FCC

FCC Commissioner Clarifies Comments for a Congressman and Says the Fairness Doctrine Should NOT Be Reinstated

Federal Communications Commissioner Michael Copps told Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) that the agency shouldn’t reinstate the Fairness Doctrine, reports B&C’s John Eggerton. Barton had asked Copps to clarify some comments the chairman had made at Columbia University, when he talked…

Super Bowl Ultimately Going to Pay-TV? That Could Happen, Warns the President of the National Association of Broadcasters

National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) President Gordon Smith warned that the Federal Communications Commission’s move to issue a broad notice of proposed rulemaking on retransmission consent could ultimately push the Super Bowl away from free TV, reports B&C. According to…

Writers Guild Locked in Dispute with Comcast Over Organizing Efforts on Shows Including ‘Chelsea Lately’

The Writers Guild of America, West is locked in a dispute with Comcast over its efforts to organize more than two dozen writers who work on shows that air on Comcast-owned networks,reports the Los Angeles Times’ Company Town blog. The…

Report: FCC to Issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking About Retransmission Consent

The Federal Communications Commission is about is issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking about retransmission consent, John Eggerton at B&C reports. Given the contentious retrans battles this year between distributors and programmers, this rulemaking procedure surprises no one. More directly,…

Powerful L.A. Congressman Pushes FCC for Vote on Comcast-NBCU Merger by Year-End, Asks for Conditions

A powerful congressman representing part of Los Angeles is asking the Federal Communications Commission to vote on the Comcast-NBCU merger by year-end, albeit with several conditions, reports TheWrap.com. Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman is asking for assurances that smaller cable and satellite companies have…

The New York Times Says Under What Conditions the Government Should Approve the Comcast-NBC Universal Deal

The New York Times, in an editorial, called on the government to impose certain conditions if it is to approve Comcast’s takeover of NBC Universal, writes John Eggerton in Multichannel News. According to Multichannel, the Times’ editorial, published today, Monday,…

FCC Commissioner Laments the State of TV News, Partially Blames Government

Federal Communications Commissioner Michael Copps is lamenting the state of television news, which he says is "in its hour of grave peril," Joe Flint reports in the Los Angeles Times Company Town blog. Copps charges that the media is falling…

Comcast Open To FCC Help in Level 3 Brouhaha; Dispute Centers Around Internet Interconnection Fees

"Comcast is willing to have the Federal Communications Commission oversee negotiations with Level 3 Communications to resolve their dispute over Internet interconnection fees, the cable operator said in a letter to the agency Tuesday," reports Multichannel News. As the article…

FCC Postpones Net Neutrality Vote

The Federal Communications Commission has postponed its net neutralilty vote by almost three weeks, "prompting speculation the agency is getting its ducks in a row for a vote on the politically polarized issue," reports InformationWeek. THe vote, originally set for…

President and CEO of NCTA Stepping Down

Tjhe president and CEO of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association announced today that he will be stepping down from his post, Multichannel News reports. Kyle McSlarrow, 50, who has served atop NCTA since March 2005, hopes to find a…