Comment Deadlines Set for FCC's 'Significantly Viewed' Item

The FCC has set comment deadlines on its proposal to change how it determines whether a TV station is significantly viewed in a market outside its licensed market.

Related: FCC Seeks Comment on Significantly Viewed Regime

That definition determines whether an MVPD can import the station into the market in which it is significantly viewed, even if it duplicates in-market syndicated or network programming. That importation is otherwise prohibited by the network nonduplication and syndicated exclusivity rules.

Initial comments are due May 14 and reply comments June 15.

The FCC approved the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking March 31, with the comment dates tied to when it was published in the Federal Register, which happened Tuesday (April 14). 

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.