47 C.F.R. § 73.3527 Local public inspection file of noncommercial educational stations.
Title 47 - Telecommunication
(a) Responsibility to maintain a file. The following shall maintain for public inspection a file containing the material set forth in this section. (1) Applicants for a construction permit for a new station in the noncommercial educational broadcast services shall maintain a public inspection file containing the material, relating to that station, described in paragraph (e)(2) and (e)(11) of this section. A separate file shall be maintained for each station for which an application is pending. If the application is granted, paragraph (a)(2) of this section shall apply. (2) Every permittee or licensee of an AM, FM, or TV station in the noncommercial educational broadcast services shall maintain a public inspection file containing the material, relating to that station, described in paragraphs (e)(1) through (e)(11) of this section. In addition, every permittee or licensee of a noncommercial educational TV station shall maintain for public inspection a file containing material, relating to that station, described in paragraphs (e)(12) of this section. A separate file shall be maintained for each station for which an authorization is outstanding, and the file shall be maintained so long as an authorization to operate the station is outstanding. (b) Location of the file. The public inspection file shall be maintained at the main studio of the station. An applicant for a new station or change of community shall maintain its file at an accessible place in the proposed community of license or at its proposed main studio. (c) Access to material in the file. (1) The file shall be available for public inspection at any time during regular business hours. All or part of the file may be maintained in a computer database, as long as a computer terminal is made available, at the location of the file, to members of the public who wish to review the file. Material in the public inspection file shall be made available for printing or machine reproduction upon request made in person. The applicant, permittee, or licensee may specify the location for printing or reproduction, require the requesting party to pay the reasonable cost thereof, and may require guarantee of payment in advance (e.g., by requiring a deposit, obtaining credit card information, or any other reasonable method). Requests for copies shall be fulfilled within a reasonable period of time, which generally should not exceed 7 days. (2) The applicant, permittee, or licensee who maintains its main studio and public file outside its community of license shall: (i) Make available to persons within its geographic service area, by mail upon telephone request, photocopies of documents in the file (see §73.3527(c)(1)), excluding the political file (see §73.3527(e)(5)), and the station shall pay postage; (ii) Mail the most recent version of “The Public and Broadcasting” to any member of the public that requests a copy; and (iii) Be prepared to assist members of the public in identifying the documents they may ask to be sent to them by mail, for example, by describing to the caller, if asked, the period covered by a particular report and the number of pages included in the report. Note to paragraph (d) Responsibility in case of assignment or transfer. (1) In cases involving applications for consent to assignment of broadcast station construction permits or licenses, with respect to which public notice is required to be given under the provisions of §73.3580 or §73.3594, the file mentioned in paragraph (a) of this section shall be maintained by the assignor. If the assignment is consented to by the FCC and consummated, the assignee shall maintain the file commencing with the date on which notice of the consummation of the assignment is filed with the FCC. The assignee shall retain public file documents obtained from the assignor for the period required under these rules. (2) In cases involving applications for consent to transfer of control of a permittee or licensee of a broadcast station, the file mentioned in paragraph (a) of this section shall be maintained by the permittee or licensee. (e) Contents of the file. The material to be retained in the public inspection file is as follows: (1) Authorization. A copy of the current FCC authorization to construct or operate the station, as well as any other documents necessary to reflect any modifications thereto or any conditions that the FCC has placed on the authorization. These materials shall be retained until replaced by a new authorization, at which time a copy of the new authorization and any related materials shall be placed in the file. (2) Applications and related materials. A copy of any application tendered for filing with the FCC, together with all related material, including supporting documentation of any points claimed in the application pursuant to §73.7003, and copies of FCC decisions pertaining thereto. If petitions to deny are filed against the application and have been served on the applicant, a statement that such a petition has been filed shall be maintained in the file together with the name and address of the party filing the petition. Applications shall be retained in the public inspection file until final action has been taken on the application, except that applications for a new construction permit granted pursuant to a waiver showing and applications for assignment or transfer of license granted pursuant to a waiver showing shall be retained for as long as the waiver is in effect. In addition, license renewal applications granted on a short-term basis shall be retained until final action has been taken on the license renewal application filed immediately following the shortened license term. (3) Contour maps. A copy of any service contour maps, submitted with any application tendered for filing with the FCC, together with any other information in the application showing service contours and/or main studio and transmitter location (State, county, city, street address, or other identifying information). These documents shall be retained for as long as they reflect current, accurate information regarding the station. (4) Ownership reports and related materials. A copy of the most recent, complete ownership report filed with the FCC for the station, together with any subsequent statement filed with the FCC certifying that the current report is accurate, and together with all related material. These materials shall be retained until a new, complete ownership report is filed with the FCC, at which time a copy of the new report and any related materials shall be placed in the file. The permittee or licensee must retain in the public file either a copy of the contracts listed in such reports in accordance with §73.3615(d)(3), or an up-to-date list of such contracts. Licensees and permittees who choose to maintain a list of contracts must provide a copy of any contracts to requesting parties within 7 days. (5) Political file. Such records as are required by §73.1943 to be kept concerning broadcasts by candidates for public office. These records shall be retained for the period specified in §73.1943 (2 years). (6) Equal Employment Opportunity file. Such information as is required by §73.2080 to be kept in the public inspection file. These materials shall be retained until final action has been taken on the station's next license renewal application. (7) The Public and Broadcasting. At all times, a copy of the most recent version of the manual entitled “The Public and Broadcasting.” (8) Issues/programs lists. For nonexempt noncommercial educational broadcast stations, every three months a list of programs that have provided the station's most significant treatment of community issues during the preceding three month period. The list for each calendar quarter is to be filed by the tenth day of the succeeding calendar quarter (e.g., January 10 for the quarter October-December, April 10 for the quarter January-March, etc.). The list shall include a brief narrative describing what issues were given significant treatment and the programming that provided this treatment. The description of the programs shall include, but shall not be limited to, the time, date, duration, and title of each program in which the issue was treated. The lists described in this paragraph shall be retained in the public inspection file until final action has been taken on the station's next license renewal application. (9) Donor lists. The lists of donors supporting specific programs. These lists shall be retained for two years from the date of the broadcast of the specific program supported. (10) Local public notice announcements. Each applicant for renewal of license shall, within 7 days of the last day of broadcast of the local public notice of filing announcements required pursuant to §73.3580(h), place in the station's local public inspection file a statement certifying compliance with this requirement. The dates and times that the pre-filing and post-filing notices were broadcast and the text thereof shall be made part of the certifying statement. The certifying statement shall be retained in the public file for the period specified in §73.3580 (for as long as the application to which it refers). (11) Material relating to FCC investigation or complaint. Material having a substantial bearing on a matter which is the subject of an FCC investigation or complaint to the FCC of which the applicant, permittee, or licensee has been advised. This material shall be retained until the applicant, permittee, or licensee is notified in writing that the material may be discarded. (12) Must-carry requests. Noncommercial television stations requesting mandatory carriage on any cable system pursuant to §§76.56, 76.1614, 76.1620, and 76.1709 of this chapter shall place a copy of such request in its public file and shall retain both the request and relevant correspondence for the duration of any period to which the request applies. Note 1 to paragraph Note 2 to paragraph [63 FR 49499, Sept. 16, 1998, as amended at 64 FR 35947, July 2, 1999; 65 FR 7457, Feb. 15, 2000; 65 FR 36378, June 8, 2000; 65 FR 53614, Sept. 5, 2000]
Title 47: Telecommunication
PART 73—RADIO BROADCAST SERVICES
Subpart H—Rules Applicable to All Broadcast Stations
§ 73.3527 Local public inspection file of noncommercial educational stations.
