Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has confirmed that the agency has certified four Spectrum Access System (SAS) Administrators, paving the way for full commercial operations in the 3.5 GHz band n the US. The FCC approved these SAS Administrators for initial commercial deployments in 2019. The initiative allows for full commercial use of this […]
BBC TV presenter and former footballer Gary Lineker says the BBC licence fee should become a voluntary charge. Lineker, the highest-paid BBC presenter with earnings of £1.75 million (€2m) in 2018-19, told The Guardian that the licence fee was the broadcaster’s “fundamental problem” and in need of reform. “You’re forced to pay it if you […]
The European Commission has published a major report in which it singles out Saudi Arabia for “causing considerable harm to EU businesses” following the two-year theft of European sport programmes by Saudi-based beoutQ and Arabsat. The report sets out priority countries – only 13 worldwide – on which “the EU will focus its action” regarding […]
UTECA, the private TV Association in Spain, has urged the Administration to approve a new law to impose the same TV obligations on OTT services to put an end to a discriminatory situation. Under the new legislation to be approved by the Government, OTT players like Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime, Sky, DAZN or Filmin, among […]
Hallmark’s television CEO Bill Abbott is leaving the company weeks after the Hallmark Channel suffered a withering backlash when it pulled commercials that featured a same-sex wedding. Abbott had been chief of Crown Media for 11 years. In December, after pressure from a conservative group, the Hallmark Channel removed four commercials that showed brides kissing […]
UK Chancellor Sajid Javid has told the Davos meeting he will not back down over the introduction of a new sales tax on large US tech firms. The US threatened it would consider retaliatory tariffs on UK car makers if the measure goes ahead. The new tax is aimed at firms that do a lot […]
Thomas Conneely, owner of the Dick Whittington in Watford, has been convicted in his absence of three offences of dishonest reception of a television transmission, in this case, Sky televised football matches, with the intent to avoid payment of the applicable charge. Sky Sports is only available to licensed premises in the UK via a […]
Portugal’s Secretary of State for Cinema, Audiovisual and Media, Nuno Artur Silva, has promised an imminent “reassessment” of the national DTT offer. Speaking during a Parliamentary hearing, he promised to resolve the issue of surplus capacity on the first national DTT multiplex, managed by Altice Portugal’s unit Meo, adding that the Government will consider the […]
Multiplay telco Vodafone has revealed plans to accelerate the roll out of full-fibre broadband in the UK by restructuring its existing deal with broadband infrastructure provider CityFibre to encourage it to build its fibre infrastructure more quickly and to more places. With full-fibre broadband still only available to around 11 per cent of UK premises, […]
Tony Hall is leaving as director general of the BBC in the summer, after seven years in the role. Lord Hall said it had been “a hard decision”, adding: “If I followed my heart I would genuinely never want to leave”. He said he felt it was important the BBC had the same leader for […]