The FCC has decided not to terminate its open proceeding on TV
station joint sales agreements and the FCC's attribution rules.
While the FCC signaled in February it was considering
closing that proceeding along with a number of others, it sought comment on all
those proposed terminations. On Thursday, the commission terminated a
number of those proceedings, but said that on its own initiative, and
saying that "further action may be necessary," it decided not to
close the proceeding "at this time."
A number of critics of coordinated retrans negotiations,
including the American Cable Association, havecomplained that the joint agreements are a way to skirt the FCC's local
market ownership limits.
The commission also decided, on second thought and after
comment from the Benton Foundation, Free Press, United Church of Christ and
others, the FCC has won't close a proceeding on whether broadcasters should
provide clearer notice of their proposals to sell stations.
