January
- January 10 – Quarterly Issues Programs Lists. All full power and Class A TV stations, and all commercial and noncommercial AM and FM radio stations, must prepare and upload to their online public inspection files a list of important issues facing their communities, and the programs aired in the months of October, November, and December 2020 dealing with those issues.
- January 10 – All Class A TV stations must upload to their online public files documentation certifying their continued Class A eligibility for Fourth Quarter 2020.
- January 10 – All noncommercial educational radio and television stations that are not affiliated with NPR or CPB, and that suspended regular programming to conduct third party fundraising for the benefit of a non-profit organization, must generate relevant documentation for the period October 1-December 31, 2020 and place it in their public inspection file by this date. Such stations can devote no more than 1% of their total airtime to such fundraising efforts.
February
- February 1 – Children’s Television Commercial Limitations Certification. Annual certification of compliance with the commercial limits in children’s TV programming must be uploaded by all commercial full-power and Class A TV stations to their online public inspection files by February 1. This certification should cover the period from January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020.
- February 1 – Children’s Television Program Reports. Annual Children’s Television Programming Report (Form 2100, Schedule H) must be filed by February 1 using the FCC’s Licensing and Management System. This report should cover the period from January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020.
1 This calendar is intended to be a useful guide to FCC deadlines but is not intended to be an exhaustive list of required filings. Filing requirements may change over the year, and new filing requirements may be adopted or eliminated. Please contact David O’Connor, Washington Counsel for the Georgia Association of Broadcasters, with any questions about this calendar (Tel: 202-383-3429, doconnor@wbklaw.com).
March
- March 13 – Deadline for LPTV/TV Translator requests for a 6-month extension of the July 13, 2021, digital construction deadline.
- March 14 – Daylight Saving Time begins. Daytime-only radio stations and stations with pre-sunrise and/or post-sunset authorizations should check their sign-on and sign-off times on their current FCC authorizations to ensure compliance. All times listed on FCC licenses are in Standard Time.
April
- April 10 – All noncommercial educational radio and television stations that are not affiliated with NPR or CPB, and that suspended regular programming to conduct third party fundraising for the benefit of a non-profit organization, must generate relevant documentation for the period January 1-March 31 and place it in their public inspection file by this date. Such stations can devote no more than 1% of their total airtime to such fundraising efforts.
- April 10 – Quarterly Issues Programs Lists. All full power and Class A TV stations, and all commercial and noncommercial AM and FM radio stations, must prepare and upload to their online public inspection files a list of important issues facing their communities, and the programs aired in the months of January, February and March dealing with those issues.
- April 10 – All Class A TV stations must upload to their online public files documentation certifying their continued Class A eligibility for First Quarter 2021.
May
None.
June
None.
July
- July 10 – All noncommercial educational radio and television stations that are not affiliated with NPR or CPB, and that suspended regular programming to conduct third party fundraising for the benefit of a non-profit organization, must generate relevant documentation for the period April 1-June 30, and place it in their public inspection file by this date. Such stations can devote no more than 1% of their total airtime to such fundraising efforts.
- July 10 – Quarterly Issues Programs Lists. All full power and Class A TV stations, and all commercial and noncommercial AM and FM radio stations, must prepare and upload to their online public inspection files a list of important issues facing their communities, and the programs aired in the months of April, May, and June dealing with those issues.
- July 10 – All Class A TV stations must upload to their online public files documentation certifying their continued Class A eligibility for Second Quarter 2021.
- July 13 – Deadline for Low Power/Translator Stations to transition to digital operations and cease analog operations.
- July 1-31 – Copyright Royalty Claims. All television stations that were carried as a distant signal by a cable system during 2020 and that aired a program that they produced for which they own the copyright and which was retransmitted by a cable system: File a copyright royalty claim form between July 1-31, 2021 in order to share in the 2020 cable royalty distribution. Please also refer to the information in the NAB’s Counsel Memo, expected to be published in June/July 2021, for additional details on this subject.
August or September
- Annual FCC Regulatory Fees. Although the precise dates will not be determined until the summer, the window for paying the FCC’s Annual Regulatory Fees in recent years has been as early as August, but typically is in September. Broadcasters must pay their FCC Annual Regulatory Fees by the deadline established by the FCC or incur a 25% penalty. Regulatory fees cover the period from October 1, 2020, through September 30, 2021.
September
- September 3 – Lowest Unit Charge window opens for November 2, 2021, General Election, including Atlanta Mayoral election
October
- October 8 – Deadline to submit invoices and documentation for costs associated with the Incentive Auction Repack for stations in Phases 1-5.
- October 10 – All noncommercial educational radio and television stations that are not affiliated with NPR or CPB, and that suspended regular programming to conduct third party fundraising for the benefit of a non-profit organization, must generate relevant documentation for the period July 1-September 30 and place it in their public inspection file by this date. Such stations can devote no more than 1% of their total airtime to such fundraising efforts.
- October 10 – Quarterly Issues Programs Lists. All full power and Class A TV stations, and all commercial and noncommercial AM and FM radio stations, must prepare and upload to their online public inspection files a list of important issues facing their communities, and the programs aired in the months of July, August, and September dealing with those issues.
- October 10 – All Class A TV stations must upload to their online public files documentation certifying their continued Class A eligibility for Third Quarter 2021.
November
- November 1 – This is a good time of year to check your tower for FCC and FAA lighting and painting requirements.
- November 2 – General Election, including the Atlanta Mayoral election.
- November 7 – Daylight Saving Time ends. Daytime-only radio stations and stations with pre-sunrise and/or post-sunset authorizations should check their sign-on and sign-off times on their current FCC authorizations to ensure compliance. All times listed on FCC licenses are in Standard Time.
December
- December 1 – Biennial Ownership Reports Due (FCC Form 323 and 323-E).
- December 1 – Annual EEO Public File Report. Radio and television station employment units in Georgia must place in their online public inspection file an FCC Annual EEO Public File Report unless the station is exempt from EEO requirements. The report must also be posted on the station’s website if it has one and is required to prepare the report.
- December 1 – Television stations (including Class A TVs and LPTVs) that provided any subscription-based “ancillary or supplementary services” during the 12-month period ending on September 30, 2021, must file an FCC Form 2100-Schedule G (formerly known as FCC Form 317).
