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Ted Hearn
Cablevision Hires Top Martin Aide
Submitted by Benton Foundation on August 29, 2008 - 8:56amLast updated: August 29, 2008 - 8:56am
Cablevision announced Thursday that Catherine Bohigian, a top aide to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin, is joining the company as its top Washington, DC lobbyist. Bohigian, currently chief of the FCC's Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis, was a senior advisor and legal advisor to Martin when he was a regular FCC member from 2001 to 2005.
Cable Shuns NAB's 'Quiet Period' Plan
Submitted by Benton Foundation on August 17, 2008 - 7:12pmLast updated: August 18, 2008 - 8:05am
The cable industry thinks broadcasters' so-called quiet period is a lot of noise, mainly because it wouldn't give cable systems the right to restore carriage of TV stations that were withholding their signals as February arrived.
Time Warner Fears Cable Indecency Rules
Submitted by Benton Foundation on August 14, 2008 - 8:18amLast updated: August 14, 2008 - 8:18am
Time Warner is concerned that banning fleeting indecency on broadcast TV could be used to justify regulating cable television programming for indecency for the first time. The company, a major owner of cable TV systems and programming networks, stated in an Aug.
Small Operators See Relief
Submitted by Benton Foundation on August 10, 2008 - 9:27pmLast updated: August 10, 2008 - 9:27pm
Small cable operators could be just days away from scoring a major political victory at the Federal Communications Commission concerning the carriage of local TV stations' digital signals. With FCC Chairman Kevin Martin's support, the agency appears close to exempting a whole class of small MSOs from burdensome must-carry rules after broadcasters go all-digital on Feb.
FCC's Martin To Support Quiet Period
Submitted by Benton Foundation on August 10, 2008 - 9:26pmLast updated: August 10, 2008 - 9:26pm
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin has agreed in principle to bar TV stations from pulling their signals from cable systems around the time of the Feb. 17, 2009, transition to digital television.
Martin Sets August Agenda for FCC
Submitted by Benton Foundation on August 4, 2008 - 7:26pmLast updated: August 5, 2008 - 7:29am
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin wants the agency to adopt rules on August 22 that would exempt small cable operators from certain obligations to carry local TV stations in both analog and digital formats.
Court OKs Cablevision's Network DVR
Submitted by Benton Foundation on August 4, 2008 - 7:13pmLast updated: August 5, 2008 - 7:33am
The U.S. Court of Appeals the 2nd Circuit, reversing a lower court, said Cablevision's remote digital video recorder (DVR) service did not directly infringe on the copyright interests of the Cartoon Network, Cable News Network and various Hollywood studios that sued the Long Island-based cable operator.
Barton Issues FCC Reform Draft Bill
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 30, 2008 - 7:00pmLast updated: July 30, 2008 - 7:01pm
Rep Joe Barton (R-TX), the former chairman of the House Commerce Committee, is circulating draft legislation aimed at forcing the Federal Communications Commission to act more openly under predictable deadlines.
Google Seeks Network Neutrality Clarity From FCC
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 30, 2008 - 8:07amLast updated: July 30, 2008 - 8:08am
Google is asking the Federal Communications Commission for clear guidance on acceptable ways of managing Internet traffic.Such guidance would "help ensure that broadband networks remain open platforms to the Internet," Google said in a letter to the FCC.
Appeals Court Stops Leased Access Case
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 29, 2008 - 3:23pmLast updated: July 29, 2008 - 3:25pm
The US Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati has stopped the cable industry's legal attack on new leased access rules to accommodate the Federal Communications Commission in the agency's ongoing dispute with the Bush administration's Office of Management and Budget.
