Online Public Inspection File Interface Now Available

Starting August 2, all full-power television broadcasters will begin to upload new public inspection file documents to the Federal Communications Commission’s online public inspection file site, where the public will be able to access them.

The interface for the site has been developed to vastly improve the accessibility of stations’ public files and to minimize the burden on broadcasters in providing them. The new site and interface implement the decision in the FCC’s recent Report & Order requiring television broadcast stations to post their public inspection files online in a central, Commission-hosted database.

Except for the political file, broadcasters will upload public file documents that are generated on and after August 2, but they will have six months after August 2 to upload public file documents that were in their public file prior to August 2. In the case of the political file, only broadcasters affiliated with the top four national TV networks in the top 50 television markets (Designated Market Areas or DMAs) are required to upload their political files, and only public file documents generated on and after August 2 need be uploaded. Those affiliated stations are not required to upload any political file documents generated prior to August 2. All other stations will, for now, maintain their political files at their stations. These stations will begin uploading their political files to the Commission’s online site on July 1, 2014. A list of the elements of the public inspection file may be found in the text at the site, along with brief explanations of each. Please note that there are a few exceptions to the uploading obligation, such as emails and letters from the public and certain documents related to Commission investigations.