Online Public File Requirement 'Substantial' Burden, ACA, NAB, NCTA Say

The FCC’s proposal to expand the requirement that public inspection files be posted in its online database to cable operators will place “substantial” regulatory burdens on small operators, ACA said in its reply comments posted Wednesday in docket 14-127. ACA and the NCTA recommended “targeted relief” for smaller cable system operators, to “greatly ease the burdens of compliance for hundreds of small cable systems across the nation,” ACA said. Cable systems with fewer than 15,000 subscribers that aren’t affiliated with a large multichannel video programming distributor should be required only to file contact information in the online database and respond to inspection requests from the public through electronic means, ACA said. NCTA supported a six-month adoption for the requirement to maintain political files in the online database for all cable operators, and a two-year adoption period for small systems, it said in reply comments posted Wednesday. The commission should ensure its database is functionally ready to handle hundreds of additional documents, NCTA said. Noncommercial educational (NCE) radio stations and commercial stations with fewer than five full-time employees at each station should be exempt from new online file requirements, NAB said in reply comments posted Tuesday. The commission should ensure regulatory parity for entities with online public and political file requirements, NAB said. The commission should adopt a standard format for electronic political files and ensure they're as complete as possible, said the Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause and the Sunlight Foundation in reply comments posted Wednesday. Waivers for the requirement should be allowed only for limited situations, and the commission should create a shot-clock deadline for them, the three organizations said.