§ 73.3525 Agreements for removing application conflicts. ( a ) Whenever applicants for a construction permit for a broadcast station enter into an agreement to procure the removal of a conflict between applications pending before the FCC by withdrawal or amendment of an application or by its dismissal pursuant to § 73.3568, all parties thereto shall, within 5 days after entering into the agreement, file with the FCC a joint request for approval of such agreement. The joint request shall be accompanied by a copy of the agreement, including any ancillary agreements, and an affidavit of each party to the agreement setting forth: ( 1 ) The reasons why it is considered that such agreement is in the public interest;
( 2 ) A statement that its application was not filed for the purpose of reaching or carrying out such agreement;
( 3 ) A certification that neither the applicant nor its principals has received any money or other consideration in excess of the legitimate and prudent expenses of the applicant; *Provided* That this provision shall not apply to *bona fide* merger agreements;
( 4 ) The exact nature and amount of any consideration paid or promised;
( 5 ) An itemized accounting of the expenses for which it seeks reimbursement; and
( 6 ) The terms of any oral agreement relating to the dismissal or withdrawal of its application.
( b ) Except where a joint request is filed pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, any applicant filing an amendment pursuant to § 73.3522(b)(1) and (c), or a request for dismissal pursuant to § 73.3568(b)(1) and (c), which would remove a conflict with another pending application; or a petition for leave to amend pursuant to § 73.3522(b)(2) which would permit a grant of the amended application or an application previously in conflict with the amended application; or a request for dismissal pursuant to § 73.3568(b)(2), shall file with it an affidavit as to whether or not consideration (including an agreement for merger of interests) has been promised to or received by such applicant, directly or indirectly, in connection with the amendment, petition or request. Although § 74.780 of this chapter makes this section generally applicable to low power TV and TV translators stations, paragraph (b) of this section shall not be applicable to such stations.
( c ) Upon the filing of a petition for leave to amend or to dismiss an application for broadcast facilities which has been designated for hearing or upon the dismissal of such application on the FCC's own motion pursuant to § 73.3568, each applicant or party remaining in hearing, as to whom a conflict would be removed by the amendment or dismissal shall submit for inclusion in the record of that proceeding an affidavit stating whether or not he has directly or indirectly paid or promised consideration (including an agreement for merger of interests) in connection with the removal of such conflict.
( d ) Where an affidavit filed pursuant to paragraph (c) of this section states that consideration has been paid or promised, the affidavit shall set forth in full all relevant facts, including, but not limited to, the material listed in paragraph (a) of this section for inclusions in affidavits.
( e ) Affidavits filed pursuant to this section shall be executed by the applicant, permittee or licensee, if an individual; a partner having personal knowledge of the facts, if a partnership; or an officer having personal knowledge of the facts, if a corporation or association.
( f ) Requests and affidavits which relate to an application which has not been designated for hearing shall bear the file number of such application. If the affiant is also an applicant, the affidavit shall also bear the file number of affiant's pending application(s). Requests and affidavits which relate to an application which is designated for hearing shall bear the file number of that application and the hearing docket number and will be acted on by the presiding officer.
( g ) For the purposes of this section an application shall be deemed to be “pending” before the FCC and a party shall be considered to have the status of an “applicant” from the time an application is filed with the FCC until an order of the FCC granting or denying it is no longer subject to reconsideration by the FCC or to review by any court.
( h ) For purposes of this section, “legitimate and prudent expenses” are those expenses reasonably incurred by an applicant in preparing, filing, prosecuting, and settling its application for which reimbursement is being sought.
( i ) For purposes of this section, “other consideration” consists of financial concessions, including, but not limited to the transfer of assets or the provision of tangible pecuniary benefit, as well as non-financial concessions that confer any type of benefit on the recipient.
( j ) For purposes of this section, an “ancillary agreement” means any agreement relating to the dismissal of an application or settling of a proceeding, including any agreement on the part of an applicant or principal of an applicant to render consulting services to another party or principal of another party in the poroceeding.
( k ) The prohibition of collusion as set forth in §§ 1.2105(c) of this chapter and 73.5002, which becomes effective upon the filing of short-form applications, shall apply to all broadcast services subject to competitive bidding.
[56 FR 28097, June 19, 1991, as amended at 63 FR 48624, Sept. 11, 1998; 85 FR 46794, June 18, 2020; 89 FR 7258, Feb. 1, 2024]