TV Broadcast Stations Reminded of the Public Inspection File Deadline
PUBLIC NOTICE
Federal Communications Commission
News Media Information 202 / 418-0500
445 12th St., S.W.Internet: http://www.fcc.gov
Washington, D.C. 20554
TTY: 1-888-835-5322
DA 13-120
Released: January 30, 2013
TELEVISION BROADCAST STATIONS REMINDED OF THE UPCOMING PUBLIC
INSPECTION FILE DEADLINE
MM Docket No. 00-168; MM Docket No. 00-44
In 2012, the Federal Communications Commission adopted rules requiring full power and ClassA television broadcast stations to post most of their public inspection files online in a central,
Commission-hosted database. While stations have been required to upload new public file
documents to the online database since launch of the online file requirement last August, the
Commission gave stations six months to upload documents that were already in their public
inspection file when the new rule went into effect.
That six-month deadline expires next Monday. Except for the items discussed below, public file
documents that were already in a station’s public file before August 2, 2012, must be uploaded to
the Commission’s site by midnight EST on February 4, 2013.
· Only documents specifically required by the Commission’s public file rules (excluding
those noted below) need be uploaded. The rule’s requirement can be found on the
Commission’s public inspection file site.
· No station is required to upload political files that were placed in their public file prior
to August 2, 2012; however, they are required to maintain those documents at the
station, where they must remain until the end of the two-year retention period.
· In addition, stations are not required to upload letters and emails from the public to their
online public file; rather, stations must continue to maintain letters and emails in a
correspondence file at the main studio.
The Commission continues to assist stations with this transition. Members of the public and
broadcasters will find answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the website if they
have questions. For further information, you can contact the Licensing Support Hotline at (877)
480-3201 option 2, (717) 338-2888, or (717) 338-2824 (TTY). You may also submit requests
and report any errors or problems with the online site at https://esupport.fcc.gov/request.htm.
The Hotline and support are available to assist with questions Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m.
to 6:00 p.m. ET. In order to provide better service, all calls to the Hotline are recorded.
Limited assistance will be available on Saturday, February 2nd, Sunday, February 3rd, and after
business hours on Monday, February 4th. Stations may email bpif_help@fcc.gov with issues and
questions. We caution stations that weekend and after hours support will be limited, and not all
issues may be able to be resolved. We strongly urge stations to seek Commission assistance
during the remaining weekday business hours.
The Commission links to the public inspection file are as follows: for access by the public –
http://stations.fcc.gov; for access by TV broadcasters – https://stationaccess.fcc.gov.
For press inquiries, contact Janice Wise, janice.wise@fcc.gov, (202) 418-8165.
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