INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION: CPC 7524 Program Transmission Services
LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT: Federal
LEGAL CITATION: Communications Act of 1934, as amended,
Sections 309, 325, 47 U.S.C. 309, 325 (1988)
DESCRIPTION: The United States will ensure that in
considering applications for a grant
of authority to transmit programming
to foreign stations for retransmission
into the United States under Section
325 of the Communications Act of 1934
(the Act), the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) will not consider the
nationality of the affected stations
for the purpose of favoring a U.S.
station that is competing with a
Mexican station for affiliation with a
U.S. programmer. Rather the FCC will
apply the criteria for the grant of
such permit in the same manner as
would be applied to a domestic
broadcast station application under
Section 309 of the Act.
In addition, the term of the Section
325 permit shall be extended from one
year to five years in all situations
where it can be assured that the
retransmitting station is and will be
in full compliance with applicable
treaties. In assessing the public
interest, convenience, and necessity
required by the Act for the grant of
authorization under Section 325, the
primary criterion will be avoiding the
creation or maintenance of electrical
interference to U.S. broadcast
stations that violates applicable
treaty provisions. In evaluating this
and any other criteria permitted under
Section 309, the U.S. will ensure that
the Section 325 process shall not be
conducted in a manner that would
constitute an unnecessary restriction
on trade.
DESCRIPTION: Lawyers authorized to practice in Mexico or Canada and law
firms headquartered in Mexico or Canada will be permitted to
provide foreign legal consultancy services, and to establish
for that purpose, in Alaska, California, Connecticut, District of
Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey,
New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Washington, or in any other
state that so permits by the date of entry into force of this
agreement.
