FCC Waives Some TV Station Repack Reporting Requirements

WASHINGTON—The FCC's Media Bureau has waived some post-incentive auction reporting requirements for TV stations in three phases of the FCC's 10-phase repack, including the phase ending next month.

The FCC has both quarterly status report requirements, plus a status report 10 weeks before the completion date for each phase.

Because the phase 3, 5, and 8 completion dates are close to the quarterly report deadlines, the FCC has concluded that to require both reports is redundant.

So, since the phase completion date reports were due April 12, 2019 (phase 3), June 28, 2019 (5) and Jan. 3, 2020 (8), the quarterly reports that would have also been due April 10, July 10 and Jan. 10, respectively, have been waived.

Most of a thousand TV stations are being repacked as the FCC is moving them into smaller spectrum space to make room for advanced wireless. Some have moved early with the financial help of some of those wireless companies.

The repack is scheduled to wrap up in July 2020.

For all the latest news and insight on the repack, visit our repack silo.

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 WorldTV TechTV FaxThis Week in Consumer ElectronicsVariety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.