The FCC ramped up pressure on ISPs Wednesday to make certain they are providing customers with accurate information about their services. The agency released an enforcement advisory along with accompanying statements from Chairman Tom Wheeler and acting Enforcement Bureau Chief Travis LeBlanc.
Sinclair and Allbritton Communications will have to sell their interests in WHTM-TV Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to Media General to proceed with their $963 million deal, said the U.S. Department of Justice in a consent decree filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. “Without the required divestiture, prices for broadcast television spot advertising would likely increase in parts of central Pennsylvania,” said DOJ in a news release Tuesday (http://1.usa.gov/U87NN5). The divestiture requirement echoes a plan to sell WHTM to Media General announced by Sinclair last month (CD June 24 p16). In a May letter to the Media Bureau, Sinclair said its plan to buy Allbritton’s TV stations must be completed by July 27 to remain viable, because the purchase agreement allows either party to terminate it July 28 (CD May 30 p1).
Net neutrality comments are due at the FCC Tuesday and most observers expect most key industry players to weigh in. Industry observers told us the battle lines are well drawn, but the comments are still likely to be closely read by the FCC and some could form the basis for eventual legal challenges to the rules. The FCC approved rules for the first time in December 2010, under former Chairman Julius Genachowski. In January, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit overturned many of the rules (CD Jan 15 p1), virtually guaranteeing that net neutrality would be a big issue for Genachowski’s successor Tom Wheeler as well.
Net neutrality comments are due at the FCC Tuesday and most observers expect most key industry players to weigh in. Industry observers told us the battle lines are well drawn, but the comments are still likely to be closely read by the FCC and some could form the basis for eventual legal challenges to the rules. The FCC approved rules for the first time in December 2010, under former Chairman Julius Genachowski. In January, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit overturned many of the rules (WID Jan 15 p1), virtually guaranteeing that net neutrality would be a big issue for Genachowski’s successor Tom Wheeler as well.
Net neutrality comments are due at the FCC Tuesday and most observers expect most key industry players to weigh in. Industry observers told us the battle lines are well drawn, but the comments are still likely to be closely read by the FCC and some could form the basis for eventual legal challenges to the rules. The FCC approved rules for the first time in December 2010, under former Chairman Julius Genachowski. In January, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit overturned many of the rules, virtually guaranteeing that net neutrality would be a big issue for Genachowski’s successor Tom Wheeler as well.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is bringing in economists and lawyers from outside the agency to oversee the review of Comcast’s proposed buy of Time Warner Cable and AT&T’s of DirecTV, the agency said Monday. Both teams will be under the overall direction of FCC General Counsel Jonathan Sallet.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is bringing in economists and lawyers from outside the agency to oversee the review of Comcast’s proposed buy of Time Warner Cable and AT&T’s of DirecTV, the agency said Monday. Both teams will be under the overall direction of FCC General Counsel Jonathan Sallet.
Commenters on the FCC 2014 quadrennial review (QR) of media ownership rules will be able to use demographic data as a basis for their comments, due to simultaneous release of the commission’s 2014 report on ownership of commercial broadcast stations (http://bit.ly/1mnqjYm) and a one-month extension of QR deadlines (http://bit.ly/1sL3hUN), several public interest group officials said in interviews Friday. Although the statistics, garnered from station Form 323 submissions, are less extensive than public interest groups would like, it will still inform comments on the QR rulemaking, said Andrew Schwartzman, senior counselor at Georgetown Law’s Institute for Public Representation.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is trying to line up votes in favor of E-rate reform for action at the agency’s July 11 open meeting. It’s unclear whether Wheeler will be able to get Republican support for the changes, dedicating $1 billion to Wi-Fi in 2015, industry and agency officials said Tuesday. To that end, Wheeler is emphasizing that his proposal does not increase the E-rate budget, but relies on $2 billion commission staff recently found has been set aside for E-rate but never spent.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is trying to line up votes in favor of E-rate reform for action at the agency’s July 11 open meeting. It’s unclear whether Wheeler will be able to get Republican support for the changes, dedicating $1 billion to Wi-Fi in 2015, industry and agency officials said Tuesday. To that end, Wheeler is emphasizing that his proposal does not increase the E-rate budget, but relies on $2 billion commission staff recently found has been set aside for E-rate but never spent.