FCC Reauthorization

The committee heard testimony on the Federal Communications Commission, which is scheduled to be reauthorized by Congress this year. The FCC is a regulatory agency for all public communications media, including television, radio, and wireless technologies, and regulates some aspects of content in media as well as the medium itself. Witnesses testified on the role of the FCC in regulating all aspects of communications media, including the regulation of advertising in children’s programming, “900” numbers, and network syndication rights. The previous day, the FCC had voted 3-2 to amend their rule prohibiting television networks from selling syndication rights to network broadcast shows. The rule as amended allows networks to acquire resale rights on up to 40 percent of their prime-time programming, and royalties on the rest of the network’s broadcast shows. Committee members questioned witnesses from the FCC intensely on the FCC’s vote in changing the so-called “fin-syn” rule, which still prohibits networks from distributing shows for syndication only. close