Focus On Regulation – Form 854 – Got one?
When stations are transferred, there are all sorts of forms involved, some financial, some regulatory.
One that gets overlooked from time to time is the FCC Form 854 – to report an ownership change for a tower.
When a station is transferred, the contract agreement may well include the real property and the tower(s). However, the FCC requires a separate notification of the change in tower ownership.
Section 17.57 of the Rules requires owners of registered antenna structures to immediately notify the Commission, using FCC Form 854, upon any change in structure height or change in ownership information. Failure to file the from will eventually result in a NAL for $3k and up.
The Commission considers this important, stating: “Maintaining current ownership contact information in the Antenna Structure Registration database is particularly important, because it enables the Commission and individuals to notify the structure owner promptly in the event of a lighting failure or other malfunction.”