Federal Communications Commission	"FCC/DA  XX-XXX"


DA 20-443
Released:  April 23, 2020

MEDIA BUREAU ANNOUNCES UPDATE TO RENEWAL APPLICATIONS FOR COMMERCIAL RADIO STATIONS 

By this Public Notice, the FCC’s Media Bureau announces an update to the license renewal form for commercial radio stations.  The Schedule 303-S used for radio station renewals now includes a new question on compliance with the Commission’s multiple ownership and cross-ownership rules.  This amends the interim procedures the Media Bureau announced in December 2019. Media Bureau Announces Procedures For Processing License Renewal Applications For Commercial Radio Stations In Light Of Third Circuit Mandate, MB Docket Nos. 14-50 et al., Public Notice, 34 FCC Rcd 12371 (MB 2019).
  In its previous Public Notice, the Media Bureau adopted interim procedures for commercial radio station renewal applications in light of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit’s decision in Prometheus Radio Project v. FCC. Prometheus Radio Project v. FCC, 939 F.3d 567 (3d Cir. 2019), petition for rehearing en banc denied (3d Cir. Nov. 20, 2019), petition for cert. filed, 88 U.S.L.W. 3339 (U.S. Apr. 17, 2020) (No. 19-1231).  
  The Media Bureau instructed every licensee seeking renewal of a commercial station license to report any violation of the Newspaper/Broadcast or Radio/Television Cross-Ownership rules using the “FCC Violations during the Preceding License Term” question in the “Renewal Certification” section of the renewal. That question states, “Licensee certifies that, with respect to the station(s) for which renewal is requested, there have been no violations by the licensee of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, or the rules or regulations of the Commission during the preceding license term.  If "No", the licensee must submit an explanatory exhibit providing complete descriptions of all violations.”
  Effective April 17, 2020, the Media Bureau updated the Schedule 303-S used for radio station renewals to include a question asking stations to certify compliance with the Commission’s ownership rules in section 73.3555. 47 CFR § 73.3555.
  Stations should use this new question rather than the “FCC Violations during the Preceding License Term” question to report any violation of the Newspaper/Broadcast or Radio/Television Cross-Ownership rules.  Any renewal applications submitted prior to April 17, 2020, will be processed based on the interim procedures.

Filers who have questions regarding basic filing requirements or who need assistance logging into LMS should contact the Commission at (877) 480-3201 (Option 2), Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 6:00 pm ET, or submit a request online at https://fccprod.service-now.com/auls?id=esupport.  For additional information please contact Christopher Clark, Christopher.Clark@fcc.gov,  (202) 418-2609, or Tom Hutton, Tom.Hutton@fcc.gov, (202) 418-7266, of the Media Bureau, Audio Division.  Press inquiries should be directed to Janice Wise, Janice.Wise@fcc.gov, at (202) 418-8165. 

- FCC -

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