Posts Tagged ‘Broadcast’
FCC Proposed FY2012 Regulatory Fees, Announces Upcoming Fee Reform Proceedings
Posted on May 7, 2012The FCC has released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing to collect just under $340 million in regulatory fees for Fiscal Year (FY) 2012. Regulatory fees are mandated by Congress and are collected to recover the regulatory costs associated with the FCC’s enforcement, policy and rulemaking, user information, and international activities. For FY2012, the FCC generally proposes to retain the established procedures for collecting regulatory fees used in previous years. Regulatory fees for FY 2012 will be collected during a September 2012 filing window. Additionally, in anticipation of next year’s collection of regulatory fees for FY2013, the FCC indicates that it will undertake two separate rulemakings proceedings (Reform Proceedings) to address regulatory fee reform issues in two phases. Phase I of the Reform Proceedings will consider the allocation percentages of core bureaus involved in regulatory fee activity and how the FCC calculates these percentages; Phase II will address other outstanding substantive and procedural issues. Comments on the NPRM are due by May 31, 2012 and reply comments by June 7, 2012.
FCC Announces Incentive Auction Task Force
Posted on March 23, 2012The FCC has announced the creation of an incentive auction task force to be overseen by Ruth Milkman, former chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. Incentive auctions, which were proposed in the FCC’s National Broadband Plan, are intended to be a market-based mechanism to repurpose spectrum mobile broadband and other uses. The recent Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (or Spectrum Act) specifically authorized the FCC to conduct incentive auctions of broadcast spectrum. The task force will include a wide range of FCC staff from the Wireless Telecommunications and Media Bureaus and Office of Engineering and Technology, as well as the agency’s Chief Economist, Chief Technologist and General Counsel.
FCC Implements CALM Act
Posted on December 14, 2011The FCC has adopted a Report and Order to implement the provisions of the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (CALM Act) which gave the Commission the authority to adopt rules to address the problem of excessively loud television commercials. The new rules, which become effective on December 13, 2012, require television broadcasters, cable operators and other multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) to ensure that commercial announcements have the same average volume as the programs they accompany.
2.5 GHz, Satellite and Tariff Items Planned for Next Open Commission Meeting
Posted on May 20, 2011The FCC has released the tentative agenda for its next open meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 9, 2011. Items slated for consideration include:
- An Electronic Tariff Filing System Report and Order to streamline electronic filing of tariffs;
- A Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to permit Broadband Radio Service (BRS) and Educational Broadband Service (EBS) operators in the 2.5 GHz band to use wider channel bandwidths
- A Space Path Interference Second Report and Order adopting technical rules aimed at mitigating space path interference between the 17/24 GHz Broadcasting-Satellite Service (BSS) space stations and current and future Direct Broadcasting Service (DBS) space stations; and
- A Maritime Automatic Identification Systems Memorandum Opinion and Order considering modifications to VHF Public Coast (VPC) frequency band and a related deadline.
The final agenda will be released one week prior to the meeting.
Comment Dates Set For Channel 51 Freeze Petition
Posted on March 28, 2011Comment and reply dates have been established in connection with the petition filed by CTIA and RCA to freeze the processing of broadcast licenses for Channel 51. Comments are due on or before April 27, 2011 and reply comments are due by May 12, 2011.
FCC Asked to Freeze Channel 51 Licensing
Posted on March 22, 2011CTIA – The Wireless Association and the Rural Cellular Association have filed a rulemaking petition asking the FCC to take certain steps to protect wireless broadband services in the Lower 700 MHz A Block from adjacent channel interference caused by broadcast operations on Channel 51. Specifically, the petition requests that the FCC: 1) amend its rules to discontinue licensing of new broadcast facilities on channel 51; 2) impose an immediate freeze on the acceptance, processing and grant of any applications for new or modified facilities on channel 51; and 3) adopt streamlined procedures for channel relocation by incumbent channel 51 licensees that wish to voluntarily relocate to another in-core channel. The petition would not require existing Channel 51 licensees to relocate.