Form 317 Deadline is December 1st

Posted on October 30th, 2015 by

All digital television stations – full power, Class A or LPTV — must file Form 317 with the FCC by December 1, 2015. Don’t remember what that form reports? Well, it requires a licensee to tell the FCC whether it transmitted any ancillary or supplementary services via its digital spectrum during the last 12 months ending September 30. And even if a station did not transmit such services, it still has to file the form and certify that it did not.

What are ancillary or supplementary services? Another good question. Those services include computer software distribution, data transmissions, teletext, interactive materials, aural messages, paging services, audio signals, and subscription video. If a station has transmitted such services, it must pay 5% of any revenue received on those transmissions.

This is one of those “every year” filings, so keep your records handy and add the deadline to your reminder list.