science

Public file

Public file is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Public file rather than just read about it. In short: A public file (or public inspection file) is a collection of documents required by a broadcasting authority to be maintained by all broadcast stations under its jurisdiction. Such a file is required by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States, and by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

Key takeaways

Public file belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Public file to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Public file from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A public file (or public inspection file) is a collection of documents required by a broadcasting authority to be maintained by all broadcast stations under its jurisdiction. Such a file is required by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States, and by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). The public inspection file must be maintained at the station's main studio and it must be accessible to anyone during business hours. Stations are required to provide copies at the requester's expense, or if the facility is outside of the community of license, provide copies via mail at their own expense. As of November 2007, the FCC required public inspection files must also be maintained on the station's website, and are optionally distributed to public libraries in the station's broadcast area for the sake of convenience. In these cases, public correspondence from viewers and political reports are usually left out due to cost concerns or misuse of the information provided. The FCC itself began to maintain a site in 2014 where a station can upload their public file components, allowing the public full access to the materials contained within without the restrictions of business hours or a studio visit. The latter move to website access allowed stations to easily close their studios to public access during the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent possible cross-contamination to station employees unknowingly from the public. All or part of the file may be maintained in digital format as long as it is accessible at the time of inspection.

FCC-required contents U.S. stations must keep the following materials in their public inspection file:

Authorization The instrument of authorization shows the station's frequency, call letters, operating power, transmitter location, etc., as well as any special conditions imposed by the FCC on the station's operation. The license also shows when it was issued and when it will expire.

Applications and related materials The public file must contain copies of all applications filed with the FCC that are still pending before either the FCC or the courts. These include applications to sell the station or to modify its facilities (for example, to increase power, change the antenna system, or change the transmitter location). Also, the station must keep copies of any construction or sales application whose grant required us to waive our rules.

Citizen agreements Stations must keep a copy of any written agreements they make with local viewers or listeners. These "citizen agreements" deal with programming, employment, or other issues of community concern. The station must keep these agreements in the public file for as long as they are in effect.

Contour maps The public file must contain copies of any service contour maps or other information submitted with any application filed with the FCC that reflects the station's service contours and/or its main studio and transmitter location, if there are any, as not all stations are required to have contour maps.

Political file Per Section 73.1943 [1], licensees are required to document each political candidate's broadcasts.

Material relating to an FCC investigation or a complaint Stations must keep material relating to any matter that is the subject of an FCC investigation or complaint.

Equal employment opportunity file Per Section 73.2080 [2], licensees are required to keep records related to equal opportunity employment (EEO).

The Public and Broadcasting The FCC has a publication entitled The Public and Broadcasting, which must be kept in the file.

Letters and email from the public All correspondence from the public must be filed.

Issues and programs list All broadcast facilities must keep a list of program material aired for the betterment of the local community. TV stations must have records concerning commercial limits and children's programming, along with their compliance with the E/I rule.

Local public notice announcements Upon filing for license renewal, section 73.3580 [3] states broadcast facilities must make public announcements of their intention to continue broadcasting and notify the community that they may comment on the performance of the licensee. Dates and times of these broadcasts must be maintained in the public file.

Time brokerage agreements For commercial facilities, a copy of every contract or agreement for brokered time must be available. Local marketing agreements (LMAs) are also included.

Must-carry or retransmission consent election Class A television stations are required to document any agreements regarding must-carry or retransmission consent which they have with local cable TV systems.

Ownership reports and related material The public file must contain a copy of the most recent, complete Ownership Report filed for the station. This report has the names of the owners of the station and their ownership interests, lists any contracts related to the station that are required to be filed with the FCC, and identifies any interest held by the station licensee in other broadcast stations.

List of contracts required to be filed with the FCC Stations have to keep either a copy of all the contracts or an up-to-date list identifying all such contracts they have on file with the FCC.

Joint sales agreements For commercial facilities, any joint sales between the two must be documented.

Class A TV continuing eligibility Per Section 73.6001 [4], class A television stations must keep copies of their continued eligibility.

CRTC-required contents Canadian stations must keep the following materials in their public inspection file:

Notes The official rules from the FCC are contained in Title 47 CFR Part 73:

Commercial broadcast services (73.3526) Non-commercial/educational broadcast services (73.3527) Sections 73.3526 and 73.3527 are not applicable to low-power FM and TV stations and applicants.

References

External links FCC Public Inspection Files Database Radio and Television Broadcast Rules - Title 47 CFR Part 73 (Official)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Public file

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Public file claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Public file before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Public file ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Public file

In research: Public file appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Public file in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Public file is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Broadcast law, Public sphere, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Public file outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Public file in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Public file means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Public file out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Public file in simple terms?

Why does Public file matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Public file?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Public file.