Legislative Update
Embedding Social Media Videos on Your Website? – Court Case Says Get Permission from Copyright Owner First
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP Editor’s note: On Thursday, August 19 at 1 p.m., the MAB Third Thursday webinar will feature David Oxenford speaking on “Copyright Issues for Broadcasters.” Register for this webinar here. We’ve written before over the controversy as to whether embedding pictures or video served by a social media site on your website negates…
Read MoreThe Local Journalism Sustainability Act – Another Congressional Proposal to Help Local Media
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP Editor’s note: On Thursday, August 19 at 1 p.m., the MAB Third Thursday webinar will feature David Oxenford speaking on “Copyright Issues for Broadcasters.” Register for this webinar here. Last week, another bill was introduced in both the House and the Senate with the intention of supporting local…
Read MoreFCC Broadcast Auction Ends. Here’s the Winners of Michigan Frequencies
The FCC’s Auction 109 of of 136 FM signals and 4 AM signals ended August 5 after eight days and 36 rounds of bidding with 97 of the potential licenses nationwide won. The auction brought in $13,770,950 in bids with a net of $12,344,110 following the use of bidding credits. In Michigan, there were six…
Read MoreCongress Passes Legislation to Fund FCC and CPB
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a package of seven fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills, including $388 million for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and $565 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) fiscal year 2024 advance appropriation. The $617 billion package passed by a 219-208 vote along party lines; the Senate has…
Read MoreCarl Levin: 1934 – 2021
Former Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), a 36-year veteran of the Senate has died at the age of 87. The Levin Center at Wayne State University announced the late senator’s death Thursday evening, calling him “a dearly beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle, and life-long public servant.” In 2014, Levin was presented with the MAB’s…
Read MoreFCC To Clarify Political Advertising Rules – No Significant Changes Proposed
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP Last week, it was announced that the FCC would be considering some changes to its political broadcasting rules at its monthly open meeting in August. In some quarters (see, for example, this article), that raised concern that significant changes were coming in time for the 2022 Congressional elections. But,…
Read MoreMichigan House Approves Final End of Emergency Powers of the Governor Act
The Michigan House voted on Wednesday (7/21) to approve a citizen initiative by Unlock Michigan to entirely remove the 1945 law, which Gov. Gretchen Whitmer used to make controversial COVID-19 orders in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic. The Michigan Senate approved the initiative last week. Because the measure came to lawmakers as a…
Read MoreCould a Supreme Court Decision Affect Disclosure Obligations on Political Advertising?
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP Last week, we wrote about two dissenting opinions in a Supreme Court decision that highlight the debate that is underway on the principles that govern defamation liability in the United States. While we are reviewing Supreme Court decisions that could have an impact on broadcasters, including on political advertising, we…
Read MoreMore Michigan Congressmen Sign LRFA
The MAB is pleased to announce another cosponsor has signed on to H.Con.Res.33, the House Local Radio Freedom Act. Congressman John Moolenaar (R-4) has joined fellow Representatives Jack Bergman (R-1), Debbie Dingell (D-12), Fred Upton (R-6) and Tim Walberg (R-7) in support of the resolution. The NAB reports that they are up to 159 cosponsors…
Read MoreNAB Statement on Recent Incidents Involving Broadcast Journalists
In response to recent incidents of violence involving broadcast journalists, NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith released the following: “NAB is gravely concerned by recent incidents of violence directed against broadcast journalists who are covering local news. A cornerstone of American democracy is the right of the free press to document the stories and events…
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