Supreme Court Not Weighing In On FCC Local Government Shot Clock Decision

Was part of overall video franchise reform adopted by the Kevin Martin-led commission in December 2006

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/16/2009 7:31:24 PM

The Supreme Court Monday said it wasn't going to weigh in on the FCC's December 2007 decision to put a 90-day shot clock on local government franchise authorities to act on applications by new multichannel video providers like telcos and overbuilders.
 
The shot clock was part of overall video franchise reform adopted by the Kevin Martin-led commission in December 2006.
 
The appeal had been filed by the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisers and the Alliance for Community Media, which said the FCC did not have the authority to impose that condition on local governments. Some in Congress agreed that they thought the FCC had overstepped its bounds.