As previously reported in the NAB Pulse, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) extended the deadline for filing biennial ownership reports on FCC Form 323 from November 1, 2011 to December 1, 2011. The FCC recently announced in a public notice (LINK) that the window for filing 2011 biennial ownership reports opened on October 1, 2011.

Ownership reports are required to include information current as of October 1, 2011. Ownership report forms must be filed electronically using the FCC's Consolidated Database System (CDBS). Paper submissions will not be accepted.

The FCC has developed some resources to assist filers in preparing and filing their ownership reports, including a "most common errors" list, sample ownership report, online request form and hotline. This information can be found here.

To contact the FCC hotline, call (877) 480-3201. Stations may contact the NAB Legal department at (866) 682-0276 or (202) 429-5430) for general questions about ownership reports. Stations should consult their FCC counsel for specific questions and legal issues that may arise in preparing the ownership reports.