FCC Cracks Down on Broadcasters for Public File Violations

The Federal Communications Commission settled two enforcement actions against broadcasters for failing to maintain their public inspection files, hitting one Pennsylvania operator with a fine and a Guam-based station with a shortened license renewal.

• Paperwork penalty: Pennsylvania-based Fifth Street Enterprises will pay a $6,000 penalty and adopt a stricter compliance playbook after the FCC found it had filing lapses related to its Online Public Inspection File (OPIF). According to the consent decree, the company was not forthcoming about its compliance, but the agency renewed its licenses for two stations despite the violations.

• On probation: Meanwhile, Guam’s noncommercial broadcaster, KGTF, landed in hot water for neglecting to upload years of required EEO and programming reports. Instead of a fine, the FCC renewed the station's license for just two years—a steep cut from the standard eight—effectively putting it on a shorter leash to clean up its act.

• The takeaway: The two settlements show the FCC using tailored penalties to enforce its public file rules: a monetary fine for a commercial operator and a shortened, probationary license term for a noncommercial station.

The enforcement actions are just one part of the Media Bureau's broad mandate, which oversees everything from cable to radio. These decisions also appear alongside dozens of other routine regulatory matters, from new station applications to spectrum management, in the agency's daily digest.