Commercial and noncommercial broadcasters must file their 2023 biennial ownership reports on FCC Form 2100, Schedule 323 or 323-E, respectively, by December 1. The reports are required to be filed by every commercial and noncommercial full-power TV, Class A, LPTV, and AM and FM station. The window for filing ownership reports opened on October 2. All reports must be submitted by December 1, 2023.
If you fail to file or are late, this could affect your future license renewal applications. Stations must certify on their renewal applications that they have filed their biennial reports as required by the Commission's rules or disclose violations. Failing to file ownership reports on time can raise issues for stations during the license renewal process, including potential processing delays.
The FCC issued a reminder in July that is worth repeating:
“The accurate and timely filing of ownership information is critical to ensuring that the public knows who owns, operates, and controls broadcast stations. Additionally, accurate and timely ownership information is crucial to an understanding of the broadcast industry as a whole, including an understanding of the diversity and multiplicity of owners. Given the importance of the biennial ownership reporting requirement, which informs the Commission and the public as to the station’s current ownership and supports the Commission’s policy-making efforts with comprehensive, reliable data reflecting the race, gender, and ethnicity of attributable interest holders in broadcast stations, we encourage licensees to prepare in advance for the upcoming October 2, 2023, biennial filing window.”
The FCC will take enforcement actions against stations that do not file this report. The reports are complex. Make sure to give yourself enough time to complete them. For further information about biennial ownership reports, please visit the Media Bureau's Form 323/323-E website, which has links to forms and instructions, FAQs, and information sessions.
You can access the ownership report website here.