Broadcast Auctions

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  • The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau released a Public Notice reminding Emergency Alert Service (EAS) Participants, including broadcasters,
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Problems with the FCC’s LMS filing system have once again extended an FCC deadline – this one the deadline for filing applications for new FM translators in the Reserved Band (between 88.1 and 91.9 MHz).  These new applications can only be filed by operators of existing noncommercial stations.  The filing window, already extended from its…

With much of everyone’s focus on the outcome of the November 3 midterm elections, broadcasters cannot forget the regulatory dates and deadlines in November and early December.  While the dates and deadlines in November tend to be lighter than in other months, many routine deadlines do fall in early December, and even the upcoming month does have dates worthy of note to all broadcasters—including the nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS), which is scheduled for November 17.  For more on the nationwide EAS test and broadcasters’ accompanying filing obligations in the FCC’s EAS Test Reporting System (ETRS), as well as other dates and deadlines occurring next month and in early December, here is our look at what is coming your way.

Daylight Savings Time ends on November 1.  The change in the clocks means that AM daytime-only stations, AM stations with different daytime and nighttime patterns, and AM stations operating with pre-sunrise and/or post-sunset authority should check their sign-on and sign-off times on their current FCC authorizations to ensure continued compliance with the FCC’s technical rules.  AM stations need to note that all times listed in FCC licenses are stated in standard time, not daylight savings time even if it is in effect.

The noncommercial educational (NCE) reserved band (88.1-91.9 MHz) FM translator filing window will open at 12:01 a.m. ET on November 4 and will close at 6:00 p.m. EST on November 17.  To have an application considered by the FCC, by November 17, applicants must have complete applications in the FCC’s electronic filing system providing all the information necessary to establish the applicant’s claims for points to be used in the FCC’s “points system” to choose between mutually exclusive applicants (applicants who, for technical reasons, cannot both be granted without destructive interference).  For more on the points system, see our articles here and here.  Applicants are limited to 10 applications nationwide, except that LPFM operators are only allowed to file for 2 translators (4 if they are a Tribal group).  See our articles here, here, here, and here for more on the NCE FM translator filing window. As we noted here and here, the FCC implemented a filing freeze on all reserved and non-reserved band LPFM, FM translator, and FM booster station minor modification applications to freeze the FM database to facilitate the preparation of applications for the new translators in the reserved band.  The freeze began on October 2 and will end at 6:00 p.m. ET on November 17. 

Continue Reading November 2026 Regulatory Dates for Broadcasters – Nationwide EAS Test and ETRS Reporting, NCE FM Translator Filing Window, Daylight Savings Time, and more
  • The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau announced that the FCC, in coordination with FEMA, will conduct a nationwide
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In May, the FCC announced that it would be conducting an auction in February 2027 for construction permits to build over 130 new FM stations in various locations around the country (see our article here). Last week, the FCC issued a Public Notice that provided the remaining details about the auction, including a September filing window for “short-form” applications to participate in the auction, the December 3 deadline for submitting “upfront payments,” and a detailed discussion of the rules for participating in the auction.  An attachment to that Public Notice provides the final list of available channels and their minimum bids.  In addition, the FCC issued a second Public Notice that announced that there will be a filing freeze on minor change applications for any FM station during the short-form filing window to avoid possible conflicts between sites specified by auction applicants and those specified in the minor change application of previously authorized FM stations.

In connection with the auction, the FCC will also hold tutorials and a mock auction to ensure that bidders know the process for filing applications and for participating in the auction.  Even if you have participated in FM auctions in the past, you may want to monitor these tutorials and mock auctions because the auction procedures have changed, as discussed below.

The dates and deadlines for the auction are as follows:

  • Auction Application Tutorial Available (via Internet) (August 21, 2026)
  • Short-Form Application (FCC Form 175) Filing Window Opens (September 14, 2026, 12:00 p.m. ET)
  • Short-Form Application (FCC Form 175) Filing Deadline (September 30, 2026, 6:00 p.m. ET)
  • Upfront Payments (via wire transfer) (December 3, 2026, 6:00 p.m. ET)
  • Bidding Tutorial Available (via Internet) (January 6, 2027)
  • Mock Auction (January 29, 2027)
  • Auction Bidding Begins (February 2, 2027)

The short-form applications are the first step in participating in the auction.  Anyone who wants to participate in the auction must file one of these applications in the window set out above – with the deadline being September 30 at 6 p.m. Eastern Time. As with any other FCC filing, do not wait until the last minute to file, as the FCC’s electronic filing system has been known to have slowdowns and glitches, and not getting the short-form application on file by the deadline is fatal to any hopes of participating in the auction.

Continue Reading Applications to Participate in February Auction for 132 New FM Stations Due by September 30 – FCC Releases Auction Rules and Procedures
  • The FCC’s Order adopted in June that requires broadcasters to quickly adopt new security practices to protect their EAS systems
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Although many, including Congress, take the last of their summer vacations in August, there are still many dates to which broadcasters should be paying attention this month.  One deadline that most commercial broadcasters should be anticipating is the FCC’s Order that will set the amount of their Annual Regulatory Fees.  Payment of those fees will be due sometime in September before the October 1 start of the federal government’s new fiscal year.  These announcements usually come in late August or in the first few days of September.  So be on the lookout for that announcement.

Noncommercial broadcasters who were anticipating a filing window for new noncommercial educational FM translators in the reserved band (88.1-91.9 MHz) in August, when it was originally scheduled to be held, should instead look later in the year, as the filing window has been moved from August to November (see our discussion here).  Applications can be drafted for the November window beginning August 3, but they cannot be filed until the window opens.

Continue Reading August 2026 Regulatory Dates for Broadcasters – Annual EEO Public File Reports, Political Windows, and more
  • The FCC’s Media Bureau announced that the upcoming new noncommercial educational FM translator reserved band (88.1-91.9 MHz) filing window has
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The FCC had scheduled an August 2026 filing window for licensees of noncommercial AM or FM stations and LPFM operators to file applications for new FM translators in the Reserved Band (88.1 MHz to 91.9 MHz) (see our articles here and here on the filing window).  However, after the filing window was announced, CBI, Inc.…