Stations selected for 2025 EEO audits now have until 11:59 p.m. ET tonight (November 24) to submit responses, while political file documentation for October 2025 elections—originally due November 11—has been pushed back 30 days to December 11.
The extensions, announced hours after the FCC fully reopened, prevent forfeiture penalties that could have reached $15,000 per violation and stabilize operations for AM/FM licensees still recovering from the longest federal closure in history.
In a separate and more ominous development, the FCC is pressing forward with plans to repurpose portions of the 12.2–12.7 GHz satellite downlink band for terrestrial 5G broadband, a move broadcasters say will inject harmful interference into thousands of radio receive sites nationwide.
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and state broadcaster associations renewed urgent calls today for Congress to block the reallocation, warning that rural stations relying on satellite-delivered programming—especially in the Upper Midwest and Mountain West—face signal blackouts if the band is opened to high-power mobile broadband.
The item remains on circulation at the Commission with a vote possible before year-end, despite industry petitions for delay filed earlier this month.