Radio Online Public File: Now A Rulemaking

Yes, you read correctly. The FCC has formally proposed rule changes that would impose a requirement on radio stations to migrate their public files to an FCC-hosted site. While the FCC has indicated that it will proceed slowly, and phase-in the requirement for some stations with small staffs, it appears that the radio online public file train has left the station. The FCC did leave the door open a crack for possibly exempting non-commercial stations from the requirement altogether, but that decision is far from made at this point. Comment deadlines have not yet been set, but will likely fall in the first few months of 2015.