FCC Extends Filing Deadlines for Storm-Affected Broadcasters

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TV and radio broadcasters recovering from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands won't also have to worry about getting their quarterly filings into the FCC by the Oct. 10 deadline.

The FCC says it has extended the deadline to Nov. 13.

Oct. 10 is when broadcasters have to have placed required material covering the previous calendar quarter in their online public inspection files.

But given the widespread power and communications outages the storm caused, that could be problematic.

Nov. 13 will also be the deadline for filing EEO information with the FCC.

In its most recent update on communications outages in Maria-affected areas (as of midday Monday, Oct. 2), the FCC found that two TV stations and nine radio stations remained off the air in Puerto Rico. That is based on voluntary self-reporting.

John Eggerton
John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.