PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12 th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 News Media Information: 202-418-0500 Internet: www.fcc.gov TTY: 888-835-5322 DA 17-1064 Released: October 31, 2017 INCENTIVE AUCTION TASK FORCE AND MEDIA BUREAU REMIND ELIGIBLE ENTITIES THAT THEY MUST SUBMIT FCC FORM 1876 TO RECEIVE REIMBURSEMENT FROM THE BROADCAST TELEVISION RELOCATION FUND MB Docket No. 16-306 GN Docket No. 12-268 The Spectrum Act 1 requires the Commission to “reimburse costs reasonably incurred” by full power and Class A television stations that are involuntarily reassigned to new channels as a result of the incentive auction repacking process, and by multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) in order to continue carrying the signals of reassigned stations (together, Eligible Entities). 2 The Commission recently made an initial allocation of the TV Broadcaster Relocation Fund in the amount of $1 billion to begin reimbursing Eligible Entities. 3 Eligible Entities are now submitting documentation of expenses incurred to the Commission for review, processing, and reimbursement. To receive reimbursement payments, an Eligible Entity must have bank account information on file with and validated by the FCC. Information about this process can be found in the Procedures for Submitting Payment Information Public Notice. 4 As described in that public notice, the first step is to submit a notarized FCC Form 1876 “Payment Instructions from the Eligible Entity Seeking Reimbursement from the TV Broadcaster Relocation Fund.” Because it may take more than four weeks from the submission of FCC Form 1876 to complete the multi-step process necessary to validate a bank account, 5 Eligible Entities who have not already done so are strongly encouraged to submit the FCC Form 1876 promptly so that reimbursement of their approved expenses will not be delayed. We also remind Eligible Entities that if their banking information changes at any time throughout the transition period, or they consummate a transfer of control or assignment, a new FCC Form 1876 must be submitted and bank account information must be validated by the Commission. Additional Information. Information about downloading and filing the FCC Form 1876 can be found on the Incentive Auction Webpage at https://www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/form-1876-helpful- tips-09142017.pdf. That document also contains a link to the Procedures for Submitting Payment Information Public Notice. For specific questions about preparing and submitting FCC Form 1876, 1 Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, Pub. L. No. 112-96, §§ 6402, 6403, 125 Stat. 156 (2012) (Spectrum Act) at § 6403(d)(1); 47 U.S.C. § 309(j)(8)(G)(iii)(I). 2 47 U.S.C. § 1452(b)(4)(A)(i)-(ii). 3 Incentive Auction Task Force and Media Bureau Announce the Initial Reimbursement Allocation for Eligible Broadcasters and MVPDs, Public Notice, DA 17-1015 (rel. Oct. 16, 2017). 4 Procedures for Submitting Financial Information Required for the Disbursement of Incentive Payments and Reimbursement Payments After the Incentive Auction Closes, Public Notice, 32 FCC Rcd 2003, 2022-25, paras. 66- 77 (2017). 5 Id. at 2023, para. 72. 2please call the FCC CORES Help Desk at (202) 418-4120, or email CORESHelpDesk@fcc.gov.