The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) has announced in an order published on September 17, 2019 that it will delay the filing deadline to January 31, 2020, for broadcast ownership reports (two months later than the original deadline). This applies to licensees of commercial and noncommercial AM, FM, TV, Class A, and Low Power Television (LPTV) … Continue Reading
Back in early January, the FCC’s Media Bureau released an Order denying a number of Petitions for Reconsideration of an earlier Bureau Order that had adopted new requirements regarding FCC Registration Numbers (“FRNS”) and “Restricted Use FRNs” (“RUFRNS”) used in broadcasters’ biennial ownership reports. The Petitions had objected to application of certain new FRN and … Continue Reading
PRA notice suggests low-ball estimate, but what about, um, the 10 hours of outside attorney time the FCC told OMB about six months ago? Back in January the Commission announced its most recent overhaul of the biennial Ownership Reports that commercial and noncommercial broadcasters are required to file using, respectively, Forms 323 and 323-E. As … Continue Reading
The saga of the FCC’s quest to devise the Perfect Ownership Report slogs on. Readers will recall that, back in January, the Commission adopted a new approach to identifying individual attributable owners for tracking purposes across reports (so long, SUFRN; hello, RUFRN!). Also, among other changes, noncommercial educational licensees were advised that they, too, would … Continue Reading
Commission’s Order makes it into the Federal Register, establishing deadlines petitions for reconsideration and/or judicial review as well as effective date of the underlying order – but what exactly will take effect on that date? Back in January we reported on the FCC’s latest attempt to craft the Perfect Broadcast Ownership Report for both the … Continue Reading
Among the changes: RUFRNs, static NCE biennial deadlines, increased reporting burdens for NCE licensees The FCC’s seemingly Sisyphian quest to design the Perfect Broadcast Ownership Report has yielded a number of changes. Whether, as the Commission hopes, they are changes for the better remains to be seen, presumably when the next round of biennial ownership … Continue Reading
Media Bureau announces 90-minute crash course in advance of biennial ritual. Important reminder: Biennial Ownership Reports (FCC Form 323) for commercial radio and TV (including Class A and LPTV licensees) are due this fall. We’ve already seen the first sign of this, with the Media Bureau announcing the traditional extension of the filing deadline. (Reports … Continue Reading
Forget what the rules say – this year 323s are due on December 2, NOT November 1. Get out your calendar and some Wite-Out®. We’re coming up on the deadline for full-power commercial AM, FM, TV, LPTV and Class A TV stations to file their biennial Ownership Reports (FCC Form 323) and, as tradition dictates, … Continue Reading
Meet the RUFRN, possible successor to the SUFRN. A new NPRM reflects the FCC's continuing struggle to devise an ownership reporting mechanism that will give it what it wants.… Continue Reading
A proposed change in the commercial broadcast Ownership Report form would allow individuals to identify themselves as members of as many as five separate racial categories, simultaneously. But the results may not help the Commission get to where it seems to want to go.… Continue Reading
An FCC proposal would abandon "special use FRNs" in Ownership Reports and require social security number-based FRNs instead . . . for noncommercial licensees, too!… Continue Reading
The Media Bureau has reminded commercial broadcasters that their biennial Ownership Reports (Form 323) are due to be filed by December 1, 2012. But the Bureau doesn't mention some information that we think all Form 323 filers are entitled to know.… Continue Reading
The Commission has announced that the time has come for the next round of biennial Ownership Reports (Form 323) for commercial broadcasters -- and it's already pushed the deadline back a month, to December 1, 2011. But watch out -- the Commission's notice says nothing about the effective elimination of the all-encompassing SSN-based FRN requirement.… Continue Reading
Last week's Court decision effectively confirmed that nobody needs to provide his/her Social Security Number (SSN) for a new FRN in order to file ANY Ownership Report - biennial or otherwise - until further notice.… Continue Reading
The FCC has responded to the Form 323 mandamus petition in the D.C. Circuit, and the petitioners have replied. Read all about it here.… Continue Reading
With the July 8 deadline for filing commercial ownership reports fast approaching, the D.C. Circuit has ordered the FCC to respond to claims that the revised Form 323 filing requirements were not imposed lawfully.… Continue Reading
As of April 9, 2010, the revised Form 323 to be used by commercial broadcasters for their biennial Ownership Reports is available for use.… Continue Reading
