Deadlines for Final Repack Invoices Announced; 74 Stations still on Interim Facilities
The FCC Media Bureau and Incentive Auction Task Force announced deadlines for remaining invoices for reimbursement for costs associated with the post-incentive auction repacking, and 74 stations are still using interim repack facilities, according to a Wednesday public notice. The…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
510 broadcasters with repack completion dates during phases one through five must have invoices in by Oct. 8, 2021, the PN said; 27 of those haven’t transitioned to their final facilities, the PN said. The 444 stations that had completion dates in phases six to 10 have until March 22, 2022; 47 entities in this group haven’t moved to permanent facilities, the PN said. The 1,140 other participants -- low-power TV, FM stations and MVPDs -- must submit invoices by Sept. 5, 2022. The deadlines are intended to allow for all eligible invoices to be processed by July 3, 2023, when anything left in the reimbursement fund is sent to the U.S. Treasury, the PN said. “Entities are encouraged to initiate close out procedures as early as possible,” the PN said. The agency will consider extensions but will require evidence of circumstances outside an entity’s control, such as “local zoning or a force majeure event.” The FCC “will not be able to grant extensions that do not provide the staff with sufficient processing time to complete close-out procedures for all stations” by the July 2023 deadline, the PN said.