FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and Commissioner Robert McDowell exchanged letters discussing proposals for agency reform. Meanwhile, Genachowski’s office is asking all companies and groups that seek meetings with the chairman’s office to fill out a five-question form explaining the purpose of the visit and how they have reached out first to the various bureaus and offices prior to meeting with the chairman.
More thorough FCC ex parte filings with disclosure of who’s being represented were sought in a draft rulemaking notice circulated by Commissioner Michael Copps before he stepped down as acting chairman, commission officials said. The draft notice seeks comment on requiring that ex partes be more detailed than mentioning who attended a meeting and which rulemaking was discussed, they said.
Minority broadcasters’ financial difficulties came under scrutiny at a wide-ranging House Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday. Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., expressed frustration that several witnesses who were invited to testify were unable to make the hearing, which addressed a range of issues including a divisive performance royalty bill (HR-848) the committee passed in May (CD May 14 p3), media ownership rules and Arbitron’s Portable People Meter that has been blamed for depressing minority stations’ ad revenue.
Some nonprofits that push media and telecom policies at the FCC have found 2009 to be a difficult fundraising environment, despite a series of policy victories in Washington. “I've been doing this for 20 years and it’s been pretty much 18 years of darkness and now we've actually had some significant things happen,” said Gigi Sohn, executive director of Public Knowledge.
Some nonprofits that push tech policies at the FCC have found 2009 to be a difficult fundraising environment, despite a series of policy victories in Washington. “I've been doing this for 20 years and it’s been pretty much 18 years of darkness and now we've actually had some significant things happen,” said Gigi Sohn, executive director of Public Knowledge.
A plan from Time Warner and Comcast to put more cable programming online but limit its availability to pay-TV subscribers drew criticism from the Media Access Project and Public Knowledge on Wednesday. Time Warner and Comcast executives laid out their plans to test an online video system with 5,000 Comcast subscribers this summer and said they expect more programmers and distributors to follow suit.
A plan from Time Warner and Comcast to put more cable programming online but limit its availability to pay-TV subscribers drew criticism from the Media Access Project and Public Knowledge on Wednesday. Time Warner and Comcast executives laid out their plans to test an online video system with 5,000 Comcast subscribers this summer and said they expect more programmers and distributors to follow suit.
The appeals court whose ruling against the FCC’s $550,000 fine to CBS for airing Janet Jackson’s nipple for less than a second during the 2004 Super Bowl will again consider arguments in the case, which was sent back to it by the Supreme Court (CD May 5 p6). A Thursday order by the 3rd U.S. Appeals Court in Philadelphia set a briefing schedule for CBS v. FCC, with appellant’s briefs due in 60 days. Paperwork from the other side is due in another 40 days, with 14 more days for appellants to respond. The decision was made by the three judges who initially remanded in 2008 the indecency fine to the commission: Julio Fuentes, Anthony Scirica and Marjorie Rendell. Even though the 3rd Circuit wants another round of briefs, it doesn’t indicate whether the court will again hold oral arguments in the case, said Media Access President Andrew Schwartzman, a participant.
DirecTV doesn’t think its merger with Liberty Entertainment will face any regulatory hurdles, a company official said, though the deal will require FCC and Securities and Exchange Commission approval. The FCC has jurisdiction of DirecTV license transfers, DirecTV spokesman Darris Gringeri said, but he expects the deal to be finalized by Q4. However, cable operators may have concerns about the deal, American Cable Association President Matthew Polka said.
DirecTV doesn’t think its merger with Liberty Entertainment will face any regulatory hurdles, a company official said, though the deal will require FCC and Securities and Exchange Commission approval. The FCC has jurisdiction of DirecTV license transfers, DirecTV spokesman Darris Gringeri said, but he expects the deal to be finalized by Q4. However, cable operators may have concerns about the deal, American Cable Association President Matthew Polka said.