FCC Indecency Case Offers Broadcasters a Cautionary Tale on Computer Network Security

This past week the FCC announced a consent decree it entered into with King Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of TEGNA and the licensee of a Spokane television station, to resolve the commission's investigation into the "broadcast obscene or indecent material over television station KREM."

The commission said TEGNA agreed to implement a compliance plan to prevent further violations at its TV holdings and will play a voluntary $222,500 contribution to resolve the matter.

Attorney David Oxenford of TAB Associate member law firm Wilkinson Barker Knauer wrote about the decree on his Broadcast Law Blog noting that this case should be a warning to all broadcasters to secure station transmission chains.

Oxenford's post also explores how the FCC enforces its indecency rules against broadcasters.

The FCC received a complaint alleging that during the weather segment of KREM's Oct. 17, 2021, 6 p.m. newscast, a "pornographic video" played on a monitor "behind the weatherperson."

Oxenford said TEGNA confirmed that such video aired for 13 seconds on a background television monitor.

"TEGNA determined that an unknown party accessed the monitor's screencasting feature through the station's unsecured local wireless network," Oxenford said.

"After the incident, TEGNA directed all of its stations to disable all screencasting features, deactivated the station's wireless network, removed all of the station's smart TVs and monitors' wireless components, and required the station to only use monitors lacking wireless connectivity going forward."

Broadcasters should take note of this recent case and others pointing to network security vulnerabilities.

Three years ago, FEMA warned broadcasters to take necessary precautions to prevent hacks of Emergency Alert System (EAS) encoder/decoder (ENDEC) devices.

FEMA advised broadcasters to keep EAS devices and supporting systems up to date with the most recent software versions and security patches and to protect ENDEC's with a firewall.

It also encouraged broadcasters to regularly monitor and audit ENDEC's and supporting systems for
unauthorized access.

Station security, both physical and operational, is one of many topics that will be explored at the Aug. 6-7, 2025, TABShow at the Kalahari Resort in Round Rock.

Review session topics and register here.

Questions? Contact TAB's Michael Schneider or call (512) 322-9944.