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In November, the biggest regulatory news may be the continuing federal government shutdown is continuing.  If the shutdown persists, comment deadlines discussed below may shift until after the government resumes normal operations.  As we discussed here, the FCC provided guidelines before the shutdown began on how regulatory deadlines would be impacted during the government shutdown, with most deadlines postponed until the day after the day that the FCC reopens.  Yet, as we noted here, many questions remain as to whether the FCC’s systems will be prepared for the backlog of filings suddenly due on one day, and as to how the reopening will affect actions like the LPTV/TV translator major change filing opportunity that was to have already been opened.  Be on the lookout for updates on what will occur should the federal government reopen this month.

One deadline unaffected by the shutdown is the requirement triggered by the end of Daylight Savings Time on November 2.  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.Continue Reading November 2025 Regulatory Dates for Broadcasters – Federal Government Shutdown, Daylight Savings Time, Comment Deadlines, FCC Open Meeting, and more

With the federal government shutdown now in its third day, having started on October 1, 2025, after Congress failed to fund the government for the coming year or to pass a “continuing resolution” to allow government agencies to function at their current levels, we thought that we should summarize the FCC’s guidance as to what is and what is not functional at the FCC during this period. In anticipation of a shutdown, on September 30, 2025, the FCC released a Public Notice announcing that it will “suspend most operations” in the event of a shutdown and providing some specifics as to what would and would not be operating during the shutdown.  A summary of the FCC’s guidance is set out below.  But it is important to note that much of this guidance is general, and how specific cases will be dealt with when the government reopens may be addressed in subsequent FCC notices – likely to be issued when the government reopens.  This is especially true if the shutdown is prolonged. 

On many specific issues, we suggest discussions with your own communications counsel to discuss what may happen when the government reopens.  While, as noted below, the FCC’s general rule will be that most deadlines that were to be met during the shutdown will be extended to the day after the day of the government’s reopening, there are exceptions.  For instance, targeted Enforcement Actions are still to be submitted on time.  There is no indication in the FCC’s Public Notice as to how responses to the open EEO audit will be dealt with.  Because the FCC-administered Online Public File database is offline, the general requirement to upload a station’s EEO audit response to the public file is impossible to meet.  But what about responses to the new DEI questions which, as we noted here, can now be submitted by email rather than uploaded to the public file?  There is no specific guidance in the Public Notice.  Similarly, the FCC’s major change window (which we wrote about here) may be suspended until after the shutdown as LMS is unavailable during the shutdown.  The same with Quarterly Issues/Programs lists as the online public file system is not functioning.  But will the FCC’s systems be able to handle a crush of filings due the first business day after the day that the government reopens?  These are all questions that broadcasters should consider with their counsel. Continue Reading The Government Shutdown and Issues it Raises for Broadcasters

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As we noted in our weekly summary of regulatory activity of interest to broadcasters, the FCC on Friday released a number of public notices and fact sheets providing details of how broadcasters are to pay their annual regulatory fees. Included among the public notices was one setting the deadline for paying the regulatory fees as September 25th. The FCC’s filing system is open now so fees can be paid at any time prior to the September 25th deadline. The failure to pay fees by that deadline will result in a 25% penalty.  Interest will also accrue on late payments, as well as collection fees.  Thus, late payments are costly. 

Fees for each television station are set out in the FCC’s Report and Order setting those fees (in a table in Appendix F, pages 52-95 of the order – fees are established based on a station’s population coverage, so each station is assigned a specific fee).  Radio stations can look up their fees in a “look up database” that is available through a link that was set out in the Media Bureau Fact Sheet released on Friday. Broadcasters should check their fees carefully to make sure that they are paying the expected amount and are submitting payment for all of their affected facilities.  Remember, fees are based on a station’s facilities on October 1, 2024, the beginning of the last fiscal year.  For broadcasters with earth stations, those fees are set out in the Space Bureau Fact Sheet. Continue Reading Annual Regulatory Fees Due by September 25 – FCC Releases Public Notices and Fact Sheets on Paying Those Fees

Updated, 9/9/25 to correct typo in opening date for the filing of applications for new LPTV and TV translator stations in the second bullet below.

Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the past two weeks, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how…

Last Friday, the FCC released its Order adopting the regulatory fees to be paid by broadcasters and other regulated entities at some point before the October 1 start of the federal government’s new fiscal year.  The Commission slightly increased fees for TV stations by 1.2% from last year (from $0.006598 to $0.006674 per population served)…

It is time for our look at September’s regulatory dates and deadlines to which broadcasters should be paying attention – and the deadline that probably is most important to all commercial broadcasters is not yet known.  That, of course, is the deadline for the payment of annual regulatory fees – which must be made before the federal government’s October 1 start of the new fiscal year.  We expect an announcement of the final decision on the amount of those fees for various broadcasters, and the deadlines for payment, in the next few days.  Keep on the alert for that announcement. 

Below is our summary of the other dates affecting broadcasters this September, including the effective date of the Emergency Alert System’s (“EAS”) new Missing and Endangered Persons event code, comment and other pleading deadlines in several FCC proceedings, the deadline for affected broadcasters to file their responses to the FCC’s August 2025 EEO Audit Letter, in addition to several political file window dates.

September 8 is the effective date of the new EAS Missing and Endangered Persons event code to be used by all EAS Participants, including broadcast stations.  In August 2024, the FCC adopted a Report and Order creating a new EAS event code for persons over the age of 17 who are missing or abducted from states, territories, or tribal communities (known as Ashanti Alerts), but delayed its effective date to provide EAS Participants with enough time to update their EAS systems to use the code.Continue Reading September 2025 Regulatory Dates for Broadcasters – FCC Regulatory Fees, Political Windows, EAS Event Code, Rulemaking Comment Deadlines, and more

  • The Radio Music License Committee announced settlements with both ASCAP and BMI of rate court litigation over the royalties to
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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, which will be paid sometime in September before the October 1 start of the federal government’s new fiscal year.  As we noted here, the FCC proposed to decrease fees this year for broadcasters from the amounts paid in prior years.  Also, as we noted here, the FCC has adopted a new regulatory fee calculation methodology for earth stations.  Watch for the announcement of the final amounts for the Annual Regulatory Fees, along with an announcement of the deadline for their payment.  These announcements usually come in late August or in the first few days of September. 

Here are some of the other regulatory deadlines this month:

August 1 the deadline for radio and television station employment units in California, Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Wisconsin with five or more full-time employees to upload their Annual EEO Public File Report to their stations’ Online Public Inspection Files.  A station employment unit is a station or cluster of commonly controlled stations serving the same general geographic area having at least one common employee.  For employment units with five or more full-time employees, the annual report covers hiring and employment outreach activities for the prior year.  A link to the uploaded report must also be included on the home page of each station’s website, if the station has a website.  Be timely getting these reports into your station’s OPIF, as even a single late report has in the past lead to significant FCC fines (see our article here about a recent $26,000 fine for a single late EEO report).Continue Reading August 2025 Regulatory Dates for Broadcasters – Watching for the Annual Reg Fee Announcement, EEO Annual Filings, Comment Deadlines, and Political Windows