Upcoming FCC Broadcast and Telecom Deadlines for June-August
Broadcast Deadlines:
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 the 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 Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Program Report, also filed in LMS, regardless of the number of full-time employees.
EEO Public File Reports - All radio and television station employment units with five 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 file (OPIF). For all stations with websites, the report must be posted there as well. Per announced Federal Communications Commission ("FCC" or "the Commission") 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.
July 10, 2019:
Repack Transition Progress Report - All full-power and Class A television stations repacked as a result of the incentive auction, other than those in Phases 1-3 that have completed the repack process, including filing reports of completion, must file a report in the LMS to detail their progress toward completion of the transition.
Children's Television Programming Reports - For all commercial television and Class A television stations, the second quarter 2019 children's television programming reports must be filed electronically with the Commission. These reports then should be automatically included in the OPIF, but we would recommend checking, as the FCC bases its initial judgments of filing compliance on the contents and dates shown in the online public file. Please note that the required use of the LMS for the children's reports means that you should have the licensee FCC registration number and password at hand before you start the process.
Commercial Compliance Certifications - For all commercial television and Class A television stations, a certification of compliance with the limits on commercials during programming for children ages 12 and under, or other evidence to substantiate compliance with those limits, must be uploaded to the OPIF.
Website Compliance Information - Television and Class A television station licensees must upload and retain in their OPIF record sufficient to substantiate at license renewal time a certification of compliance with the restrictions on display of website addresses during programming directed to children ages 12 and under.
Issues/Programs Lists - For all commercial and noncommercial radio, television, and Class A television stations, a listing of each station's most significant treatment of community issues during the last quarter must be placed in the station's OPIF. The list should include a brief narrative describing the issues covered and the programs which provided the coverage, with information concerning the time, date, duration, and title of each program.
Class A Television Continuing Eligibility Documentation - The Commission requires that all Class A Television maintains in their OPIF documentation sufficient to demonstrate that the station is continuing to meet the eligibility requirements of broadcasting at least 18 hours per day and broadcasting an average of at least three hours per week of locally produced programming. While the Commission has given no guidance as to what this documentation must include or when it must be added to the public file, we believe that a quarterly certification which states that the station continues to broadcast at least 18 hours per day, that it broadcasts on average at least three hours per week of locally produced programming, and lists the titles of such locally produced programs should be sufficient.
August 1, 2019:
License Renewal Pre-Filing Announcements - Radio stations located in Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands must begin broadcasts of their pre-filing announcements with regard to their applications for renewal of the license. These announcements must be continued on August 16, September 1, and September 16.
Radio Post-Filing Announcements - Radio stations located in the North Carolina and South Carolina must begin broadcasts of their post-filing announcements with regard to their license renewal applications on August 1. These announcements then must continue on August 16, September 1, September 16, October 1, and October 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.
License Renewal Applications Due - Applications for renewal of license for stations located in the North Carolina and South Carolina must be filed in the Commission's 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.
EEO Public File Reports - All radio and television station employment units with five or more full-time employees located in California, Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Wisconsin must place EEO Public File Reports in their OPIF. 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:
August 1, 2019
Quarterly Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet (FCC Form 499-Q) - FCC rules require telecommunications carriers and interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (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 Universal Service Fund (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.
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, incumbent local exchange carriers, and competitive local exchange carriers.