By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 4-17-20 As expected, broadcasters and newspaper publishers have petitioned the Supreme Court to review the Third Circuit Court of Appeals decision vacating most of the FCC's effort under chairman Ajit Pai to deregulate broadcast ownership, including by eliminating the newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rules. Echoing the FCC's petition for Supreme [...]
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 4-16-20 The Committee to Protect Journalists said President Trump's attacks on press credibility have been "dangerously effective," even as the pandemic kills tens of thousands of Americans. It has issued a report on Trump (penned by former Washington Post executive editor Len Downie) and the media and has [...]
Participated in an amicus brief (with the Reporters Committee and other amici) filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Soderberg v. Carrion. This case concerns the Maryland Code of Criminal Procedure’s “Broadcast Ban,” which prohibits recording or broadcasting proceedings in a trial court or before a grand jury. The plaintiffs [...]
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 4-13-20 The FCC is seeking comment on how it should square its approach to preventing Universal Service Fund money from going to carriers that use Huawei and ZTE technology with Congress' mandate to do the same thing. The Wireline Competition Bureau Monday (April 13) sought comment on the [...]
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 4-13-20 Broadcasters are giving new meaning to the phrase "dynamic spectrum access" in arguing that an FCC proposal to free up WiFi spectrum in the 6 GHz band could take away electronic newsgathering spectrum just when a pandemic-sequestered nation needs it most. That came in phone calls last [...]
Participated in an amicus brief (with the Reporters Committee and other amici) filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in CNN v. FBI. The case stems from CNN’s FOIA request to the FBI for the Comey memos. It concerns access to a sealed declaration the FBI submitted in the [...]
Participated in an amicus brief (with the Reporters Committee and other amici) filed with the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division in Gottwald v. Sebert. The case involves a defamation lawsuit brought by music producer Dr. Luke against artist Kesha over statements made by Kesha and others in her employ about Kesha’s allegations that [...]
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 4-9-20 Republican FCC commissioner Michael O'Rielly has asked President Trump to lean on the Department of Defense to free up spectrum for 5G. That came in an April 8 letter to Trump from O'Rielly, who is a fan of the President. O'Rielly praised the President's "extraordinary leadership" on [...]
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 4-9-20 The FCC is encouraging TV stations to keep the faith, literally, during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The commission is allowing those stations to preempt educational and informational children's programming for religious programming without having to reschedule it, but only over the next three weeks. FCC chair Ajit [...]
Participated in an amicus brief (with the Reporters Committee and other amici) filed with the Supreme Court of Ohio in Welsh-Huggins v. Office of the Prosecuting Attorney. This case concerns a request by an AP reporter for surveillance camera footage of a shooting targeting a judge outside an Ohio courthouse. A special master of [...]