FCC Proposes Mandating Progress Reports From Nonreimbursed Stations

The Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau has tentatively concluded that both stations being reimbursed for moving expenses after the spectrum auction and those who will not be reimbursed but will be moving anyway should file periodic progress reports with the commission. That came in a public notice describing the information broadcasters will need to include in those reports. Broadcasters who won their auction bids to move from UHF to VHF or from higher V to lower V channel positions won't get moving expenses paid out of the $1.75 billion transition fund—they are expected to use some of the money from those multi-million dollar FCC payouts to pay for their moves. But while broadcasters who are getting reimbursed are required to file periodic progress reports "showing how the disbursed funds have been spent and what portion of their construction is complete," the same requirement was not put on nonreimbursable stations. But given that those stations will also be part of the daisy chain of moves and equipment upgrades, the FCC is asking for public comment on whether it should require reports from them as well, suggesting that it should.