PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 DA 10-613 Released: April 8, 2010 MEDIA BUREAU ANNOUNCES REVISED FORM 323 WILL BE AVAILABLE ONLINE ON APRIL 9, 2010, AND SETS NEW FILING DEADLINE OF JULY 8, 2010 MB Docket No. 07-294, et al. The Media Bureau announces that the revised Ownership Report for Commercial Broadcast Stations, FCC Form 323, will be available for public use on the Commission’s electronic filing system on April 9, 2010. Filers required to complete a biennial ownership report may create and file new electronic copies of the form on the Bureau’s Consolidated Database System (CDBS) on and after that date. In addition, the new deadline for filing biennial ownership reports for commercial broadcast stations is July 8, 2010. On December 18, 2009, a number of counsel and legal assistants to various commercial broadcasters and commercial broadcaster organizations (the “Broadcast Counsel”) filed an Ex Parte Notice and Request for Relief, asking that the Bureau adopt changes to Form 323, including amending Section II-B Question 3(c) of the form to allow filers to respond by uploading machine-readable data instead of requiring manual data entry of the responses to the question.1 The Broadcast Counsel also asked that the January 11, 2010 filing date be suspended until improvements to the form were complete. On December 23, 2009, the Bureau suspended the January 11th filing deadline pending completion of technical improvements to the form.2 The Bureau also announced that it would provide at least 90 days to file the revised form once it was made available again for biennial filings, and that the new deadline would be announced in a Public Notice. The Bureau has completed its planned technical improvements to the form, including the provision of a machine-readable spreadsheet for use in completing the data entry required in Question 3(c) of Section II-B. By this Notice, Respondents are advised that the revised and improved Form 323 will be available on CDBS for biennial filings on April 9, 2010, and that the new filing deadline for filing biennial ownership reports for commercial broadcast stations3 is 1 “MB Docket No. 07-294, Ex Parte Notice and Request for Relief,” filed December 18, 2009 (the “Request”). The Request was signed by representatives of 14 law firms and the National Association of Broadcasters. In addition, on December 21, 2009, Simmons Media Group filed a letter in support of the Request. 2 In re Promoting Diversification in the Broadcasting Services, Order, DA 09-2618 (Media Bureau, Rel. Dec. 23, 2009). 3 The revised Form 323 and new biennial reporting requirements only apply to licensees and entities holding attributable interests in licensees of commercial broadcast stations. The biennial filing schedules and separate form (323-E) for noncommercial educational (NCE) stations remain unchanged. July 8, 2010. Please note that although the filing deadline has been extended, the information required to be listed on the form must reflect ownership interests existing as of November 1, 2009. Filers are strongly encouraged to file as early as possible and to complete their Form 323 filings well in advance of the July 8, 2010 filing deadline. Filers seeking additional advice on how to complete the form should consult the information contained in the form instructions (available on CDBS and on the Commission’s website at http://www.fcc.gov/formpage.html) and should review the information on the Bureau’s Form 323 website, http://www.fcc.gov/form323. The Form 323 website contains links to prior orders and notices and includes “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQ) about the form and its electronic filing capabilities. If you require additional advice on completing Form 323, please contact the Bureau via email at Form323@fcc.gov. For further information, please contact Kristi Thompson, Industry Analysis Division, (202) 418-2330. Press inquiries should be directed to Janice Wise, (202) 418-8165. -FCC-