License Renewal

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  • The FCC’s Media Bureau released a Public Notice reminding broadcasters that new foreign government sponsored programming identification requirements take effect
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Though school may be letting out for many, the FCC does not take a summer recess.  Instead, regulation continues with the filing of Annual EEO Public File Reports due for some broadcasters on June 1.  There are also several other regulatory and comment deadlines coming up this June, including the deadline for all commercial full power TV, Class A TV, and AM and FM radio stations to begin complying with the FCC’s new foreign sponsorship identification requirements (with some exceptions), and comment deadlines in the FCC’s proceedings concerning its fiscal year 2026 regulatory fees, next year’s auction of vacant FM allotments, and the TV Parental Guidelines ratings system.  And there are political windows that open in June for elections that will occur in July and August. 

June 1 is the deadline for radio and television station employment units in Arizona, the District of Columbia, Idaho, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming with five or more full-time employees to upload their Annual EEO Public File Report to their stations’ Online Public Inspection Files (OPIFs).  A station employment unit is a station or cluster of commonly controlled stations serving the same general geographic area with 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 can lead to FCC fines (see our article here about a $26,000 fine for a single late EEO report).  Note that, for radio stations in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia, this EEO Report will be one of the two assessed by the FCC in its review of their license renewal applications that will be due by June 1, 2027 – the start of a new license renewal cycle for radio and, a year later, for TV. 

The filing of the Annual EEO Public File Reports by TV station employment units with five or more employees triggers a Mid-Term EEO Review that analyzes the last two Annual Reports for compliance with the FCC’s EEO requirements.  The Mid-Term EEO Review begins June 1 for these larger TV station employment units in Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming subject to this review.  See our articles here and here on broadcasters’ Mid-Term EEO Review reporting requirements.

Continue Reading June 2026 Regulatory Dates for Broadcasters – Foreign Sponsorship Identification Requirements Compliance Deadline, Annual EEO Public File Reports, Comment Deadlines, Political Windows, and more
  • The language of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, which would mandate the inclusion of AM radios in all
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Several recent broadcast trade press articles summarized a Public Notice released this past week by the FCC’s Media Bureau.  The Notice deals with the processing of certain broadcast applications when a licensee has a pending “remedial” petition for declaratory ruling seeking to correct noncompliance with the Commission’s foreign ownership rules.  The articles suggest that the Public Notice would have wide impact, and that several pending applications would be held up by the FCC’s new processing policy.  In fact, this decision is limited in its application only to broadcasters who, through no fault of their own, find that they no longer comply with the foreign ownership limits set out in Section 310(b) of the Communications Act and ask in a “remedial petition” for what is essentially retroactive approval of the foreign ownership that exceeds the 25% limit imposed on aggregate foreign interests (voting or equity) in companies that control broadcast licensees. 

The Public Notice does not deal with companies who ask for permission to have foreign ownership in excess of 25% in advance of those owners acquiring their interests.  In cases where a controlling interest in the company is proposed to be held by foreign owners who have not previously been approved by the Commission, specific FCC approval is required for that acquisition to occur through a forward-looking petition for declaratory ruling.  That is not a “remedial petition.”  Similarly, the Public Notice has no impact on companies that filed Petitions seeking approval for future changes in ownership that would exceed the 25% ownership threshold but would not involve a change in control.  Where a company is seeking advance approval for a non-controlling foreign interest in excess of 25%, the processing of currently pending applications by the company should not be impacted. 

Continue Reading FCC Media Bureau Public Notice on Processing Applications When “Remedial” Foreign Ownership Petition Is Pending – What Is It All About?
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  • Linking to a post from the President complaining about the accuracy of media coverage of the Iran conflict, FCC Chairman
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  • FCC Chairman Carr announced the “Pledge America Campaign” which calls on broadcasters to pledge to provide programming promoting civic education,
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