The FCC Media Bureau seeks comment on a...
The FCC Media Bureau seeks comment on a draft form to be used by broadcasters and multichannel video programming distributors to apply for reimbursement for expenses caused by relocation after the incentive auction, said a public notice released Thursday (http://bit.ly/1pwKpRS).…
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The form (http://bit.ly/1xq0EsO) contains blanks for those affected by relocation to estimate eligible expenses incurred documenting actual costs, and the information needed to set up a Department of Treasury account to receive payment. The form is intended to be submitted electronically and will include a final version of the catalog of eligible expenses that was previously released for comment by the bureau, the PN said. “The comments we receive will assist us in designing a form that facilitates the reimbursement process for all parties, while also ensuring that we are efficient stewards of limited reimbursement funds, and guarding against waste, fraud, and abuse.” The bureau seeks comment on what data on the form should be considered confidential. The amounts distributed from the fund to each broadcaster and MVPD will be public, but other data could be treated as confidential, the PN said. Eligible entities will file the form within three months after the FCC releases a PN announcing channel reassignments, and that’s when estimates will be submitted along with plans to buy new equipment or modify existing equipment, the PN said. Reimbursement funds will be initially allocated based on cost estimates, though applicants will need to set up Treasury accounts before the three-month deadline to receive them, the PN said. Broadcasters and MVPDs will submit updated reimbursement forms with cost documentation “each time they seek reimbursement for an expense against their allocation,” the PN said. “This process will allow entities to use federal funds to pay their expenses as they are incurred.” A final form is submitted “upon completing construction or by a specific deadline prior to the end of the three-year reimbursement period to be announced by the Media Bureau, whichever is earlier.” Stations with outstanding expenses by that deadline will provide a final accounting of expenses “upon completing the transition, even if this occurs after the end of the reimbursement period,” the PN said. The FCC is seeking comment prior to submitting the form to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), after which there will be another opportunity for public comment, the PN said. Comments on the form are due Oct. 27.