Rich Fiscus
13 Jul 2007 17:29
Internet broadcasters reportedly reached a temporary deal with royalty payment collectors that would put a $50,000 cap on royalty fees and delay the collection of those fees for an undetermined period of time. Congress also stepped in with the introduction of a bill that would postpone the implementation of the new fee schedule until Sept. 13.
The fees were initially supposed to go into effect on May 15, but the CRB extended that deadline to July 15. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Wednesday rejected a request to delay that deadline a second time.
House Small Business Committee Chairman Nydia Velasquez, D-N.Y. and ranking Republican Steve Chabot of Ohio on Thursday introduced H.R. 3015, which would delay the CRB's Internet radio royalty rate decision by 60 days, until September 13.
"A commitment has been made to negotiate reasonable royalties, recognizing the industry's long-term value and its still-developing revenue potential," according to a Friday post on SaveNetRadio.org, a coalition of Internet broadcasters.
Source: PC Magazine