The FCC Media Bureau will lift freezes on full-power TV rulemaking petitions that have mostly been in place since 2004, said a public notice Thursday. The freezes -- originally enacted for the DTV transition and extended because of the incentive auction -- will be lifted 15 days after the Federal Register publishes the rule change, the PN said. A freeze on filing new low-power TV and TV translator applications will remain in place, the PN said. “Licensed and permitted LPTV/translator stations are still being displaced as a result of modifications by full service stations as they technically adjust to their new repacked channel locations,” the PN said. The freezes that will be lifted apply to channel change and community of license petitions, petitions seeking new DTV allotments and service area modifications.

Broadcasters participating in the Pearl TV-led ATSC 3.0 Phoenix model market added a single-frequency network there, they announced Wednesday. This will “enhance reception for viewers and broaden the reach of broadcasters transmitting to NEXTGEN TV sets,” they said. An SFN “makes use of multiple strategically placed transmitters placed on the air within the coverage area on the same channel and carrying the same services,” said Pearl engineer David Folsom. “This increases the signal level available for over-the-air viewing and decreases the viewer's need for a more complex receiving antenna, while enabling future use of mobility services to NEXTGEN TV-equipped devices as found in automobiles.” E.W. Scripps' KASW (CW) is the SFN host station, with sharing agreements to carry the 3.0 simulcast of its KNXV-TV (ABC) and of KSAZ-TV (Fox) and KUTP (Fox Xtra); all these outlets are licensed to Phoenix, per FCC records.

The FCC is seeking comment on proposed rules to require that broadcasters disclose when content is sponsored or provided by foreign governments, said an NPRM voted on Oct. 16 and released Monday (see 2009150059). Commissioner Mike O’Rielly concurred in part and approved in part and didn’t issue a statement. The other commissioners voted to approve. “We take this action in the midst of known attacks on our political processes by foreign governments and their representatives,” said Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. “This is about basic transparency and it frankly shouldn’t have taken us so long,” said Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. None of the FCC Republicans issued a statement. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., has repeatedly written Chairman Ajit Pai calling for disclosure rules. The NPRM would require disclosures if a foreign governmental entity -- as defined by Foreign Agents Registration Act -- pays a station to air material, or provides content free. The NPRM proposed requiring standardized disclosure language and applying requirements similar to those used for sponsored political ads, including a public file requirement.

Verance can address risks of fingerprint-based dynamic advertising insertion (DAI) technologies marring subscription VOD viewing, said the company. With DAI technologies “baked” into smart TVs, SVOD services and TV makers worry about the risk of “ads or measurement functions meant for broadcast being mistakenly placed into the streams” of over-the-top video services, it said. “We believe this will create a path forward for the subscription VOD and ad-supported broadcast worlds to co-exist,” said CEO Nil Shah Thursday.

The FCC Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment scheduled a virtual symposium Nov. 6 on how small and diverse broadcasters can gain access to capital, said a public notice in Friday’s Daily Digest. Hosted by the ACDDE’s Access to Capital working group and the Media Bureau, the event will include broadcasters and lenders discussing financing options and the minority tax certificate. It will also include a presentation from Nielsen and an update on pending legislation to increase broadcast ownership diversity, the PN said.

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed (in Pacer, docket 20-2315) a Dish Network interlocutory appeal Thursday in a retransmission consent fight with Cox (see 2009080002). It followed an unopposed Cox motion to dismiss in which it cited a U.S. District Court dismissing claims against Cox and Dish for not filing an amended complaint. Dish filed a second amended complaint last week (in Pacer, docket 20-cv-00570) in U.S. District Court in Chicago against Terrier Media.

Changes loosening restrictions on commonly owned radio stations in the same market duplicating programming take effect Thursday, says that day's Federal Register. The rules were approved in August on a 3-2 vote (see 2008060072).

Edge Networks is drawing cord cutters, CEO Todd Achilles told the NAB Show New York virtual event Tuesday. “They’re tired of paying over 100 bucks for a pay-TV bundle, and they want reliable service, which a lot of the streaming services don’t provide because of the unmanaged internet into their homes." The startup is having strong demand in its first market for its Evoca-branded ATSC 3.0-based content service Sept. 1 in Boise (see 2008210021), the corporate chief said. BitPath, “despite the pandemic,” this year launched seven 3.0 markets, with nine more coming, including Mobile-Pensacola going live Wednesday, said President John Hane. The “big one for this year” will be Seattle in December, with “very wide participation,” he said.

Public TV stations should be exempt from paying fees on datacasting revenue, said America's Public Television Stations and PBS in a Friday call with FCC Media Bureau staff, per a filing Monday. The statutory requirement to collect fees is related to commercial uses, the groups said. “When the revenue is used to support noncommercial services that are in the public interest, there is no need to 'recover' anything else for the public,” the stakeholders said. “Public television stations are providing remote learning opportunities through broadcast datacasting to provide educational content to student households that lack broadband connectivity.” Revenue supporting noncommercial educational activities “would not result in any unjust enrichment,” said APTS and PBS.

The FCC Media Bureau seeks comment on a proposed cap of 10 applications per participant in a 2021 window for noncommercial educational licenses, said a public notice Monday. The bureau tentatively concluded the cap is “a reasonable limit to prevent mass filings by speculators and to permit the efficient and expeditious processing of window-filed applications,” the PN said. Staff want comments on whether there should be any limit and whether 10 is the right number. Dates and procedures for the window will be issued in PNs “in the next several months,” it said.