New Ownership Report Filing Deadline - January 11th, 2010

Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, the FCC extended the deadline for filing the new FCC form 323 Ownership Report. It released a public notice that the filing deadline for the new revised FCC form 323 Ownership report has been extended to January 11th, 2010. As we have previously advised, the form must be filed electronically.

The form was to have been posted on the CDBS system on or about November 16th, but as yet it had not been posted in the FCC online filing system, CDBS. The Bureau explained that it is in the final testing phase of new form, and must delay release of the form until testing is complete. Since the transition to the new form and simultaneous national filing date will require some adjustment by broadcasters, the Bureau believes that it must provide sufficient time to complete the revised form once it is released for use. Nevertheless, it urged broadcasters to file as quickly as possible once the new form is available and not to wait for the last minute.

Once the new electronic form is available, the Bureau will release a Public Notice and post a notice on the Bureau's Form 323 webpage,

http://www.fcc.gov/form323. There will also be a Frequently Asked Questions page with answers by the Bureau staff.

Accordingly, the deadline has been postponed until January 11th, 2010.

This column is provided for general information purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal advice pertaining to any specific factual situation. Legal decisions should be made only after proper consultation with a legal professional of your choosing.