By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 11-28-17 The attacks online and in protest signage against FCC chairman Ajit Pai and his family over the Restoring Internet Freedom order circulated last week continued to draw condemnation Tuesday, including a suggestion law enforcement may need to get involved. That included from a longtime colleague, Robert [...]
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 11-21-17 In a sweeping decision, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is proposing to essentially wipe the slate clean of most net-neutrality regulations adopted under the Title II-based 2015 Open Internet Order by the then Tom Wheeler-led FCC. The Restoring Internet Freedom Draft Order circulated earlier today (Nov. 21) [...]
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 10-25-17 FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said he has circulated a media ownership item for a vote at the November meeting that would achieve major broadcast deregulation. It would eliminate the newspaper-broadcast crossownership rules; the radio-TV crossownership rule, eliminate the eight-voices test for duopolies; allow for case-by case [...]
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 10-24-17 The Justice Department has backed the challenge to a college speech policy that allegedly confined that speech to a 616-square-foot "Free Speech Area" and has "unpublished" rules governing speech that students aren't apprised of unless they apply for a permit. That came in a "statement of [...]
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 10-24-17 The FCC has proposed to reduce some more broadcasters paperwork burdens. At its public meeting Tuesday (Oct. 24), the FCC proposed no longer requiring broadcasters who use spectrum for ancillary services like subscription video or data transmission to file annual reports unless they actually earn revenue [...]
By Abigail Hauslohner and Susan Svrluga, washingtonpost.com, 10-20-17 SAN FRANCISCO – When the posters went up a third time, it happened in broad daylight, midmorning on a Thursday. Rabab Abdulhadi saw the move as increasingly bold and deeply unsettling. There was her face, and the names of her students, again plastered all over campus [...]
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 9-26-17 Opponents of the FCC's proposal to roll back the Title II reclassification of internet access providers and rethink the 2015 Open Internet order are preparing for their Sept. 27 Day of Advocacy. The protest is focused on Capitol Hill and is being led by Public Knowledge, [...]
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 9-26-17 The FCC has eliminated the requirement that TV stations and cable operators retain paper copies of the FCC's rules. The item was noncontroversial -- and the vote unanimous -- and newly returned Democratic commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel did not even make a statement, simply saying she supported [...]
Department of Justice press release, 9-26-17 The U.S. Department of Justice on Sept. 26 filed a Statement of Interest in Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski. The lawsuit was filed by students at Georgia Gwinnett College to challenge a school policy that limited student expressive activity to two small “free-speech zones” that totaled 0.0015% of the campus. Additionally, [...]
By Gary Arlen, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 8-3-17 Jessica Rosenworcel and Brendan Carr can take their seats for their allotted terms as FCC commissioners, but Chairman Ajit Pai will have to wait until autumn to find out if he can remain at the FCC past next December. It's all part of the complicated, partisan deal [...]