Legislative Update
This Week in Regulation For Broadcasters
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the last week (April 2-8), with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. Broadcast operations that use uninterruptable power supply (UPS) devices as either…
Read MoreHouse of Representatives Passes MORE Act to Remove Marijuana from Schedule I – Don’t Rush to Start Airing Pot Ads Yet
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP Last week, the US House of Representatives passed the MORE Act which, if enacted, would take marijuana off the list of Schedule I drugs – those drugs whose possession and distribution is a federal felony, as is the use of the radio waves to promote their use. As we have warned before…
Read MoreRep. Fred Upton Announces Retirement
U.S. Representative Fred Upton, former Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and longtime supporter of local broadcasters, announced Tuesday (4/5) that he was stepping down after his current term. “Even the best stories have a last chapter,” said Upton, (R-St. Joseph). “This is it for me.” Upton has been in Congress since 1986.…
Read MoreApril Regulatory Dates for Broadcasters: TV and Radio Renewals, Quarterly Issues, New Foreign Government Sponsorship ID Rules, Revised Radio Technical Rules, EEO Audits and Filings and More
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP Though this April is somewhat lighter than other months on regulatory deadlines for broadcasters, there are still dates to which broadcasters should pay attention. As noted below, all stations need to pay close attention to the quarterly obligation to post issues/programs lists to your online public file. Here…
Read MoreNPR Story Says That You are Allowed to Lie in Broadcast Political Ads – Half the Story?
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP Last week, NPR ran a story with the provocative headline – “The Truth In Political Advertising – You’re Allowed to Lie.” The story talked about how the FCC does not regulate candidate advertising to decide the truth of political ads, and then quoted a former FCC Chair to say that candidates…
Read MoreNew Rules on the Identification of Foreign Government-Provided Programs Affects All Broadcasters – Now in Effect
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP The FCC this week announced that broadcasters must now comply with new rules designed to identify when programming is run on U.S. stations that was provided by a foreign governmental entity pursuant to a lease of airtime. While this seems like a narrow purpose, the new rules will impose a burden…
Read MoreNCAA Tournament Advertising: Use of Trademarks and … One More Thing (2022 Update) (Parts 1 & 2)
By: Mitchell Stabbe, Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP via the Broadcast Law Blog Part One With the 2022 NCAA Collegiate Basketball Tournament about to begin, as faithful readers of this blog know, broadcasters, publishers and other businesses need to be wary about potential claims arising from their use of terms and logos associated with the tournament…
Read MoreMAB Returns to Capitol Hill to Advocate for Broadcasters
By: Sam Klemet, MAB President and CEO Advocate. Educate. Celebrate. Those are the three primary missions of the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. And I’m proud to say, this week encompassed each of those pillars. We educated members at the 2022 Digital Great Lakes Media Show which had more than 360 registrants and more than 40…
Read MoreTwo Proposed FCC Fines Suggest Tougher Enforcement – $32,000 for EEO Paperwork Issues and $20,000 for Alleged Contest Rule Violations
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP In the last week, the FCC issued proposed fines to two big radio companies for alleged violations of FCC requirements. One proposed fine was for apparent violations of the FCC’s EEO rules, and the other dealt with the obligations of broadcasters to disclose and follow rules for on-air contests. In both cases, the proposed…
Read MoreNAB Files Comments Opposing Proposed Forest Service Fees
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has told the FCC that it opposes a proposal from the U.S. Forest Service to assess an annual programmatic fee on communication uses to cover the Forest Service’s costs of administering its communications use program. A survey by your MAB indicates that this proposed fee could impact some Michigan…
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