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Is the Media Landscape Shifting?

By: Bob Powers, Vice President of Government Relations

In the last few weeks we have seen a new, scholarly, and highly professional FCC begin to take shape, as directed by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, who has begun to tackle serious new communications issues, creating a backbone of new trends to come. Everything is on the table. Rules of the web, broadband deployment, spectrum issues, LPFM, perhaps localism, and anything else you might think to include. Washington insiders consider Genachowski an earnest student of technology - one who has surrounded himself with superior talent, a leader not intimidated by his staff, but freely calling upon their expertise when in settings with others. Many of these talented staffers have taken serious pay cuts simply to join Genachowski at the FCC. That, say insiders, speaks volumes of the type of leader that he is. Early on, he and his staff also seem very willing to hear from folks in all aspects of industry. We are told that our new FCC Chairman is also very pro-business.

Time will tell where Mr. Genachowski stands. Does he have a hefty liberal agenda that will affect content, or will he remain focused on regulation that will truly help to promote increased communications ability for all? The latter is a tough job for anyone. NRB President & CEO Dr. Frank Wright, Senior Vice President of Communications & General Counsel Craig Parshall, and I met with Chairman Genechowski last month. 

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Executive Summary
Frank Wright, Ph.D., President/CEO
November 20, 2009

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to attend a high-level meeting regarding sound recording performance royalties, also called the “performance tax.” On one side sat a large and impressive array of capable and articulate music industry representatives, and on the other side sat a small complement of local AM/FM radio broadcasters.

Rep. John Conyers, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, requested this meeting because he wants to move H.R. 848, the Performance Rights Act, to the House Floor for a vote. Two years ago this legislation, which creates a new royalty on radio every time they play sound recordings, seemed destined to move quickly through Congress. But after a dedicated coalition rose in opposition, of which NRB has been an integral part, the legislative train slowed to a crawl. While H.R. 848 did make it out of the House Judiciary Committee, it also faced a worthy opponent in H.Con.Res. 49, the Supporting Radio Freedom Act, introduced by Rep. Gene Green (D-TX). This resolution states categorical opposition to any type of sound recording performance royalty, and since it has 253 co-sponsors from both sides of the political aisle, its mere existence has stood as a substantial roadblock to the Performance Rights Act. In fact, it has stalled H.R. 848 in the legislative never-land between a committee vote and actually getting placed on the Floor Calendar for a Floor vote.

Realizing that H.R. 848 is essentially dead, its Congressional promoters have recently turned to the only other avenue at their disposal: attempting

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    THE NRB PRESIDENT'S BLOG

Finishing the Race

John Stephen Akhwari is an Olympic legend.  In the 1960s he was an elite middle and long distance runner. 

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