Dubious Grounds For The FCC’s Restriction Of Section 230
FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly saw his nomination withdrawn by President Trump for having the temerity to question whether the FCC has the authority to adopt rules to limit the scope of Section 230 of the Communications Act. All clear legal signs point to the fact that it doesn’t.
Local Choice Is Poor Choice (One More Time)
The MVPDs are pushing the Local Choice alternative to retransmission consent in the pending STELAR home satellite renewal legislation as it did in 2014. So, TVNewsCheck is posting broadcast attorney Jack Goodman’s 1,564-word argument against the proposal as it did in 2014.
FCC Kidvid Rule: What’s Your Function?
Jack Goodman says that after 20 years, it’s time to reconsider the FCC guideline effectively requiring TV stations to air three hours of educational and informational children programming each week. If it cannot be demonstrated that such programming is effective, the intrusion on broadcasters’ First Amendment rights cannot be justified.
Five Rule Changes The FCC Should Consider
Communications attorney Jack Goodman says now that the FCC is focused on deregulation, his wish list includes changes to ownership reports, must carry/retransmission consent elections, children’s programming reports, ancillary services reports and the local public notice rule.
FCC Duplex Plan Bad News For Broadcasters
The promise of the incentive auction was that volunteering broadcasters would be paid for the value of their spectrum. The duplex gap plan seems designed instead artificially to reduce the prices the FCC may have to pay in crowded and border markets. If the FCC is going to be the honest broker it claims to be in the upcoming auction, it should not be placing its finger on the scale.
Local Choice Retrans: Look Before You Leap
Sens. Rockefeller and Thune’s “Local Choice” retrans reform proposal allowing the à la carte sale of channels to cable and MVPD customers would affect consumers, broadcasters, MVPDs and cable program suppliers and policy makers. Here’s how.
Exclusives
King’s Take On Political Files Goes Astray
Washington communications attorney Jack Goodman: In her commentary arguing for broadcasters to put their political advertising files online, UNC J-School Dean and former broadcaster Susan King takes several wrong turns. For one thing, it’s never been the FCC’s job to figure out who’s paying for political ads.
What Stations Must Know About Political Ads
Washington communications attorney Jack Goodman answers common questions about stations’ responsibilities regarding political campaign commercial rates, bonus spots, forms of payment and more.
Watch Out for Fixed-Spot Package Buys
FCC staff has expressed growing concern about station sales practices that provide benefits that effectively are only available to long-term commercial advertisers, pointing out that political candidates are supposed to be placed on an equal footing with a station’s most-favored advertiser.
