Latest in FCC

ViacomCBS and its Pluto TV have agreed to pay a $3.5 million fine to settle violations of rules requiring closed captioning on the streaming service’s video programming. Pluto TV also agreed to enter into a compliance plan to ensure that its video programming includes closed captioning, the FCC said. The FCC said that…

The FCC Wednesday announced fines totaling $9 million on 17 stations – or eight licensees – affiliated with Sinclair Broadcast Group for not negotiating retransmission consent agreement with AT&T in good faith. The so-called Forfeiture Order imposed a per-station penalty of $512,228 against each defendant "for…

SECOND UPDATE, 2:34 PM PT: The Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission will review merger guidelines in the wake of President Joe Biden’s executive order, promising “a hard look to determine whether they are overly permissive,” in the words of a joint statement. That has obvious potential implications for…

The FCC voted to require that stations disclose when foreign governments lease time on their airwaves, amid concerns that viewers are unaware when other countries are exerting their influence on U.S. media. The rule, passed in a 4-0 vote, also will require that stations alert viewers when the airtime has been…

The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the FCC was within its legal authority to relax a series of media ownership rules in 2017, when Republicans still held the majority on the commission. In a unanimous opinion written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh (read it here), the justices held that the FCC “made a reasonable…

Jessica Rosenworcel will serve as the acting chairwoman of the FCC, filling the slot after the departure of Ajit Pai this week. "I am honored to be designated as the Acting Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission by President Biden,” Rosenworcel said in a statement Thursday. “I thank the president for the…

The Supreme Court on Tuesday waded into a two-decade long debate over the extent to which the FCC can relax media ownership rules. At stake are recent FCC moves toward deregulation, allowing the common ownership of a newspaper and broadcast stations in the same market, as well as giving more leeway for media companies…

The FCC denied Fox Corp.’s request for permanent waiver to allow it to own WWOR-TV and the New York Post, as the U.S. Supreme Court is set to review rules that restrict common ownership of a newspaper and TV station in the same market. Instead, Fox Corp. was granted a temporary waiver, as it has been three other…

The Senate confirmed Nathan Simington to the FCC on Tuesday, assuring that Republicans will have two seats on the commission to match those of Democrats when Joe Biden takes office. Simington was confirmed in a 49-46 vote. Ajit Pai, who has been chairman of the agency during the Trump administration, said last week he…

President Donald Trump’s nomination of Nathan Simington to fill a slot on the FCC cleared the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday. If Simington is approved by the full Senate, Republicans and Democrats each would have two seats on the FCC, setting up a deadlock in the early days of Joe Biden’s administration…

FCC chairman Ajit Pai said Monday that he plans to depart the agency on January 20, which will create an opening to allow the incoming Joe Biden administration to form a Democratic majority on the commission. Pai, a Republican, has been on the commission since 2012, and has been chairman through the Trump…

With the White House set to shift parties in January, powerful regulatory agencies the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission face sweeping issues with big implications for tech and entertainment, from antitrust and privacy to net neutrality, legal immunity for Internet platforms and…