Correction: KGCW-TV’s city of license is Burlington, Iowa (CD March 30 p14).
The FCC found that it had explicit authority to adopt encoding rules and that they will assure the commercial availability of MVPD navigation devices, the commission said in response to a petition to review its provision regarding commercial availability of navigation devices. Dish Network filed the petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The encoding rules were an “essential component of an agreement that was designed to jump-start the retail market for digital cable equipment,” the FCC said. Congress didn’t limit the FCC to regulating the design, manufacture or marketing “of navigation devices in order to carry out the Commission’s responsibility to assure the commercial availability of those devices."
Paperwork burdens imposed by changes to the FCC Lifeline order will outweigh the benefits claimed by the FCC, Smith Bagley Inc. said in comments to the Office of Management and Budget (http://xrl.us/bmzxfj). SBI, which operates wireless networks covering approximately 70,000 Lifeline customers in tribal lands, takes issue with rules requiring the 90-day re-certification of temporary addresses, the self-funding of biennial audits and inclusion of fine-print regulatory disclosures in all marketing materials. “The FCC has failed to adequately and accurately calculate the expected burdens of these requirements, and has failed to show how these requirements are not redundant or excessive in light of other program protections in place,” SBI said Thursday.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) signed HB 291, which bans inexperienced drivers from using cellphones while driving. The law bans anyone driving a vehicle under an instruction permit or a probationary license from using wireless devices. First-time violators face a fine of $20 to $40. Repeat offenders face fines ranging from $50 to $100. The state Assembly passed the bill unanimously in February. The state Senate concurred in early March.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court’s ruling that dismissed a would-be class-action lawsuit brought by pay-TV consumers against programmers and distributors over their carriage practices. The lower court dismissed the suit that had claimed the programmers’ practice of selling packages of cable programming violated the Sherman Act. “Tying arrangements, without more, do not necessarily threaten an injury to competition,” the court said. “Plaintiffs must also allege facts showing that an injury to competition flows from these tying arrangements. We conclude that such allegations are not present in the complaint."
Qwest provided its annual filing of pole attachment cost data Friday, according to a CenturyLink ex parte (http://xrl.us/bmzxeg). The report provided pole and conduit rental calculation information for all states in Qwest’s territory.
The Council for Research Excellence (CRE) is soliciting proposals for a study looking at how mobile media devices such as tablets, phones and laptops affect TV viewing behavior. “It is incumbent on the media industry to understand the trends and prepare for the future with respect to content development advertising and measurement,” said Joanne Burns, executive vice president of 20th Television/Fox and chair of CRE’s media consumption and engagement committee. The request for proposals are at http://xrl.us/bmzxdw.
Applications are available for Washington state’s local technology planning team grant program, the state’s Department of Commerce said. The grants, designed to aid rural broadband deployment and adoption, range from $50,000 to $100,000 and require a local match. The department expects to get dozens of applications, many from communities that have started work on broadband issues, the agency said. The application deadline is May 13 and awards will be announced in June.
The Universal Service Administrative Co. disbursed $4.03 billion last year for the USF high-cost program, $2.23 billion for E-rate, $1.75 billion for the low-income program and $81.5 million for the rural health care program, said its annual report submitted last week to the FCC and Congress (http://xrl.us/bmzxdu). “USAC’s program knowledge generated new and improved processes that ultimately saved time and money for USAC and applicants while promoting program integrity,” the report said, pointing to its new payment quality assurance program that homes in on potential improper payments. The beneficiary and contributor audit program lets USAC tailor audit approaches to “both the distinctive features of an auditee’s organization and the specific amounts of money being audited,” the report said.
KMVT-TV Twin Falls, Idaho asked the FCC for a waiver of the significantly-viewed exception to network non-duplication and syndicated exclusivity rules for Fisher Communications’ KIDK-TV Idaho Falls. The company wants to exercise its exclusivity rights in the towns of Carey, Bellevue, Hailey, Ketchum, Paul, Heyburn, Rupert, Murtaugh, Oakley, Burley, Malta, Delco and Albion, it said. KIDK’s signal is no longer significantly viewed in those communities, the Neuhoff Family Limited Partnership said (http://xrl.us/bmzu4x). Both stations are CBS affiliates.