Media Alliance Says Main Studio Elimination Order Contains Error
The FCC erred in the order eliminating the main studio rule, a mistake that would have to be addressed to grant a partial reconsideration petition from De La Hunt Broadcasting (see 1803130043), the Media Alliance commented in docket 17-106, posted…
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Wednesday. The order eliminating the main studio rule ignores a statutory requirement for stations to serve as a community “transmission service” for “local interests, ideas, and talents” and programs of special interest to a particular community, the alliance said. Though NAB and the FCC said the transmission service requirement hasn’t been valid for decades, the alliance said both entities have acknowledged its continuing validity elsewhere. “The record shows it is sufficiently imbibed by both the FCC and NAB well into the digital era,” the alliance wrote. The FCC needs to deal with the error to address the reconsideration request, and may need to take action even if the recon petition isn't acted on, the group said. “Even if the Reconsideration is denied, there are compelling public interest reasons presented here that may conclude U.S. Code of Laws not being adhered to.”