Reimbursement Deadline Approaches for Phase 1-5 Repacked TV Stations

The FCC has issued a new Public Notice reminding full power and Class A television stations that were assigned new channels and transitioned in Phases 1-5 of the post-television auction repack to submit all remaining reimbursement invoices no later than October 8, 2021.  To do so, a station must file a final Form 399 in LMS submitting all remaining invoices for reimbursement and certifying that its request for reimbursement is final.  This submission will initiate interim close-out procedures for the station, and allow the FCC to process and complete the reimbursement process.  While limited extensions of the October 8^th deadline may be possible, the circumstances would have to be extraordinary.

The Notice includes a reminder that stations in all phases can initiate close-out procedures as soon as construction is complete.  The 444 repacked stations assigned to Phases 6-10 have a March 22, 2022 deadline to submit all remaining invoices and initiate interim close-out procedures.  All MVPDs, FM stations, and LPTV/translator stations who intend to seek reimbursement must submit all remaining invoices and supporting documentation using the Reimbursement Form, and initiate interim close-out procedures by September 5, 2022.

If an entity does not plan to submit any invoices for reimbursement, it should contact the Fund Administrator immediately to close out their accounts.  Entities failing to file any invoices or initiate interim close-out procedures by the invoice filing deadline assigned to that entity will be closed out of the reimbursement program on that filing deadline date, and any allocations made to that entity’s account will be returned to the Fund and available for allocation to other entities in the reimbursement program.