NBCUniversal may face an arbitration request from an upstart online video distributor (OVD). It could seek a programming deal with the company under terms of an FCC order approving Comcast’s purchase of control in NBCU that gives OVDs the rights to buy some content accords if they strike distribution deals with other programmers. Project Concord Inc.’s request may be the first such instance of an OVD intending to seek arbitration to get access to shows from Comcast’s cable channels or the NBC broadcast-TV network to distribute them online, consumer advocates who opposed the NBCUniversal deal told us. The OVD’s request was made public in an FCC filing last week. It asked the agency not to pause issuance of a protective order to keep programming contracts confidential while it reviews Comcast’s request to change a condition in the 2011 order (CD Feb 22 p4).
NBCUniversal may face an arbitration request from an upstart online video distributor (OVD). It could seek a programming deal with the company under terms of an FCC order approving Comcast’s purchase of control in NBCU that gives OVDs the rights to some content accords if they strike distribution deals with other programmers. Project Concord Inc.’s request may be the first such instance of an OVD intending to seek arbitration to get access to shows from Comcast’s cable channels or the NBC broadcast network to distribute them online, consumer advocates who opposed the NBCUniversal deal told us. The OVD’s request was made public in an FCC filing last week. It asked the agency not to pause issuance of a protective order to keep programming contracts confidential while it reviews Comcast’s request to change a condition in the 2011 order (WID Feb 22 p2).
Dish Network lacks the legal standing to force the FCC to pull back encoding rules for set-top boxes adopted in 2003 as part of plug-and-play device implementation, the FCC and Justice Department said in a filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The Dish appeal, filed in 2004, was paused as the agency considered DirecTV’s petition for reconsideration of the plug-and-play order, which the commission denied in 2010. Dish argued in its brief last month that the agency’s application of plug-and-play rules to all multichannel video programming distributors, rather than just cable, goes beyond the congressional intent.
Dish Network lacks the legal standing to force the FCC to pull back encoding rules for set-top boxes adopted in 2003 as part of plug-and-play device implementation, the FCC and Justice Department said in a filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The Dish appeal, filed in 2004, was paused as the agency considered DirecTV’s petition for reconsideration of the plug-and-play order, which the commission denied in 2010. Dish argued in its brief last month that the agency’s application of plug-and-play rules to all multichannel video programming distributors, rather than just cable, goes beyond the congressional intent.
Work by career FCC lawyers is picking up steam on making all TV stations post almost all of their public inspection files online, agency and industry officials told us. They said staffers in the Media Bureau are intensifying work toward a final order to require the files now kept on paper in TV stations’ main studios to be given electronically to the FCC to put on its website. Commissioner Robert McDowell Friday slammed the agency for moving toward a fix to a problem that appears to be “non-existent,” by imposing unnecessary burdens on industry. Broadcasters, meanwhile, continued to oppose a notice of inquiry in another proceeding that would make them file quarterly standardized forms about the types of local programming they air.
Rent-a-Center is slowing expansion of its RAC Acceptance rent-to-own kiosks, slashing the number of planned 2012 openings to 200 from the 445 that were added last year despite expected increased revenue from the format, company officials said in a conference call.
Tribune may make changes to media ownership waiver requests the bankrupt broadcaster and newspaper owner has sought from the FCC to exit Chapter 11, the company said. Changes would reflect developments in the proceeding in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, representatives of Tribune and some major creditors told Media Bureau staff. The court plans a confirmation hearing May 16-17 on a revised reorganization plan, an ex parte filing from a Tribune lawyer said. “Certain pro forma applications would be filed by Tribune as part of the emergence from bankruptcy to accomplish intra-company reorganizations,” and those requests will “be coordinated with the Exit Applications” for the commission, Thursday’s filing said (http://xrl.us/bmpy3o). Posted in docket 10-104, it reported on a meeting that also included former FCC Chairman Richard Wiley, representing JPMorgan Chase, and an attorney for Angelo, Gordon & Co. and Oaktree Tribune. The bureau’s review of Tribune’s reorganization has been slowed by changes to the deal, and the commission’s merger review clock (http://xrl.us/bmf3e6) is paused (CD Oct 14 p).
SanDisk halted expansion of its Fab 5 NAND flash memory plant due to weak customer demand and “accelerated price declines” in Q4, CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said on a conference call. The 24-nanometer Fab 5 plant in Yokkaichi, Japan, which started production in Q3 and added about 10 percent to SanDisk’s manufacturing capacity, will restart expansion no sooner than July, having originally targeted May, said Chief Financial Officer Judy Bruner.
U.S. lawmakers “have done the right thing” by pausing to find a better digital piracy solution than the Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP Act, said EC Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes Tuesday at an intellectual property forum at the European Parliament. Many in Europe’s creative sector are also worried about the issue of illegal content, but there shouldn’t be “disproportionate and highly intrusive measures with the potential to disrupt legitimate online activities,” she said. Europe’s creative sector needs boosting to create a digital single market, she said. People are now willing to pay for better digital offers and there’s huge growth and diversity, she said. Consumers expect services that are open, on-demand, interactive and targeted, she said. Content is no longer just about digitizing “old media” such as music and film but about new kinds of media, she said. There’s also growth in the way the sector can make money from content, she said. All this growth and diversity in consumer demand, creative works and business models has brought convergence, she said. Tasks and tools for accessing content “have found a natural home” on the Internet and digital devices, she said. Cloud computing is helping this transition and Kroes said that before summer she'll present a European strategy to assesses possible obstacles to the cloud. The next technological step in the audiovisual arena will be TVs connected to the Internet, she said. Within 2-3 years, 90 percent of TVs sold in Europe will be connectable, she said. If consumers make the switch, it will be good for them, device makers, broadband providers and content suppliers, she said. Kroes promised a discussion paper on connected TV this year that will look at things including how to preserve the integrity of broadcast signals and how traditional rules for advertising and child protection will work.
U.S. lawmakers “have done the right thing” by pausing to find a better digital piracy solution than the Stop Online Piracy Act and PIPA Act, said EC Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes Tuesday at an intellectual property forum at the European Parliament. Many in Europe’s creative sector are also worried about the issue of illegal content, but there shouldn’t be “disproportionate and highly intrusive measures with the potential to disrupt legitimate online activities,” she said. Europe’s creative sector needs boosting to create a digital single market, she said. People are now willing to pay for better digital offers and there’s huge growth and diversity, she said. Consumers expect services that are open, on-demand, interactive and targeted, she said. Content is no longer just about digitizing “old media” such as music and film but about new kinds of media, she said. There’s also growth in the way the sector can make money from content, she said. All this growth and diversity in consumer demand, creative works and business models has brought convergence, she said. Tasks and tools for accessing content “have found a natural home” on the Internet and digital devices, she said. Cloud computing is helping this transition and Kroes said that before summer she'll present a European strategy to assesses possible obstacles to the cloud. The next technological step in the audiovisual arena will be TVs connected to the Internet, she said. Within 2-3 years, 90 percent of TVs sold in Europe will be connectable, she said. If consumers make the switch, it will be good for them, device makers, broadband providers and content suppliers, she said. Kroes promised a discussion paper on connected TV this year that will look at things including how to preserve the integrity of broadcast signals and how traditional rules for advertising and child protection will work.