FCC

Congress to Take Probe of Comcast-NBCU Deal on the Road to Hollywood

Congress is taking the unusual step of putting its probe of the Comcast-NBCU merger on the road with a hearing in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times’ Company Town blog reports. The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing about…

Influential Senator Wants NBC Universal to Divest Itself of Hulu Stake as Part of Comcast/NBCU Deal

Powerful Senator Herb Kohl (D.-Wis.), who serves as the chair of the Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee, wants NBC Universal to divest its stake in online video site Hulu as part of conditions to approve its merger with Comcast,B&C reports. The…

Former Head of FCC’s Common Carrier Bureau, Larry Darby, Dies at 69

[NOTE: UPDATED TO REFLECT DARBY’s CORRECT POSITION AND TITLE] Larry F. Darby, the former head of the Federal Communication Commission’s Common Carrier Bureau, died May 18 at his home in Washington after a heart attack, reports the Washington Post. Darby…

FCC Unlikely to Regulate Retransmission Consent Issues

It’s unlikely the Federal Communications Commission will step in to regulate disputes over retransmission consent issues between cable operators and broadcasters, theLos Angeles Times’ Company Town blog reports. Speaking at the National Cable & Telecommunications Association’s convention on Wednesday, top…

Fox, CBS Rejoin National Association of Broadcasters, Years After Leaving

Fox and CBS have rejoined the National Association of Broadcasters, an achievement for Gordon Smith, the new president of the television industry’s key lobbying group, Joe Flint writes in the Los Angeles Times’ Company Town blog. The decision means that…

Small Cable Companies Vow to Seek Comcast-NBCU Conditions

Small cable operators are vowing to seek major conditions before Comcast and NBC Universal can proceed with their merger, TheWrap.com reports. The American Cable Association (ACA), a trade group for smaller cable systems, is concerned the merger will put them…

FCC Hits the Pause Button on Comcast-NBCU Deal Review

The Federal Communications Commission has suspended its 180-day "shot clock" on its merger review of the Comcast-NBCU deal to give more time for public comment, B&C reports. The decision to delay the process comes after the companies said they wouldn’t…

Coalition of Major Broadcasters Form Joint Venture For National Mobile TV Service

A national service to reach 150 million U.S. residents with mobile TV content that will include "live and on-demand video, local and national news from print and electronic sources, as well as sports and entertainment programming," has been announced. In the story…

Why John Malone, Chairman of DirecTV, Will Leave That Post and Also Cut His Voting Shares in the Company

Media magnate John Malone, who at one time ran the biggest cable company in the U.S., TCI, is leaving his post as chairman of DirecTV, and will reduce his voting shares in the company, Bloomberg’s Business Week reports. According to…

Activists Ask FCC to Hold Public Hearings on Comcast-NBCU Merger

Activist groups, including Free Press, Media Access Project and Consumers Union, in a letter, have asked the Federal Communications Commission to hold public hearings on the proposed Comcast/NBC merger, B&C reports. The FCC has almost never scheduled such hearings, instead relying on…