Telecommunications: Broadcast
Holland & Knight has been engaged in the full-time representation of some of the industry’s leading broadcasters for many years. The depth of our experience in broadcasting law, coupled with the global reach of our offices, enables us to meet the needs of media clients everywhere.
Our colleagues are available at all times to offer advice in areas that often confront broadcasters, such as media litigation, intellectual property, securities, finance, environmental, land use, real estate and tax matters.
Clients
Our broadcast practice represents a wide variety of clients, from licensees, affiliates and parents of commercial AM and FM radio stations and television stations to noncommercial stations and low power television and radio stations.
Transactions
We advise on all aspects of telecommunications transactions, including the acquisition of public- and privately-held radio and television interests, debt and equity financing of broadcast companies, compliance with multiple ownership restrictions and the preparation and prosecution of necessary FCC applications.
Carriage and Programming Distribution
Our team assists television clients with must-carry arrangements and retransmission consent agreements with cable systems and direct broadcast satellite providers. We help radio and television clients with network affiliation agreements, time brokerage agreements and programming distribution arrangements.
Broadcast Regulation
We regularly represent our clients before the FCC, where we have developed strong professional relationships over many years of practice. Our FCC work ranges from routine applications to reporting requirements and complex disputes.
Our attorneys routinely advise clients concerning all aspects of broadcast regulation, including:
- FCC licenses, FCC permits and FCC authorizations
- facilities applications, changes and renewals
- digital TV and radio
- political broadcasting
- children’s television programming
- public service obligations
- TV violence
- indecency and obscenity
- contests
- identifications and sponsorship
- ownership
- equal employment opportunity responsibilities
- public inspection files
- antenna and tower structures and registrations
- transmissions and RF radiation
- operational compliance
- closed captioning
- FCC compliance of all kinds, including legal, regulatory, employment, operational and environmental
Litigation
We are experienced litigating broadcast matters before the FCC. We handle formal and informal complaints, inquiries, investigations, enforcement actions and on-the-record, trial-type hearings and FCC rule-making proceedings. We have extensive experience in federal court appeals and petitions for review of FCC orders and in assisting trial counsel with Communications Act and industry issues.
Client Services
Our client service coverage is wide ranging, including:
- maintenance of extensive databases of all relevant client matters, including: applications, public notices, license and permit information, due dates, antenna registrations, transmission characteristics and coordinates and FCC registrations
- prompt, routine review of all FCC public notices, actions, decisions and relevant court decisions
- regular distribution of memoranda advising clients of FCC actions
- provision of “flag service” on a weekly basis
- regular participation in industry events and conferences