FCC Proposes to Eliminate Broadcast Mid-Term Report Filing Requirement

The Federal Communications Commission proposed to eliminate a broadcast filing requirement and instead rely on publicly available information in its periodic reviews of broadcaster employment practices. Currently, the Broadcast Mid-Term Report (Form 397) requires certain television and radio stations to submit information to the FCC about their Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) practices which they largely already provide in their FCC-maintained online public files. Because most of the information collected in Form 397 is now otherwise available to the Commission and the public via the online public file, the Commission has tentatively concluded that the requirement to file Form 397 is outdated and unnecessary for the Commission to conduct its mid-term EEO reviews.