Upcoming FCC Broadcast and Telecom Deadlines for May-July
Broadcast Deadlines:
April 29, 2019:
Quadrennial Review of Broadcast Ownership Rules - Comments are due with regard to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (MB Docket 18-349, FCC-18-179A1) which initiated the required 2018 Quadrennial Review of broadcast ownership rules.
May 28, 2019:
Deadline for Submission of Information on Earth Station and Satellite Use Of The C-Band (3.7-4.2 Ghz) - On July 13, 2018, the Commission released an Order that contained information collection requirements for earth station and satellite licensees and registrants regarding their current use of the 3.7-4.2 GHz band (C-band). Operators of fixed-satellite service (FSS) earth stations in the 3.7-4.2 GHz band that are licensed or registered (authorized) in the International Bureau Filing System (IBFS), including temporary-fixed or transportable earth stations, must certify the accuracy of all information reflected on their licenses or registrations in IBFS. The certification must include the relevant call sign(s), file numbers, and applicant or registrant name, along with a signed certification statement. Earth station operators that filed for new or modified licenses or registrations between April 19, 2018 and October 31, 2018, except for temporary fixed or transportable earth stations, are exempt from this certification requirement.
May 29, 2019:
Quadrennial Review of Broadcast Ownership Rules - Reply comments are due with regard to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (MB Docket 18-349, FCC-18-179A1) which initiated the required 2018 Quadrennial Review of broadcast ownership rules.
June 1, 2019:
License Renewal Pre-Filing Announcements - Radio stations located in North Carolina and South Carolina must begin broadcasts of their pre-filing announcements with regard to their applications for renewal of license. These announcements must be continued on June 16, July 1, and July 16.
Radio Post-Filing Announcements - Radio stations located in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia must begin broadcasts of their post-filing announcements with regard to their license renewal applications on June 1. We would suggest, however, that those licensees filing renewal applications on the filing deadline of June 3 delay the post-filing announcements until June 3. These announcements then must continue on June 16, July 1, July 16, August 1, and August 16. Once complete, a certification of broadcast, with a copy of the announcement's text, must be posted to the online public file within seven days.
June 3, 2019:
License Renewal Applications Due - Applications for renewal of license for stations located in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia must be filed in the Commission's Licensing and Management System ("LMS"). These applications must be accompanied by Schedule 396, the Broadcast EEO Program Report, also filed in LMS, regardless of the number of full-time employees.
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Public File Reports - All radio and television station employment units with five (5) or more full-time employees located in Arizona, the District of Columbia, Idaho, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming must place EEO Public File Reports in their online public inspection files. For all stations with websites, the report must be posted there as well. Per announced FCC policy, the reporting period may end ten days before the report is due, and the reporting period for the next year will begin on the following day.
Telecom Deadlines:
May 1, 2019:
Quarterly Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet (FCC Form 499-Q) - FCC rules require telecommunications carriers and interconnected VoIP providers to file quarterly revenue statements reporting historical revenue for the prior quarter and projecting revenue for the next quarter. The projected revenue is used to calculate contributions to the USF for high cost, rural, insular and tribal areas as well as to support telecommunications services for schools, libraries, and rural health care providers. USF assessments are billed monthly.
Geographic Rate Averaging Certification - Non-dominant interstate interexchange providers operating on a detariffed must certify that their service complies with the provider's geographic rate average and rate integration obligations. The certification is due annually by May 1 and must be signed by an officer of the company under oath. Certifications should be sent to the FCC's Office of the Secretary, directed to the attention of:
Office of the Secretary
Attn: Chief, Pricing Policy Division
Room 5-A225
445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, DC 20554
Rural Call Completion Reporting (FCC Form 480) ELIMINATED - On April 17, 2018, the FCC released an Order removing the rural call completion reporting requirements. Starting with the May 1, 2018 rural call completion report, covered providers (i.e., certain long-distance voice providers) have no longer been required to file FCC Form 480 on a quarterly basis. Therefore, there is no rural call completion reporting requirement for May 1, 2019.
Numbering Resource Utilization Forecast (NRUF) (FCC Form 502) - Twice a year, service providers with numbers from the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA), a Pooling Administrator, or another telecommunications carrier must file a numbering resource utilization forecast. Subscriber toll-free numbers are not included in the report. Interconnected VoIP providers are subject to the reporting requirement along with other service providers who receive NANPA numbers, such as wireless carriers, paging companies, ILECs, and CLECs.
May 15, 2019:
Quarterly Percentage of Internet Usage (PIU) Certification - USF prepaid calling card providers must file a certification stating that it is making the required USF contributions. The certification must be signed by an officer of the company under penalty of perjury and can be filed electronically using the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS). The Quarterly PIC Certification due May 1, 2019 will cover the First Quarter of 2019 (January 1, 2019 through March 31, 2019).
May 31, 2019:
Annual Employment Report and Discrimination Complaint Requirement (FCC Form 395) - FCC licensees or permittees of common carrier stations with 16 or more full-time employees must complete FCC Form 395 and file it with the Commission by May 31 annually. The report should be filed in Docket No. 16-233 of the FCC's ECFS filing systems. However, filers should not submit any confidential information using ECFS. If a filer seeks confidential treatment of any information in its Form 395 filing, the filer should submit a redacted version of the report using ECFS and send a request for confidential treatment along with its non-redacted Form 395 filing to the FCC at:
Office of the Secretary
Federal Communications Commission
Attn: Industry Analysis and Technology Division, Wireline Competition Bureau
445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, DC 20554
In addition to the Form 395 filing, all licensees or permittees of common carrier stations, regardless of the number of employees, must submit discrimination reports to the Commission. Filers that submit Form 395 can satisfy this requirement by completing Section V of Form 395 and need not submit a separate report.