The FCC has set comment dates for its proposal that TV stations be allowed to fulfill their educational/informational children's programming obligations by airing it on another station in the market.
A divided FCC adopted an order July 10 to give broadcasters more flexibility in how they air that E/I programming, but also voted on a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) seeking comment on "a framework under which television broadcast stations could satisfy their children’s programming obligations by relying, in part, on special efforts to produce or support children’s educational and informational programming aired on other stations in their markets."
Broadcasters are all for that framework. The National Association of Broadcasters told the FCC in comments on the KidVid dereg proposal that was adopted that it should at least consider also consider allowing TV stations in the same market to get together to put their kids programming on the channel(s) most suitable to a younger audience and, at least, allow the owner of two stations in a market to air most or all of its E/I programming on one of them.
With the publication of the FNPRM in the Federal Register Aug. 16, the FCC's 30 and 60-day comment period now has dates applied: Comments are due by Sept. 16; reply comments by Oct. 15.
