Government Shutdown Remains Possible

While a government shutdown in October was avoided, and the House now has a new speaker, there is no certainty that a government shutdown has been averted altogether. Legislators face a November 15 deadline to pass legislation enabling the ongoing funding of government operations. While a brief continuing resolution has been discussed, it remains possible that agreement will not be possible, and a shutdown will result. The FCC has adopted its plan for shutting down its operations except for critical functions, and it contemplates that a halt to regular operations would begin about two weeks after a government shutdown. While the FCC would later extend filing deadlines, the chaos and strain on filing systems that follows can be frustrating for broadcasters trying to complete required compliance actions. Broadcasters should file whatever they can before November 15. The filing window for biennial ownership reports extends through December 1. A loss of LMS would interrupt preparations for the LPFM filing window as applicants work on applications for filing in the second week of December, and potentially result in a further delay of the filing window.