Webcasters Seek Congressional Relief

Webcasters are lobbying Congress to support The Internet Radio Fairness Act. The measure, sponsored by Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., which would provide relief to many Webcasters from performance royalties and change the process for how the fees are decided. At the NAB radio show, Inslee said streaming is a “great technology that has been strangled by regulation,” referring to most Webcasters’ decision to stop streaming to avoid incurring massive royalty fees. Those monies are due Oct. 20 and NAB has joined with several of the large radio group owners seeking a stay of that date from the U.S. Copyright Office.