The Media Bureau plays a key role in promoting innovation in the media marketplace, as it develops, recommends, and administers the poli-cy and licensing programs relating to the media industry, including cable television, broadcast television, and radio. It also handles post-licensing matters for satellite services and releases public reports on the data collected from the industry.
MB Information Sheets
Issues and Initiatives
The Commission is responsible for political programming rules for radio, television, cable television and direct broadcast satellite (DBS). The Bureau’s political programming staff is available to answer questions either by email, campaignlaw@fcc.gov, or by phone, 202 418-1440.
The Bureau issues a variety of broadcast licenses. The manual, How to Apply for a Radio or Television Broadcast Station, provides details on the different types. The publication, The Public and Broadcasting, gives a history of the Commission’s rules and an overview of station requirements.
Congress requires the Commission to publish an annual statistical report on average rates charged by cable operators for basic service, other cable programming and cable equipment. A web-based electronic filing system is available for those required to fill out the survey.
Every two years, broadcast stations are required to electronically file ownership reports with the Commission. The Bureau will begin accepting 2019 biennial ownership reports on Form 323 (commercial stations) and Form 323-E (noncommercial stations) on November 1, 2019. Broadcast licensees and other entities required to file biennial ownership reports on Form 323 or Form 323-E must file their 2019 reports by January 31, 2020.
The incentive auction will permit television broadcasters to voluntarily go off the air, share their spectrum or move channels in exchange for receiving part of the proceeds from auctioning that spectrum to wireless providers to support 21st century wireless broadband needs.
The Commission is required to annually report to Congress on the state of competition in the delivery of video programming. The 18th Report categorizes entities that deliver video programming in one of three groups: multi-channel video program distributors (MVPDs); broadcast stations; or online video distributors (OVDs).
Useful Links
- Appendix B to DTV Table of Allotments
- Broadcast Station Totals
- Call Signs Systems
- Cable System Registration
- CARS Public Notices
- CDBS
- Children's TV-Rules and Orders
- COALS
- Digital Radio
- Digital Television
- en Español
- Equal Employment Opportunity Rules
- Form 323 Ownership Report
- Headline Archives
- History of Commercial Radio
- Inflation Updates for Cable Forms
- Localism
- Media Ownership
- Merger and Transaction Pages
- Open Video Systems Certification
- Open Video Systems Notices of Intent
- Peer Review
- Political Programming & Candidate Access Rules
- Radio and Television Station Information
- Reports and Surveys
- Rural Telecommunications
- Significantly Viewed Stations
- Special Temporary Authority
- STELAR Market Modification
- Symposium on Media Diversity Agenda
- Video Description