Expecting some cash back from the Federal government for costs associated with your TV stations move as part of the post-FCC Spectrum Auction “repack” process?
Read on. The Incentive Auction Task Force and the Media Bureau have updated the price ranges listed in their catalog of eligible reimbursement expenses, used to reimburse full power and Class A TV stations and MVPDs from the TV Broadcaster Relocation Fund.
What does this mean for broadcasters?
“The changes are made in accordance with the economic methodology previously adopted to adjust the catalog’s price ranges annually throughout the reimbursement period,” the task force and the Media Bureau note.
The catalog of eligible reimbursement expenses is a non-exhaustive list, or reference guide, organized by category, of the equipment and service costs that full power and Class A TV broadcasters and MVPDs are most likely to incur as a result of their post-incentive auction broadcast transition.
The catalog is embedded within Form 2100, Schedule 399 (Form 399), and provides a predetermined dollar amount for expenses identified in the catalog that entities may use in the absence of a quote when submitting their estimates.
In February 2017, the task force and the Media Bureau adopted the economic methodology for annually adjusting its prices in accordance with the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ PPI annual average for the “WPUFD4 series.”
On May 9, the 2018 PPI annual average for the WPUFD4 series became final.
“Accordingly, the Catalog’s prices have been updated using the 2018 PPI annual average for the WPUFD4 series, to reflect the 2.8% increase from the 2017 PPI average value previously included in the Catalog,” the Bureau said in a public notice released Monday.
The translation from WashingtonSpeak is simple: Reimbursement checks will be a tad larger.
The updated price ranges for the equipment and services listed in the Catalog are integrated into Form 399 in the Bureau’s Licensing and Management System.
This update does not require any action on the part of reimbursement-eligible broadcasters and MVPDs. The updated prices for the equipment and services identified in the Catalog will be reflected in the “Costs” section of the Form 399 as the “predetermined cost estimate.” The adjusted values may be entered into the “estimated cost” field of the Form 399 for newly created cost estimates that are not accompanied by a vendor quote.
