Page Text: The RSS link for all entities is: https://publicfiles.fcc.gov/rss/ . The RSS link for a particular broadcast station is: https://publicfiles.fcc.gov/[entity-type]-profile/[entity-designation]/rss/ (for example, https://publicfiles.fcc.gov/tv-profile/wls-tv/rss/ ).
Broadcasters, Cable Operators, DBS Providers, and Satellite Radio Licensees
Deadline to transition to the online public file
When must entities commence uploading documents to the online public file?
On June 24, 2016, cable systems with 1,000 or more subscribers, DBS providers, SDARS licensees, and commercial radio stations in the top 50 Nielsen Audio radio markets with five or more full-time employees must begin uploading their new public inspection file documents in the Commission-hosted online public file database. In addition, these entities must place their existing public file documents into the online public file within six months after the effective date, or by December 24, 2016. Entities are not be required to place in the online public file existing political file material.
Cable systems with 1,000 or more subscribers but fewer than 5,000 subscribers will not be required to place new political file material in the Commission's online file until March 1, 2018. Cable systems with fewer than 1,000 subscribers are exempt from all online filing requirements. In addition, until March 1, 2018, all NCE radio broadcast stations, commercial radio broadcast stations in the top 50 Nielsen Audio markets with fewer than five full-time employees, and all commercial radio broadcast stations in markets below the top 50 or outside all markets are exempt from all requirements to place public file materials in the online public file. As of March 1, 2018, these radio entities must have placed all existing public file material in the online public file, with the exception of existing political file material, and must begin placing all new public and political file material in the online file on a going-forward basis. Commercial broadcast licensees must continue to retain letters and emails from the public in the local public file and will not be permitted to upload those materials to the online public file.
Commencing on the June 24, 2016 effective date, television broadcasters, which have been subject to online file requirements since 2012, will also be required to use the new expanded online public inspection file (“OPIF”) rather than the existing online broadcast public inspection file (“BPIF”). The FCC will move all documents in BPIF to the OPIF database by midnight on June 24, 2016. BPIF will no longer be available starting June 24, 2016.
Logging In
How do broadcasters access their online file page so they can upload documents and review and edit their files?
There are two login screens for broadcasters at https://publicfiles.fcc.gov. The first, Owner Sign In, allows the FRN holder to use their primary FRN and associated password to see their stations' facility ids and associated passcodes and to track the history of each station's Public Inspection File. The second, Entity Sign In, accepts a facility and passcode to manage a single station's Public Inspection File. There is a link on the Facility Sign In to switch to the FRN Sign In screen. Organizations with multiple FRNs may want to test their alternate FRN before contacting FCC for assistance.
How does a broadcaster acquire a passcode?
Entity will receive their passcode from the individual responsible for the organization's FRN. There is a link on the Entity Sign In to switch to the Owner Sign In screen. The FRN holder can sign in with the organization's primary FRN (e.g., filing FRN) and associated password to see their Entity's facility ids and associated passcodes.
How do cable operator access their online file page so they can upload documents and review and edit their files?
There are two login screens for cable operators at https://publicfiles.fcc.gov. The first, Owner Sign In, accepts a COALS ID and passcode to manage a cable operator's Public Inspection File. The second, Entity Sign In, allows the cable operator to log in using their PSID and passcode. There is a link on the Owner Sign In to switch to the Entity Sign In screen.
The Commission's security tools and safeguards, including passcodes, will prevent unauthorized access.
Contents
Which documents will the Commission upload and which documents will the entities themselves upload?
Entities must upload any required public file document that has not already been filed with the Commission. The Commission will upload to entities' online public files any required documents that have been filed with the Commission in other contexts (such as broadcast station renewal, assignment and transfer applications and EEO reports filed by cable, DBS, and satellite television entities, filed in the Commission's Consolidated DataBase System (CDBS), or children's television quarterly reports filed in LMS).
Apart from public file documents already filed with the Commission, what other public file documents do not have to be uploaded to the online public file?
No entity ever has to upload political files that pre-date the date the entity is required to begin uploading their political files (June 24, 2016 for cable systems with 5,000 or more subscribers, DBS providers, SDARS licensees, and commercial radio stations in the top 50 Nielsen Audio radio markets with five or more full-time employees; March 1, 2018 for all other radio stations and cable systems with between 1,000 and 5,000 subscribers; TV stations should be fully transitioned). These files must remain available to the public, however, until the end of their two-year retention period. Entities may elect to retain existing political files in their local public file at the station or the local cable office or at the DBS provider's or satellite radio licensee's headquarter office. Alternatively, entities may choose voluntarily to place existing political files in the online file database.
Commercial television and radio broadcasters must retain letters and emails received from the public in a local paper or electronic file and not upload these materials to the online file.
Cable operators may choose to retain information regarding the location of the system's principal headend in the system's local public file rather than placing this information in the online file.
Materials related to a Commission investigation or complaint that have been expressly exempted by the Commission from the requirement to place them in the public file are not required to be placed in the online public file.
If an entity uploads to the online public file all materials required to be maintained in the public inspection file, can it then stop maintaining the corresponding local public files?
Yes. Entities that have fully transitioned to the online public file -- that is, entities that have uploaded all public file material to the FCC's online file database including all political file material required to be retained in the public file-- and that also provide online access to back-up political file material via the entity's own website when the FCC's online database is temporarily unavailable, will not be required to maintain a local public file. This option is not available to commercial broadcast licensees who must continue to retain a correspondence file that cannot be made available online for privacy reasons.
How will the Commission deal with documents that no longer must be maintained in the public file [e.g., because the retention period for a file has expired or an entity has uploaded a corrected version of a document]?
Entities are responsible for maintaining their online public file. If a document has been replaced or a contract has expired or the rules no longer require that a particular document be part of the public file, the entity will be responsible for taking appropriate action to reflect these changes. The Commission has improved its online file database to permit entities to delete files and empty folders when documents in the file are past their retention period or the entity wishes to delete them for another reason. Entities are able to select one or more files and/or folders for deletion at one time, permitting them to efficiently remove documents from the online file
On June 24, 2016.
Political File (broadcasters)
May an entity not required to upload its public or political files until March 1, 2018, voluntarily upload its files to the Commission's website before that date?
Yes. Entities that are temporarily exempt from part or all online public file requirements may upload material to the online public file voluntarily before the delayed effective date of their online file requirement. For example, an NCE broadcast radio station that is not required to commence using the online file until March 1, 2018 may voluntarily commence using the online file prior to this date. Entities may also elect voluntarily to upload to the online file existing political file material that would otherwise be required to be retained in the entity's local public file until the end of the two-year retention period. To avoid any confusion regarding the location and completeness of the public and political file, any entity that voluntarily elects to commence using the online file early must ensure that the online file contains all new public file material on a going-forward basis, including all new political file material. That is, all new public and political file material must be uploaded to the online file on a going-forward basis commencing on the date the entity elects to transition to the online file. In addition, entities choosing to transition to the online filing system early may not switch back and forth between systems (local and online) after their election is made. Once an entity elects to use the online filing system, from that point forward it should upload all required public and political files on a going-forward basis in a timely manner and should continue to use the online system permanently.
Entities that have commenced using the online file database on a going-forward basis must indicate in their online file page that the file is available to the public.
Can a station voluntarily upload its existing political files and stop affording access to them locally?
Yes. Entities may elect voluntarily to place their existing political files in the online file database. Entities that have fully transitioned to the online public file -- that is, entities that have uploaded all public file material to the FCC's online file database including all political file material required to be retained in the public file-- and that also provide online access to back-up political file material via the entity's own website when the FCC's online database is temporarily unavailable, will not be required to maintain a local public file. This option is not available to commercial broadcast licensees who must continue to retain a correspondence file that cannot be made available online for privacy reasons.
How do entities that are not required to begin uploading their public and/or political files until March 1, 2018 (commercial broadcast radio stations in the top 50 markets with fewer than five full-time employees, all commercial broadcast radio stations in markets below the top 50 and outside all radio markets, all NCE broadcast radio stations, and cable systems with 1,000 or more but fewer than 5,000 subscribers) comply with the politically related sponsorship identification requirements in Section 73.1212(e) of the Commission's Rules?
Section 73.1212(e) of the Commission's rules requires all broadcast stations to place in their public file a list of “the chief executive officers or members of the executive committee or board of directors”, as applicable, of any entity that has paid for or furnished television broadcast programming that is “political matter or matter involving the discussion of a controversial issue of public importance.” This additional sponsorship identification information must be kept by all broadcast stations in their public inspection file pursuant to Section 73.1212(e) of the FCC's rules. To the extent entities place this material in their political file, which is common industry practice and which satisfies the rule's disclosure requirement, they would be required to upload these files on the same schedule as their political files. As noted elsewhere, television stations completed their transition to the online file in 2014. Commercial radio stations in the top 50 markets with five or more full-time employees must commence uploading all new public and political file material to the online file on June 24, 2016. All other radio stations are exempt from online file requirements until March 1, 2018.
Section 76.1701(d) of the Commission's rules also requires cable systems to retain similar information in their political file: a list of “the chief executive officers or members of the executive committee or board of directors”, as applicable, of any entity that has paid for or furnished television broadcast programming that is “political matter or matter involving the discussion of a controversial issue of public importance.” Cable systems with 5,000 or more subscribers must commence uploading political file material on a going-forward basis commencing June 24, 2016. Cable systems with 1,000 or more but fewer than 5,000 subscribers must commence uploading political file material on March 1, 2018. Cable systems with fewer than 1,000 subscribers are exempt from political and online file requirements.
DBS and satellite radio entities also must place this information in their political files and, commencing June 24, 2016, in their online political file.
Will all the folders that entities need to upload documents be on the Commission's public file site?
Yes, there are folders for all components of the public file. The political file folder will contain subfolders for federal, state, and local candidates and for non-candidate issues. Entities are able to add subfolders for local candidates and for additional candidates if the need arises.
What file naming conventions are required for documents uploaded to the public file site?
As noted above, the Commission will populate the online public file with appropriately named folders, and to some extent sub-folders, but there is no requirement that individual files be named in any particular way. Entities should note, however, that they are required to maintain an "orderly" file.
How does an entity delete folders in the political file?
Files and Folders can be deleted. Documents and empty folders can be deleted by clicking the "trash can" icon next to the document/folder name. All the folders/files that can be deleted will have a "trash can" icon on the right side of the list. Only the system folders cannot be deleted.
Are entities required to place political time buyers' payment checks in the political file?
No. There is no requirement that a political time buyer's payment check be placed in the file. To the extent an entity does place a payment check in the file as a means of providing information required by the rules, it should be aware that this information could be provided in any other form that the station chooses. In any event, stations that do place checks in the online political file may want to consider redacting any customer account information before making the material available online.
Other
Why are my files still “pending”?
All documents uploaded to the FCC's Broadcast Public Inspection Files system are scanned for viruses and then converted to PDF for public viewing. Ordinarily this process is completed in about 10 minutes. In the event files are pending conversion up to 24 hours, please do not try to re-upload these files, as that will lead to further delays. If the files are still pending after 24 hours have elapsed, please feel free to try again or contact us at 1-877-480-3201.
Is an entity required to post a link on its website to the station's public inspection file at the Commission?
Yes, if an entity has a website, it must post a link to its Commission online public file on its own website's home page.