The FCC has sent out a reminder to all broadcast television stations, either full power or Class A, that the deadline for transferring public file data into the station’s online version is just days away.
Stations have had to put new material online since 8/2/12, but were granted six months time to add material that had already been in the file to the online version.
That task is expected to be accomplished by midnight EST 2/4/13.
The FCC noted the following specifics:
* 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 said it will do what it can to provide assistance:
“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 [email protected] 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.”
