Items would allow more online notices from broadcasters, streamline DBS procedures

FCC chair Ajit Pai is proposing to "modernize" some more media ownership rules at its September meeting, according to Pai, who has periodically taken out the regulatory weed whacker he promise early open to use to clear out some bureaucratic underbrush.

The commission is scheduled to issue a tentative agenda Sept. 5, three weeks before its scheduled public meeting, where the items will be outlined in greater detail.

In a blog post Wednesday (Sept. 4) about that meeting, Pai said he is proposing to replace the requirement that broadcasters file notices in local newspapers for certain applications with one that allows them to post them online with a direct link to the applications themselves.

The proposal would also simplify on-air announcements of those applications by allowing them to refer to the online link as well.

"This is just another example of how we are modernizing our media rules to reflect the digital age and streamlining them to eliminate unnecessary red tape."

Satellite broadcasters will get some regulatory relief as well according to another Pai proposal.

That item would "streamline" the "processing procedures" for DBS satellites as the FCC did recently for other types of satellites, Pai said. "Taking this step will facilitate increased use of spectrum and orbital resources, while protecting existing consumers of satellite television from harmful interference to their services," he blogged.