The FCC cleared the way for oral argument on a video franchise or...
The FCC cleared the way for oral argument on a video franchise order to be heard shortly after Nov. 1, when all documents in Alliance for Community Media v. FCC are due to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
Appeals in Cincinnati. The commission, NCTA, USTelecom and other parties likely to file in the case said they won’t oppose municipalities’ request to put oral arguments on a fast track, according to court papers and a lawyer involved in the case. The 6th Circuit hasn’t decided on that. Municipal groups claim a March 5 FCC order streamlining video franchising usurped city and county oversight over Bell and other pay-TV providers. The FCC and carriers claim Communications Act authority for the FCC move. The sides expect the court to hear oral arguments because the case raises questions of federal versus local oversight (CD April 9 p3). The next deadline is Sept. 17, when respondents’ briefs are due from the FCC after a delay of about a month that the agency got. USTelecom and members including AT&T and Verizon likely will file briefs supporting the FCC, said Alan Fishel, attorney for the Alliance. Final briefs are due Nov. 1, and his client wants arguments to occur as soon as possible after that, he said. The alliance wants speedy oral arguments due to the FCC order’s potentially wide impact. “The breadth and scope of this order is staggering,” said an Aug. 13 court filing by the group. “The order preempts local laws and practices throughout the country.”