 2020 by

If you’ve recently logged in to or just accessed your station’s online public file, you may have noticed an “alert” banner notice at the top of the page noting that the FCC has implemented database caching on OPIF document uploads as of April 3, 2020 and that up to a one-hour delay may be experienced […]

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License Renewal Developments

Posted on April 30th, 2020 by

License renewal for broadcast stations is rolling right along, with several recent developments in that should draw your attention. First, the Media Bureau issued a public notice announcing its procedures for television license renewal, which begin with filings in June 2020 and continue through June 2023.  The notice captures the various license renewal requirements for […]

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Many Displaced LPTV/TV Translator Stations Still Need to File Form 1876 

Posted on April 30th, 2020 by

The FCC has previously notified almost 900 LPTV/TV displaced translator stations of the total amounts allocated for their station channel change expenses.  But many stations that qualify for reimbursement have not submitted a critical document to the FCC that establishes the station’s bank account that will receive reimbursement dollars.  The form is known as Form […]

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FM Zone-Casting Petition Gets FCC’s Attention

Posted on April 30th, 2020 by

A company called GeoBroadcast Solutions has filed a petition for rulemaking with the FCC that seeks to allow FM boosters to “zone-cast” within a full power FM station’s service area.  The FCC has asked for initial comments by May 4, 2020 to gauge whether it should proceed with a formal rule change proceeding.  Comment filers […]

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FCC Wants High Court’s Review of Ownership Rules Decision

Posted on April 30th, 2020 by

The FCC has filed a legal brief requesting the U.S. Supreme Court review the recent decision of the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal rejecting the FCC’s 2017 attempt to loosen the broadcast multiple ownership rules.  In the request and in an issued statement by the Chairman, the FCC says that its efforts have been […]

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Broadcast Local Public Notice Rule Changes on the Horizon

Posted on April 30th, 2020 by

The FCC’s May meeting agenda includes an item that would substantially revise the existing rules requiring stations to locally announce when they file certain applications, both on the air and in local newspapers.  The draft Report & Order has its origins in a 2017 proceeding that included a 2019 further notice of proposed rulemaking seeking […]

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