Headlines, Broadcasting

A crucial side-battle in this week's release of the National Broadband Plan - and likely a long, drawn out one at that - is the tussle over whether existing spectrum currently allocated to TV broadcasters should be dedicated to broadband services.

Broadcast spectrum has long been a scarce and precious resource. In recent years, though, with the explosive growth in the number of users of cellular phones, smartphones and wireless broadband cards, it's come to resemble Manhattan real estate: in huge demand, with pressure to develop any parcel that seems underutilized. Those pressures are sure to increase under the National Broadband Plan unveiled last week by the FCC.

Fourteen entities filed a petition for rulemaking on March 9, 2010 requesting that the Federal Communications Commission amend and supplement its retransmission consent rules. The FCC is now inviting public comment on this petition.

The Comcast/NBCU merger has drawn its first petition to deny from self-described "Pan-Asian" group called the Mabuhay Alliance.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration will re-open the solicitation for Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) applications until Thursday, April 22, 2010.

Media billionaire John Malone said fee disputes between U.S. broadcasters and cable-television operators will force companies to combine to gain negotiating clout.

Hulu's sales team is "actively subverting" the ad sales of its parent companies that are also trying to sell ads for their shows on Hulu.

A look at the main developments and effects of the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling so far and suggestions for stations.

Viewers have tripled their use of watching TV shows via the Internet since 2006 -- and some of this has hurt traditional TV viewing.

Broadcast television's fortunes began to turn around in the fourth quarter of 2009 and evidence is mounting that the first quarter of 2010 will show positive growth.