THE FCC has postponed the filing date for biennial (every two years) ownership reports from Dec. 1, 2017, to Mar. 2, 2018, which will give broadcasters more time to acclimate to a new reporting system.
The Media Bureau said it was doing so of its own volition, rather than in response to a request from the National Association of Broadcasters, which had asked the FCC to suspend the deadline, perhaps indefinitely.
Owners of broadcast stations or parties with attributable interests are required every two years to declare that ownership and interest with the FCC.
The bureau said it was moving the deadline to give the FCC more time to implement a revised electronic version of the requisite reporting forms “to ensure that filers have sufficient time to complete and submit their reports.”
“The extension of time we grant today addresses NAB’s primary concerns that the rollout of the revised forms … goes smoothly and that broadcasters have sufficient time to familiarize themselves with and test the new forms. Thus, our action today essentially implements NAB’s suggestion that we postpone the 2017 biennial filing window to ensure the successful implementation of the revised forms,” the bureau said.
But the three-month delay was as far as it was going.
