[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 209 (Wednesday, October 29, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64383-64387]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-25749]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[WT Docket No. 14-161; DA 14-1478]


Enhancements to the Commission's Universal Licensing System and 
Antenna Structure Registration System for Providing Access to Official 
Electronic Authorizations and Seeks Comment on Final Procedures

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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[[Page 64384]]

SUMMARY: In this document, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau 
(Bureau) seeks comment on certain procedures for implementing access to 
official authorizations electronically in the Commission's Universal 
Licensing System or Antenna Structure Registration System, while 
providing options for receiving authorizations on paper through the 
U.S. Postal Service.

DATES: Comments are due on or before November 10, 2014.

ADDRESSES: All filings in response to the Notice must refer to WT 
Docket No. 14-161. The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau strongly 
encourages parties to file comments electronically. Comment may be 
submitted electronically by the following methods:
     Federal Communications Commission's Web site: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     By email. To obtain instructions for filing by email, 
filers should send an email to [email protected], and include the following 
words in the body of the message, ``get form.'' A sample form and 
directions will be sent in response.
     Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must 
file an original and one copy of each filing. Filings can be sent by 
hand or messenger delivery, by commercial overnight courier, or by 
first-class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail. All filings must be 
addressed to the Commission's Secretary, Attn: WTB/MD, Office of the 
Secretary, Federal Communications Commission. All hand-delivered or 
messenger-delivered paper filings for the Commission's Secretary must 
be delivered to FCC Headquarters at 445 12th Street SW., Room TW-A325, 
Washington, DC 20554. All hand deliveries must be held together with 
rubber bands or fasteners. All envelopes must be disposed of before 
entering the building. Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. 
Postal Service Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 
East Hampton Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743. U.S. Postal Service 
first-class mail, Express Mail, and Priority Mail should be addressed 
to 445 12th Street SW., Washington, DC 20554.
     In addition, Parties are requested to send one copy of 
their comments to Best Copy and Printing, Inc., Portals II, 445 12th 
Street SW., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554, (800) 378-3160, email 
[email protected].
    People with Disabilities: Contact the FCC to request reasonable 
accommodations (accessible format documents, sign language 
interpreters, CART, etc.) by email: [email protected] or phone: (202) 418-
0530 or TTY: (202) 418-0432.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Bucher at (202) 418-2656 or via 
email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of Public Notice (DA 14-
1478) released on October 10, 2014. The complete text of the Public 
Notice is available for viewing via the Commission's ECFS Web site by 
entering the docket number, WT Docket No. 14-161. The complete text of 
the Public Notice is also available for public inspection and copying 
from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) Monday through Thursday 
or from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET on Fridays in the FCC Reference 
Information Center, 445 12th Street SW., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 
20554, telephone 202-488-5300, fax 202-488-5563, or you may contact 
BCPI at its Web site: http://www.BCPIWEB.com. When ordering documents 
from BCPI, please provide the appropriate FCC document number, for 
example, DA 14-1478.
    In the Notice, the Bureau announces enhancements to the 
Commission's Universal Licensing System (ULS) and Antenna Structure 
Registration (ASR) System to allow all commercial, private and public 
safety wireless service licensees and ASR registrants electronic access 
to their current official authorizations in ``Active'' status. For 
purposes of the Notice, the term ``authorization'' includes all current 
commercial, private, and public safety wireless service licenses, 
commercial radio operator permits, vessel exemptions, and spectrum 
leases in ``Active'' status and authorized in parts 1, 13, 20, 22, 24, 
26, 27, 74, 80, 87, 90, 95, 97 and 101 of the Commission's rules. The 
term also includes all current FCC Forms 854R, Antenna Structure 
Registrations, in ``Active'' status, including ``Granted'' or 
``Constructed,'' and authorized under part 17 of the Commission's 
rules. The term does not include current authorizations in any status 
other than ``Active,'' including, for example, current authorizations 
in ``Expired,'' ``Cancelled,'' or ``Terminated'' status in ULS, or 
``Cancelled,'' ``Dismantled,'' or ``Terminated'' status in the ASR 
System. In addition, the term does not include spectrum subleases or 
private commons arrangements, which the Commission will continue to 
process on a manual basis, nor does the term include authorizations 
archived in ULS. Antenna Structure Registrations are not archived in 
the ASR System. Finally, while other Commission Bureaus manage other 
licensing systems, the enhancements in the Notice apply only to ULS and 
the ASR System. As of September 1 of this year, 2,153,265 current 
authorizations in Active status were stored in ULS and the ASR System, 
and paper copies of official authorizations were mailed to licensees 
and registrants. The Commission's ``Report on FCC Process Reform'' 
released earlier this year recommended that, ``to the extent permitted 
by Federal records retention requirements,'' licensing Bureaus ``should 
eliminate paper copies of licenses.'' The Report further stated that 
``[c]onsideration should be given whether to have a transition period 
during which certain classes of licensees (such as small, rural 
providers or amateur radio operators) are excluded or permitted to opt-
out of an electronic-only approach.''
    To implement this recommendation, upon adoption of final 
procedures, the Commission will stop providing paper copies of current 
authorizations to licensees and registrants unless it is notified that 
the licensee or registrant wishes to continue receiving official 
authorizations on paper. In the interim, the Commission will continue 
to print and mail out official authorizations unless it is notified 
that licensees or registrants wish to stop receiving official 
authorizations on paper. The Bureau takes the following actions:
     The Bureau deems the electronic version of an 
authorization stored in ULS or the ASR System as the official 
Commission document. All licensees and registrants can access, through 
License Manager in ULS or ASR Dashboard (formerly ASR Manager) in the 
ASR System, the official electronic versions of their current 
authorizations in Active status, whether granted prior to or after 
release of the Notice. Only Commission licensees and registrants are 
afforded access to their official electronic authorizations through 
License Manager or ASR Dashboard.
     The Bureau seeks comment on certain aspects of its 
proposed modernized procedures for implementing access to official 
authorizations electronically through License Manager, through ASR 
Dashboard, and by email, while providing options for continuing to 
receive authorizations on paper through the U.S. Postal Service.
     The Bureau initiates an ``interim test period,'' which 
will continue until final procedures become effective. During the 
interim test period, licensees and registrants may elect to stop 
receiving authorizations on paper through the U.S. Postal Service. If 
no such election is made, the Commission will continue to print and 
mail out

[[Page 64385]]

paper authorizations upon grant of applications to licensees and 
registrants. Regardless of their election, all licensees and 
registrants may access official electronic authorizations online and 
provide feedback to the Bureau through the public comment process.
     The general public will continue to be able to access 
unofficial reference copies of authorizations through ULS or the ASR 
System.

The Notice provides for a 30-day comment period on the procedures 
proposed below. For promulgating ``rules of agency organization, 
procedure, or practice''--so-called ``procedural rules''--section 4 of 
the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) exempts agencies like the 
Federal Communications Commission from the general APA requirements to 
provide the public with advance notice and opportunity for comment. 
While the enhancements to ULS and the ASR System that the Bureau is 
planning to implement fall within this exemption, the Bureau has 
nevertheless decided to solicit public comment, which the Bureau 
believes will better inform its decision-making in this particular 
proceeding. The Bureau anticipates issuing a further public notice 
announcing the adoption and implementation of final procedures in the 
near term. Thus, interested parties are encouraged to take advantage of 
the interim test period and provide detailed comments to the Bureau.

Authorizations--Official Electronic Authorizations, Electronic Access, 
Duplicate Copies, and Unofficial Reference Copies

    Currently, once an application is granted, ULS or the ASR System 
generates an authorization from information provided in the granted 
application. The authorization is then printed on paper, placed in a 
postage-paid envelope, and mailed out through the U.S. Postal Service 
to the licensee or registrant. The Bureau finds that an electronic, 
online authorization can be considered the official Commission 
authorization under both the Federal Records Act of 1950 and the 
Communications Act of 1934, as amended. The Bureau therefore deems the 
electronic version of an authorization generated from the grant of an 
application and stored in ULS or the ASR System to be the Commission's 
official document. The Bureau notes that while it is deeming the 
electronic version of an authorization stored in ULS to be the 
Commission's official document, lifetime commercial radio operator 
licenses issued prior to implementation of ULS remain valid even though 
the license itself is not stored in ULS. The Commission currently mails 
the official copy of a paper authorization only to the licensee or 
registrant. In keeping with this practice, under the modernized 
process, a licensee or registrant may access its official electronic 
authorizations by securely logging into License Manager in ULS or ASR 
Dashboard in the ASR System, after which the licensee or registrant can 
download, save, and print copies of its authorizations, to the extent 
needed.
    Making the official electronic authorization available to a 
licensee through License Manager in ULS or to a registrant through its 
ASR Dashboard in the ASR System allows the licensee or registrant to 
obtain an additional copy of an official authorization without 
Commission action in the event its existing copy is lost or destroyed. 
While under this enhanced process the need to request a duplicate paper 
license or registration will be virtually eliminated, the Commission 
will retain the capability in ULS and the ASR System that allows 
licensees and registrants to file applications requesting duplicate 
paper copies of official authorizations. The Bureau notes that if a 
licensee elects to submit an application for a duplicate paper license, 
the licensee would file its application along with any application fee 
required under Commission rules.
    The Commission will continue providing unofficial reference copies 
of authorizations online through ULS and the ASR System. The reference 
copy includes the most recent information on the authorization, thus 
providing the public with current licensing or registration data 
without compromising the official status of the official authorization.

Proposed Enhancements

    The Bureau seeks comment on certain aspects of the modernization 
process, under which it is seeking to eliminate the distribution of 
paper authorizations to the greatest extent possible. Under the 
proposed procedures, once an application is granted, ULS or the ASR 
System will generate an official electronic authorization. The 
Commission, however, will no longer print out the authorization on 
paper and mail it to the licensee or registrant unless it is notified 
that the licensee or registrant wishes to continue receiving its 
official authorization(s) on paper.
    Official Electronic Authorizations Obtained Through License Manager 
or ASR Dashboard. The Commission now provides all licensees and 
registrants, through License Manager or ASR Dashboard, access to the 
official electronic versions of their current authorizations in Active 
status, whether granted prior to or after release of the Notice. As 
described in detail below, links to download authorizations in ULS can 
be found on the License Manager homepage and a registrant may download 
authorizations through its ASR Dashboard. In addition, licensees and 
registrants may download more than one authorization at a time. The 
Bureau seeks comment on whether this process for providing current 
official electronic authorizations in Active status through License 
Manager or ASR Dashboard sufficiently meets the needs of licensees or 
registrants wishing to use that option.
    Official Electronic Authorizations Delivered Through Email. The 
Bureau also proposes a second method by which a licensee or registrant 
could obtain its authorizations electronically. Under this proposal, 
the Commission would send the official electronic authorization via 
email to a licensee or registrant upon grant of an application if the 
applicant included a valid email address under ``Applicant 
Information'' (licensee) in a ULS application form or under ``Antenna 
Structure Ownership Information'' (registrant) in an ASR System 
application. While in most cases a single authorization would be 
attached to a single email, the Bureau also proposes to attach all 
authorizations granted on the same day within the same system to a 
single email, to the extent capacity allows. The Bureau notes that this 
would be a voluntary process and if a licensee or registrant did not 
wish to provide an email address in an application, it could instead 
obtain official electronic authorizations through License Manager or 
ASR Dashboard. While the Commission would email the licensee or 
registrant its official authorizations, the Bureau notes that its 
proposal does not include sending an official electronic authorization 
to a ``contact'' listed on the application. Finally, the Bureau 
proposes to send official electronic authorizations to valid licensee 
or registrant email addresses regardless of whether a licensee or 
registrant obtained its authorization(s) electronically through License 
Manager or ASR Dashboard, or elected to continue receiving official 
authorizations on paper through the U.S. Postal Service. The Bureau 
seeks comment on its proposal for sending official electronic 
authorizations, upon grant of an application, to the email address 
voluntarily included with

[[Page 64386]]

licensee or registrant information in the application.
    Options for Continuing To Receive Official Authorizations on Paper. 
While the default process under its proposal is to stop printing and 
mailing out official authorizations, the Bureau also proposes options 
by which a licensee or registrant could notify the Commission that it 
wished to continue receiving its official authorization(s) on paper. 
First, both License Manager and ASR Dashboard now include a setting 
that allows a licensee or registrant to notify the Commission whether 
it wishes to receive official authorization(s) on paper. Once final 
procedures become effective designating electronic delivery as the 
default, if a licensee or registrant wished to continue receiving 
official authorizations on paper, the licensee or registrant could 
change the setting so that once an application was granted, the 
Commission would print and mail out on paper the resulting official 
authorization(s) associated with the licensee's or registrant's FCC 
Registration Number (FRN). Licensees or registrants that use more than 
one FRN would be required to change the default setting for each FRN in 
each applicable system, ULS and ASR, to the extent they wished to 
receive official paper authorizations specifically associated with a 
particular FRN. The Bureau further notes that, under its proposal, 
while the default setting would be set so that the Commission would no 
longer print and mail out official paper authorizations, the setting 
would have no effect on how the Commission processed other applicant, 
licensee or registrant correspondence and notices generated by ULS or 
the ASR System. The proposed procedure for changing the setting is 
detailed below.
    Second, a licensee or registrant could contact the Licensing 
Support Center via phone, web or mail to request paper authorizations. 
Using any of these methods, which are also detailed below, the licensee 
or registrant would be required to provide its FRN(s), and whether its 
request applied to ULS or the ASR System, or both. After the Commission 
processed the request, once any pending or future application 
associated with the FRN(s) that the licensee or registrant provided was 
granted, the resulting authorization(s) would be printed on paper and 
mailed through the U.S. Postal Service to the licensee or registrant at 
the licensee or registrant address specified on the application. The 
Bureau notes that if a licensee or registrant elects to receive paper 
authorizations using any of these options, the licensee or registrant 
would also continue to have access to their authorizations 
electronically through License Manager or ASR Dashboard. Finally, the 
Bureau notes that the process for obtaining duplicate paper copies of 
licenses or registrations by filing an application, along with any 
applicable filing fee, through ULS or the ASR System would remain 
available under its proposal. The Bureau seeks comment on these options 
for licensees and registrants that wish to continue receiving their 
official authorizations on paper by mail.
    The Bureau's intent is to provide access to official electronic 
authorizations and to address associated issues with regard to making 
documents available electronically using today's technology, while also 
accommodating those who wish or need to continue receiving paper 
authorizations through the U.S. Postal Service. The Bureau is also 
aware that over time, this enhanced process will continue to change as 
technology evolves. That said, the Bureau is also interested in whether 
there are other issues that need to be addressed in this transition to 
official electronic authorizations, and how those issues may be 
resolved.

The Interim Test Period

    In conjunction with seeking comment on certain proposed procedures, 
the Bureau is initiating an ``interim test period,'' which will 
continue until final procedures become effective. In particular, the 
Commission has enhanced ULS and the ASR System to make some of the 
options included in the Bureau's proposal available for voluntary use 
during this interim test period so that licensees and registrants can 
evaluate their experience in accessing official electronic 
authorizations online and provide feedback to the Bureau through the 
public comment process. All licensees and registrants can access 
through License Manager or ASR Dashboard the official electronic 
versions of their current authorizations in Active status, whether 
granted prior to or after release of the Notice.
    They may also elect to stop receiving paper copies. During this 
interim test period, once a pending application is granted, and ULS or 
the ASR System has generated the official authorization, the Commission 
will continue to print the authorization on paper, place it in a 
postage-paid envelope, and mail it through the U.S. Postal Service to 
the licensee or registrant, unless the licensee or registrant elects to 
stop receiving paper copies using the setting now included in both 
License Manager and ASR Dashboard. If a licensee or registrant wishes 
to stop receiving official authorizations on paper during the interim 
test period, the licensee or registrant must change the setting so that 
the Commission will no longer print and mail out on paper any official 
authorizations associated with the licensee's or registrant's FRN. The 
procedure for changing the setting is detailed below.

Posting and Record Retention Rules

    Finally, some of the Commission's wireless service-specific rules 
require licensees to retain current authorizations as part of their 
station records, and, for some services, licensees must post paper 
copies of their station authorizations at certain locations. In 
addition, Commission rules require antenna structure owners to post the 
Antenna Structure Registration Number at each facility, and to provide 
all tenant licensees (and permittees) on the structure access to a copy 
of the FCC Form 854R, Antenna Structure Registration. The Bureau notes 
that enhancing the Commission's licensing and Antenna Structure 
Registration systems to replace official paper authorizations with 
official electronic authorizations does not affect these rules. The 
Bureau further notes that the Commission recently adopted revisions to 
its part 17 rules, which become effective October 24, 2014, including 
modified requirements for posting Antenna Structure Registration 
Numbers and mailing registrations to tenant licensees and permittees. 
The enhancements described in the Notice are independent of the 
proposals adopted in that rulemaking.

Instructions for Downloading Authorizations

    ULS. The Commission is currently providing both temporary and 
permanent links on the License Manager homepage to download 
authorizations in ULS. The temporary link, ``download your official 
electronic authorizations now,'' can be found on a green bar across the 
top of the License Manager homepage. The permanent link, ``Download 
Electronic Authorizations,'' can be found in the navigation bar on the 
left side of the License Manager homepage.
    ASR. The link to download Antenna Structure Registrations, 
``Download Official Registration,'' can be found on the registrant's 
ASR Dashboard homepage as well as under the ``My Registrations'' tab on 
its ASR Dashboard.

[[Page 64387]]

Instructions for Selecting Electronic or Paper Authorizations During 
the Interim Test Period

Instructions for Continuing To Receive Paper Authorizations During the 
Interim Test Period

    ULS. The Commission is also providing both temporary and permanent 
links in ULS on the License Manager homepage to access the new default 
setting that allows licensees and registrants to notify the Commission 
whether they wish to receive authorizations on paper through the U.S. 
Postal Service. The temporary link, ``Change your paper authorization 
preferences here,'' can be found on a green bar across the top of the 
License Manager homepage. The permanent link, ``Set Paper Authorization 
Preferences,'' can be found in the navigation bar on the left side of 
the License Manager homepage. Once accessed, the default setting will 
look like this during the interim test period:
``Receive Paper Authorizations? x Yes _ No''
    ASR. The default setting in the ASR System is located on the home 
page of a registrant's ASR Dashboard and will look like this during the 
interim test period:
``Receive Paper Registrations? x Yes _ No''
    If a licensee or registrant wishes to continue receiving official 
authorizations on paper during the interim test period, they do not 
need to make any changes to the settings in License Manager or ASR 
Dashboard.

Instructions for Selecting Electronic-Only Authorizations During the 
Interim Test Period

    If a licensee or registrant wishes to stop receiving official 
authorizations on paper during the interim test period, the licensee or 
registrant must change the setting(s) described above by checking the 
``No'' box. If the setting is changed to ``No,'' the Commission will no 
longer print and mail out on paper any official authorizations 
associated with the licensee's or registrant's FRN(s).

Instructions for Selecting Electronic or Paper Authorizations Upon 
Implementation of Final Procedures

Instructions for Continuing To Obtain Electronic-Only Authorizations 
Upon Implementation of Final Procedures

    ULS. Upon adoption of final procedures, the Commission would 
continue to provide, for a period of time, the same temporary and 
permanent links described in the interim test period instructions on 
the License Manager homepage to access the default setting in ULS. Once 
accessed, the default setting would look like this upon implementation 
of final procedures:
``Receive Paper Authorizations? _ Yes x No''
    ASR. Upon adoption of final procedures, the default setting in the 
ASR System would be located on the homepage of the registrant's ASR 
Dashboard and would look like this upon implementation of final 
procedures:
``Receive Paper Registrations? _ Yes x No''
    Upon adoption of final procedures, if a licensee or registrant 
wished to only obtain official authorizations electronically through 
ULS or the ASR System, they would not need to make any changes to the 
settings in License Manager or ASR Dashboard. If the licensee or 
registrant did not change the setting, the Commission would no longer 
print and mail out on paper official authorizations associated with the 
licensee's or registrant's FRN(s).

Instructions for Obtaining Paper Authorizations Upon Implementation of 
Final Procedures

    Once the Bureau implements final procedures, if a licensee or 
registrant wished to receive official authorizations on paper, the 
licensee or registrant could change the setting(s) described above by 
checking the ``Yes'' box.

     OR

    The licensee or registrant could contact the Licensing Support 
Center via phone, Web or mail. All requests would be required to 
include the licensee's or registrant's FRN(s), and whether the request 
applied to ULS or the ASR System, or both.
    Phone: (877) 480-3201, Option 2; TTY (888) 225-5322, Option 2.
    Web: https://esupport.fcc.gov/request.htm.
    Mail: Send a letter to the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, 
Technologies, Systems and Innovation Division, 1270 Fairfield Road, 
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 17325-7245.
    If a licensee or registrant changed the setting(s) described above 
to ``Yes'' or used any of these other options, once an application was 
granted, the Commission would print and mail out on paper the resulting 
official authorization(s) associated with the licensee's or 
registrant's FRN(s). Finally, the Bureau notes that if a licensee or 
registrant elected to receive paper authorizations upon implementation 
of final procedures, the licensee or registrant would also continue to 
have access to their authorizations electronically through License 
Manager or ASR Dashboard.
    This proceeding has been designated as a ``permit-but-disclose'' 
proceeding in accordance with the Commission's ex parte rules. Persons 
making ex parte presentations must file a copy of any written 
presentation or a memorandum summarizing any oral presentation within 
two business days after the presentation (unless a different deadline 
applicable to the Sunshine period applies). Persons making oral ex 
parte presentations are reminded that memoranda summarizing the 
presentation must (1) list all persons attending or otherwise 
participating in the meeting at which the ex parte presentation was 
made, and (2) summarize all data presented and arguments made during 
the presentation. If the presentation consisted in whole or in part of 
the presentation of data or arguments already reflected in the 
presenter's written comments, memoranda or other filings in the 
proceeding, the presenter may provide citations to that data or 
arguments in his or her prior comments, memoranda, or other filings 
(specifying the relevant page and/or paragraph numbers where the data 
or arguments can be found) in lieu of summarizing them in the 
memorandum. Documents shown or given to Commission staff during ex 
parte meetings are deemed to be written ex parte presentations and must 
be filed consistent with Sec.  1.1206(b) of the Commission's rules. In 
proceedings governed by Sec.  1.49(f) or for which the Commission has 
made available a method of electronic filing, written ex parte 
presentations and memoranda summarizing oral ex parte presentations and 
all attachments to those documents must be filed through the electronic 
comment filing system available for that proceeding, and must be filed 
in their native format (e.g., .doc, .xml, .ppt, searchable .pdf). 
Participants in this proceeding should familiarize themselves with the 
Commission's ex parte rules.

Federal Communications Commission.
Jessica Almond,
Chief of Staff, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau.
[FR Doc. 2014-25749 Filed 10-28-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P