Comment deadlines on a petition for rulemaking on live closed-caption quality are extended by a month as requested by NAB and NCTA, said an order from the FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau posted in RM-8503 Thursday. Comments are now due Oct. 15, replies Oct. 30. Comments and replies had been due in September (see 1908260055). The extension allows NAB and NCTA to author comments after planned closed captioning quality discussions with deaf and hard of hearing advocacy organizations Oct. 2, the order said. The extension request was unopposed.

MVPD interests back allowing emailing required notices to TV stations rather than using certified mail, in docket 19-165 comments posted Thursday. It makes sense, given the agency allowing broadcast carriage election notifications an email-based process, America's Communications Association said. It said broadcasters with online public files wouldn't have any new obligations. It said the email delivery option also should apply to broadcasters that don't have to maintain public files, because having a separate rules regime for them would mean undue complexity and costs for cable operators. NCTA said email delivery would help ensure broadcasters get the notices in a timely fashion and be consistent with modern business practices. It said having similar notice processes for all stations with carriage rights, regardless of whether they have public files, would cut administrative burdens, and the FCC should establish a means for those stations without public files to post an email address with the agency. DirecTV and Dish Network said not allowing email delivery would mean disproportionate burdens between direct broadcast satellite providers and stations, since broadcasters could elect carriage on a DBS system via email but the DBS response would have to be via postal mail. The Further NPRM was adopted in July (see 1907100054).

Universal Electronics handily exceeded expectations in Q2, despite the “background noise of accelerated cord-cutting,” emailed Dougherty & Co. analyst Steven Frankel to investors Wednesday. He cited improved gross margins following UEI’s shift of “substantial manufacturing capacity” from China to Mexico. In June, CEO Paul Arling said (see 1906040032) he was “unpleasantly surprised” to learn of President Donald Trump's threat to impose tariffs on Mexican imports just as the company was shifting production from China to Monterrey, Mexico, to escape tariffs on Chinese goods.

Emergency alert system participants have until Sept. 23 to file their Form 3 data on the Aug. 7 nationwide EAS test, said an FCC Public Safety Bureau reminder public notice Wednesday (see 1908070074). “Accurate reporting” can help “identify steps, if any, to further improve EAS as a reliable alerting tool,” the PN said.

Disagreeing over retransmission consent rates, terms and conditions -- even fundamentally disagreeing -- isn't itself evidence of lack of good-faith negotiating, the FCC Media Bureau ordered Tuesday, rejecting cable ISP HolstonConnect's retrans complaint against Nexstar (see 1903070011). MB said there's no requirement retrans consent negotiations end with an agreement. It said rather than a take-it-or-leave-it stance, the record shows Nexstar twice in talks lowered its ask. HosltonConnect outside counsel didn't comment.

The weekslong blackout of Nexstar stations in 97 markets on AT&T's DirecTV, DirecTV Now and U-verse (see 1907090048) is over. The two sides Thursday evening announced a multiyear retransmission consent agreement.

TVs with 7680x4320 resolution, at least 600 nits peak brightness and refresh rates of 24, 30 and 60 frames a second would qualify for an 8K Association certification logo, said 8KA Thursday. Compliant displays also would need to use H.265 decoding and the HDMI 2.1 interface. The specifications show the group's "focus to quickly define a critical step in the growth in next-generation video technology,” said Executive Director Chris Chinnock. New 8KA members include Intel, Samsung Display, Tencent and Xperi, and the group was active at NAB's last show (see 1902120021).

Comments are due Sept. 30, replies Oct. 15 on a further NPRM on application of revised carriage election notification rules for entities that don't have a public file or a cable operation and licensing system account, says an FCC notice for Friday's Federal Register. The FNPRM was adopted in July when commissioners also approved broadcasters emailing MVPDs of a carriage election change (see 1907100054).

Disney's equity interest in the Yes Network now belongs to an investor group including Sinclair and the Yankees. The group bought the 80 percent of the network not already owned by the Yankees for about $2.78 billion, said Disney Thursday. The deal follows Sinclair's $9.6 billion acquisition of Disney's regional sports networks (see 1908230041), which Disney had picked up as part of its 21st Century Fox buy but had to sell under a DOJ consent decree.

Hamas in 2014 used military personnel in warlike actions against Israeli military forces, perfectly fitting the "war" and "warlike actions" exclusions in Atlantic Specialty Insurance's policy covering a Universal Cable Productions TV production that had to relocate to another country, said appellee Atlantic's docket petition (in Pacer, docket 17-56672) for panel rehearing and en banc rehearing, filed Monday with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The 9th Circuit in July reversed and remanded a U.S. District Court's summary judgment decision in favor of Atlantic (see 1907150002). Atlantic said rehearing is needed to settle questions on interpreting commonly understood terms in insurance policies under California law. Outside counsel for Comcast's Universal Cable didn't comment Tuesday.