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FCC Green-Lights Merger of Viacom & CBS
Barry Willis  |  May 07, 2000

The <A HREF="http://www.fcc.gov/">Federal Communications Commission</A> has approved the merger of media conglomerate <A HREF="http://www.viacom.com/">Viacom Inc.</A> and <A HREF="http://www.cbs.com/">CBS Corporation</A>, one of the "Big Three" television networks. Viacom will acquire CBS in a stock swap; the resulting entity will have one year to unload enough stations to bring it into compliance with regulations limiting its share of the television viewing audience to 35% of the total market. Stations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas&ndash;Ft. Worth, Baltimore, and Sacramento may be sold to comply with the restriction. The approval was granted Tuesday, May 2.

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Audio Video News
FCC Head Pushes DTV
Barry Willis  |  Apr 07, 2002

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Michael Powell has asked major networks to boost their digital programming to at least 50% of their prime-time schedules for next season. He asked broadcasters in major markets to make sure they can transmit digitally by next January without degrading their analog signals. He also asked electronics manufacturers to include digital tuners in coming generations of television sets&mdash;in 36" or larger sets by 2005, in 25" or larger sets by 2006, and in 13" or larger sets by 2007. Tuner requirements have been contested by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), which claims that it does not want TV design to be "dictated by Washington."

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Audio Video News
FCC Leans on Broadcasters
Barry Willis  |  May 19, 2002

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may stop making suggestions and start meting out punishment to broadcasters who fail to make adequate progress in changing over to digital technology, according to reports from Washington.

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Audio Video News
FCC Liberates Apartment Dwellers
Mark Fleischmann  |  Oct 29, 2007
Apartment tenants and owners are about to get new video-delivery options, thanks to the Federal Communications Commission.
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Audio Video News
FCC Lifts TV Ownership Cap
Barry Willis  |  Aug 08, 1999

A "land rush" of "big-ticket deals" is about to sweep through the TV broadcasting industry in the wake of a <A HREF="http://www.fcc.gov/">Federal Communications Commission</A> decision on August 5 to lift the limit on station ownership by any one broadcaster. Commissioners voted 4-1 for the change. Feeling the heat from satellite services and cable systems, broadcasters have been applying heavy pressure on the FCC to change the rules, established in the 1930s, that limit station ownership to one per company in any single geographic area. The rules were originally intended to ensure diversity of programming and editorial content.

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Audio Video News
FCC Likes A La Carte
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Feb 10, 2006
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) - soon to be known as the Fickle Communications Commission by television programming providers - has had second thoughts about whether or not it's a good thing for you to be able to pick and choose among the TV channels you subscribe to.
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Audio Video News
FCC Looks for Life After CableCARD
Mark Fleischmann  |  Dec 08, 2009
In a rare admission of "limited success," i.e. failure, the Federal Communications Commission has issued a request for suggestions on how to implement digital cable readiness in the wake of the CableCARD's less than full penetration of the markets for DTVs and cable service.
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Audio Video News
FCC Mandates Copyright Protection in Next Wave of Video Equipment
Barry Willis  |  Sep 17, 2000

Video hobbyists tend to be pro-choice when it comes to deciding what they can and cannot record. Their choices may soon be limited by a September 14 ruling by the <A HREF="http://www.fcc.gov?">Federal Communications Commission</A> requiring that the next generation of video equipment be copyright-compliant.

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Audio Video News
FCC Maps DTV Losers
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jun 09, 2009
Reception-wise, the transition to digital television will create winners and losers. Some areas will get stronger signals, while others will get weaker ones. And the latter will be subject to the "cliff effect"--the picture doesn't degrade, it shuts down altogether. On Friday the Federal Communications Commission updated its lists of projected losers.
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Audio Video News
FCC May Loosen Station Ownership Rules
Barry Willis  |  Jul 25, 1999

Television broadcasters could soon legally own and operate multiple stations within one market, under regulations being considered by the <A HREF="http://www.fcc.gov/">Federal Communications Commission</A>. At present, FCC rules allow only one station per owner per market (a market being defined as a geographical area within transmitter range). The proposed changes were submitted for review by the FCC's Mass Media Bureau to the commissioners on Monday, July 19.

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Audio Video News
FCC Mediating Cable Copy Issues
Barry Willis  |  Apr 23, 2000

The <A HREF="http://www.fcc.gov/">Federal Communications Commission</A> has begun looking into problems presented by the proliferation of digital cable systems, problems that could offer pirates the opportunity to make an infinite number of perfect copies of high-definition movies from transmissions over pay-per-view channels like Showtime and Home Box Office. The lack of a reliable copyright-protection technology is hindering the rollout of high-definition television.

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Audio Video News
FCC Nixes DBS Merger
Barry Willis  |  Oct 13, 2002

Rupert Murdoch may get another shot at DirecTV. On October 9, the News Corp. CEO won a second chance to acquire the direct broadcast satellite operation from General Motors' Hughes Electronics division when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) declined to approve a proposed $13 billion acquisition of DirecTV by Littleton, CO&ndash;based EchoStar Communications.

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FCC OKs News Corp/DirecTV Deal
Barry Willis  |  Dec 20, 2003  |  First Published: Dec 21, 2003

News Corporation is about to become the biggest player on the television playing field, thanks to a December 19 approval by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of its proposed $6.6 billion acquisition of satellite broadcaster DirecTV. The deal would give News Corp. a 34% controlling interest in DirecTV parent company Hughes Electronics. DirecTV has more than 11 million subscribers.

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Audio Video News
FCC OKs Satellite Services
 |  Apr 21, 2002

New broadband offerings, including high-speed Internet access and video-on-demand, may be coming soon, thanks to an April 18 decision by the <A HREF="http://www.fcc.gov">Federal Communications Commission</A> (FCC).

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Audio Video News
FCC Plan to Bring Fast Internet to Rural America
SV Staff  |  Feb 04, 2020
Last week the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced a $20 billion, 10-year plan to bring gigabit-speed broadband networks to unserved rural areas of America.
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