FCC Sets Start Date For Online Public File

The FCC has announced June 24 as the start date for the first group of radio stations and other entities to migrate their public files online under modernized public inspection file rules adopted in January.

For radio, it means commercial stations in the top 50 Nielsen Audio markets with five or more full-time employees are required to upload their new public inspection file documents into the FCC-hosted database starting on that date.

Archived political file material is exempt from the online requirement. Stations will only need to upload new political file documents.

Click Here for FCC Notice

InsideRadio reports the date also applies to cable systems with 1,000 or more subscribers, satellite radio and satellite television operators. The online database opened for testing Thursday and the FCC will conduct a live Webinar to demonstrate the system before June 24.

Noncommercial educational radio stations, commercial radio stations in the top 50 Nielsen markets with fewer than five full-time employees, and all commercial radio stations in markets below the top 50 have until March 1, 2018 to upload their existing public files into the system with the exception of existing political file material. From then on, they’re required to place all new public and political file material in the online file.

Commercial broadcast licensees still have to keep letters and emails from the public in their local public file.