An FCC order making TV stations post online what’s in their public files is effective 30 days after the agency posts notice in the Federal Register that the Office of Management and Budget approves information gathering requirements, the commission said. Friday’s Federal Register (http://xrl.us/bm68rr) summarized the order that was approved by a 2-1 vote and whose political-file requirements drew a partial dissent from Commissioner Robert McDowell. Petitions for reconsideration are due June 11, as are comments on the paperwork burdens of the rules, and judicial appeals must be filed by July 10, said the Fletcher Heald law firm, which has many broadcast clients (http://xrl.us/bm68rz). The industry is expected to sue the FCC over the order, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (CD May 1 p2).
News Corp. got FCC okay for its Fox Networks Group to represent affiliates of a new Spanish-language network in selling TV ads on the spot market. The Media Bureau issued a permanent waiver to Fox of agency rules barring such arrangements (http://xrl.us/bm68nz), noting the company’s request for the MundoFox network was unopposed (CD March 27 p12). “For the same reasons the Commission granted waivers to existing Spanish-language broadcast networks, and in recognition of the competitive imbalance that could result in the absence of a waiver, the Bureau finds good cause to grant MundoFox-affiliated stations a permanent waiver of the network representation prohibition,” said the order late Thursday signed by bureau Chief Bill Lake. Fox, “delighted” with the order, continues to plan to start the MundoFox network in the fall, a spokesman said.
Commission staff should direct the Universal Service Administrative Company to not zero out the local switching support received by Cricket in South Carolina for the year 2010, Cricket told FCC Wireline Bureau officials Wednesday (http://xrl.us/bm68gp). USAC has “suggested” it might do so under the “identical support” rule because the LECs serving the relevant geographic areas had failed to comply with “true-up” requirements in the commission’s rules, Cricket said, arguing reducing the support to zero would be “inequitable and would punish Cricket for the noncompliance of third parties."
Purple does not contract with Allstate or any other entity to provide Video Relay Services, Purple told the FCC in a letter Thursday (http://xrl.us/bm68fw). A letter from Allstate confused the issues of “VRS” and “VRI,” or “video remote interpreting,” that allows the hard of hearing to communicate using certified interpreters. The Allstate letter did, however, reinforce a recent proposal by consumer groups that VRS users should be able to designate preferred communications assistants in certain circumstances, Purple said.
Some asked the FCC to reconsider part of a recent order on low-power FM and FM translator stations. The Educational Media Foundation (EMF), Conner Media and a group of religious broadcasters separately asked in docket 99-25 the commission to reconsider limits on the number of FM translator applications allowed per market. “The FCC’s stated basis for the one-to-a-market limitation was that parties rarely need multiple translators serving substantially the same area,” said Conner Media (http://xrl.us/bm64jw). But multiple translators within one market don’t necessarily serve the same areas, it said. In certain markets, “a single translator could not possibly suffice,” Connor said. The rule goes further than necessary to prevent parties from trafficking in translator authorizations, said Hope Christian Church of Marlton, translator operator Bridgelight and Calvary Chapel of the Finger Lakes in a jointly-filed petition (http://xrl.us/bm64ka). It proposed criteria for granting waivers from the rule under certain limited conditions. EMF also said it had problems with the limits (http://xrl.us/bm64kr). In setting up the market cap, the commission never defined what constitutes a market, EMF said. “Such failure to define such key terms is classic arbitrary and capricious agency action in its own right.” Separately, in the same docket, the Leadership Council on Civil Rights asked the FCC to give local nonprofit groups and coalitions of nonprofits enough time to learn about LPFM application rules and prepare applications (http://xrl.us/bm64mm). “A successful low power radio application will require the collaboration of multiple local organizations,” it said. “These are critical collaborations that require time to negotiate ... No organization is likely to put significant resources behind this project unless it knows a frequency is available in its community."
Defunding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would be one of the easier decisions to make concerning significant spending cuts, Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., said in a draft letter to leaders of the House Appropriations Committee. Funding for CPB has exploded, he said. Between 2001 and 2012, CPB’s appropriated funding “increased by nearly 31 percent, from $340 million to $444.1 million,” he said. “No one is advocating that CPB stop operating, just that it stand on its own two feet when it comes to funding.” A finalized letter is expected to be available publicly by Monday, Lamborn’s office said. He “may propose an amendment “as bills come forward on the floor for a vote,” a spokeswoman said. Letters from Lamborn and Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., come just a month before the CPB delivers a report to Congress June 20 “outlining how it could operate without federal funding,” Free Press said. Cutting off funding “could force some stations to accept ads and abandon their noncommercial mission” in light of an appeals court decision that could open the door for political advertising on such stations, it said. DeMint’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Mediacom Communications subsidiaries Mediacom Broadband and Mediacom LLC each lost about 5,000 video customers during Q1, a 44 percent improvement from a year earlier. They added 36,000 broadband customers, more than double the amount added a year earlier. And they added 15,000 phone customers, up from just 1,000 net phone additions in the year earlier period. Total sales at the two subsidiaries increased 2 percent from a year earlier to $389.8 million.
Some companies with the largest dependence on the USF are likely to see revenue decline as a result of the FCC’s USF Order, said a Standard & Poor’s report released Thursday. However, the order might not have an immediate impact on the credit profile of any of the rated companies, it said. In the long run, smaller companies might not be able to make the financial commitment to expand broadband, it said. As a result, some state regulatory commissions might opt to expand their state USF programs and/or reallocate existing funds to help smaller, capital-constrained companies, it said. The FCC’s order may also prompt the adoption of state USFs where none currently exists, it said. The adoption of the cost model needed for the development of long-term broadband support is likely to be delayed, it said. It noted the FCC acknowledged that the process of implementing the model could take a year or more. The agency said the model is expected to be adopted by the end of the year.
Time Warner Cable said it will introduce two regional sports networks this fall in southern California -- Time Warner Cable SportsNet and Time Warner Cable Deportes. The networks will carry games from the Los Angeles Lakers, Galaxy and Sparks. “We are building [the networks] from the ground up to be the new homes for Southern California sports fans,” said David Rone, president of TWC Sports. The networks are set to debut Oct. 1, the company said.
Q1 sales at AMC Networks, formerly the Rainbow Media division of Cablevision, gained 20 percent from a year earlier to $326 million, the company said Thursday. Much of the increase was due to a 30 percent gain in ad sales at its pay-TV networks. Affiliate revenue for its networks increased 15 percent, mainly on higher rates, AMC said. The company’s profit increased 44 percent to $43.2 million. The company said it believes that Dish Network’s plan to stop carrying its networks later this year (CD May 8 p4) “is directly related to the ongoing litigation between DISH Network and VOOM HD.” AMC said the financial affect of that move on AMC will “depend on several factors, including the length of time our networks are not carried on DISH Network’s platform, and may be material to our financial results."