NCE Broadcaster Fined $9K For Issues/Programs Report Violations

There are certain regulatory "perks" to being a non-commercial educational (NCE) broadcaster, such as not paying regulatory fees. There are also certain regulatory drawbacks (looking at you, underwriting rules). One thing in which NCE and commercial broadcasters share equally, however, is the obligation to compile and file quarterly issues/programs reports describing station programming that addresses community issues. Failure to comply, even when there is no allegation that the station did not actually air issue-responsive programming, can be costly.

On November 6, 2023, the Media Bureau's Video Division issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for $9,000 against Puget Sound Educational TV, Inc., licensee of NCE television station KWDK in Tacoma, Washington. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) found that Puget Sound willfully and repeatedly violated the Commission's rules by failing to timely file 12 issues/programs reports. Specifically, the Video Division