January 20, 2012 On January 12, 2012, the FCC opened a proceeding requesting comment on whether it should eliminate the sports blackout rules for cable and satellite television providers. The FCC opened the proceeding in response to a petition filed last November by industry and consumer groups.
January 20, 2012 Cable operators must file with the U.S. Copyright Office their Statement of Account (Form SA1-2 or SA3) and pay any royalty fees due for the July 2011 – December 2011 accounting period by March 1, 2012.
January 20, 2012 The FCC’s CPNI rules require that an officer of an interconnected VoIP provider file an annual certificate with the FCC stating that the officer has personal knowledge that the provider has established operating procedures adequate to ensure compliance with the FCC’s CPNI rules.
Barbara Esbin Named Managing Partner, Cinnamon Mueller DC Office
January 20, 2012 CHICAGO, January 9, 2012 — Barbara S. Esbin has been named a partner of the Cinnamon Mueller law firm (CM), assuming the role of managing partner of the firm’s growing Washington, D.C. office. Esbin joined the firm in 2010, after an extended tenure as a senior Federal Communications Commission attorney, and following influential work as a Senior Fellow and Director at the Progress & Freedom Foundation (PFF).
Electronic Filing for Cable Special Relief and Cable Show Cause Petitions Now Mandatory
January 6, 2012 The Media Bureau recently announced that, effective January 3, 2012, the FCC will no longer accept new Cable Special Relief and Cable Show Cause petitions filed on paper. These petitions must now be submitted electronically through the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System, http://www.fcc.gov/ecfs, in MB Docket No. 12-1.
January 6, 2012 With Presidential primary election season beginning, cable operators have begun to receive requests from candidates for advertising time. Federal law and FCC regulations govern the rates and terms for candidate advertising.