The FCC Media Bureau released information Nov. 6, 2012, on the steps noncommercial educational broadcast stations must follow if they wish to conduct fundraising programs to benefit the relief effort for victims of Hurricane Sandy.
Although the agency prohibits such stations from on-air fundraising on behalf of any other entity than the station itself, the commission grants rule waivers for fundraising to support relief efforts for disasters of historic proportions.
Noncommercial educational broadcast stations that want to conduct fundraising for Hurricane Sandy victims must file an informal request for a Section 73.503(d) or 73.621(e) waiver.
According to the bureau, television licensees should submit requests to Barbara Kreisman (barbara.kreisman@fcc.gov.) The request should include details of the fundraising effort, including:
- the nature of the fundraising effort
- the proposed duration of the fundraising effort
- the organizations that will receive the donated funds and
- whether the fundraiser will be part of the licensee’s regularly scheduled pledge drive or fundraising effort.
