[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 133 (Thursday, July 13, 2023)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 44735-44737]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-14498]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Parts 0, 1, and 80

[MD Docket No. 23-156; FCC 23-39; FR ID 145447]


Closure of FCC Lockbox 979097 Used To File Fees for Services 
Provided by the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC 
or Commission) adopts an Order that closes Lockbox 979097 and modifies 
the relevant rule provisions to require electronic filing and fee 
payments.

DATES: Effective August 14, 2023.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Warren Firschein, Office of Managing 
Director at (202) 418-2653 or Roland Helvajian, Office of Managing 
Director at (202) 418-0444.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's Order, 
FCC 23-39, MD Docket No. 23-156, adopted on May 17, 2023 and released 
on May 18, 2023, which is the subject of this rulemaking. The full text 
of this document is available for public inspection and copying by 
downloading the text from the Commission's website at https://www.fcc.gov/document/closure-lockbox-used-collect-fee-payments-wtb.

I. Procedural Matters

A. Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis

    1. Section 603 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, as amended, 
requires a regulatory flexibility analysis in notice and comment 
rulemaking proceedings. See 5 U.S.C. 603(a). As we are adopting these 
rules without notice and comment, no regulatory flexibility analysis is 
required.

B. Final Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 Analysis

    2. This document does not contain new or modified information 
collection requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA), Public Law 104-13. In addition, therefore, it does not contain 
any new or modified information collection burden for small business 
concerns with fewer than 25 employees, pursuant to the Small Business 
Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, Public Law 107-198, see 44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(4).

C. Congressional Review Act

    3. The Commission will not send a copy of the Order pursuant to the 
Congressional Review Act, see 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A), because the 
adopted rules are rules of agency organization, procedure, or practice 
that do not ``substantially affect the rights or obligations of non-
agency parties. See 5 U.S.C. 804(3)(C).

II. Introduction

    4. In the Order, we reduce expenditures by the Federal 
Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) and modernize Commission 
procedures by amending Sec.  1.1102 of our rules, 47 CFR 1.1102, which 
sets forth the fees for applications and other filings processed by the 
FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB). The rule amendment 
reflects the closure of the P.O. Box 979097 (i.e., lockbox) \1\ used 
for manual payment of filing fees for three different broad categories 
of filings: (1) Site-based license applications; (2) Personal license 
applications; and (3) Geographic-based license applications. We 
discontinue the option of manual fee payments and instead require the 
use of an electronic payment for each listing in this rule, and make 
conforming changes to other related provisions.
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    \1\ Our rules and other Commission documents refer to a series 
of P.O. Boxes used for the collection of fees as ``lockboxes.'' 
These P.O. Boxes are located at U.S. Bank in St. Louis, Missouri. 
Once a payment is received, it is processed and recorded by the 
bank.
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    5. Section 1.1102 of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 1.1102, 
provides a schedule of fees for applications and other filings 
processed by WTB. The rule also directs filers that do not utilize the 
Commission's on-line filing and fee payment systems to send manual 
filings and/or payments to the Commission at P.O. Box 979097 at U.S. 
Bank in St. Louis, Missouri. In recent years, there have been a 
decreasing number of lockbox payments, and, although paper filings are 
contemplated by the rule, WTB now requires electronic filing of all 
wireless radio service applications and pleadings. As a result, 
transition to all electronic payments is consistent with Commission-
wide efforts to digitize our systems and create efficient and more 
accessible interactions with the agency.
    6. The Commission has reduced its reliance on P.O. Boxes for the 
collection of fees, instead encouraging the use of electronic payment 
systems for all application and regulatory fees and closing certain 
lockboxes. We find that electronic payment of fees for the services 
processed by WTB reduces the agency's expenditures (including 
eliminating the annual fee for the bank's services) and the cost of 
manually processing each transaction, with little or no inconvenience 
to the Commission's regulatees, applicants, and the public. As part of 
this effort, we are now closing P.O. Box 979097 and modifying the 
relevant rule provisions that permit manual filings and require payment 
of fees via the closed P.O. Box. Specifically, Sec. Sec.  0.482, 
1.1102, and 1.2107 are being modified to eliminate references to the 
lockbox at U.S. Bank. In addition, Sec.  1.907 is being modified to 
eliminate references to applications submitted on paper, and the 
caption to Sec.  1.913 is being adjusted to eliminate a reference to 
manual filing. In addition, we make minor modifications to our

[[Page 44736]]

rules to reflect the replacement of the Commission's prior payment 
interface, Fee Filer, with a module contained within the Commission's 
Registration System (CORES). These rule changes are contained in the 
Appendix of the Order and the Final Rules of this document. We make 
these changes without notice and comment because they are rules of 
agency organization, procedure, or practice exempt from the general 
notice-and-comment requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act, 
see 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A).
    7. Implementation of Lockbox Closure. As a temporary transition 
measure, for 90 days after publication of this order in the Federal 
Register, U.S. Bank will continue to process payments to P.O. Box 
979097. After that date, payments for these WTB services must be made 
in accordance with the procedures set forth on the Commission's 
website, https://www.fcc.gov/wireless-fees. For now, such payments will 
be made upon log-in at https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/userLogin.do. Users 
will then access the link Manage Existing FRNs, and subsequently FRN 
Financials. Batch filers will use ULS Pay fees to make electronic 
payments. In the event an applicant is unable to make an electronic 
payment, the Commission's existing waiver standard in 47 CFR 
1.925(b)(3) remains the appropriate vehicle to seek relief from the 
electronic payment requirement. As we assess and implement U.S. 
Treasury initiatives toward an all-electronic payment system, we may 
transition to other secure payment systems with appropriate public 
notice and guidance.

III. Ordering Clauses

    9. Accordingly, it is ordered, that pursuant to sections 4(i), 
4(j), 158, 208, and 224 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 
47 U.S.C. 154(i), 154(j), 158, 208, and 224, the Order is hereby 
adopted and the rules set forth in the Appendix of the Order are hereby 
amended effective August 14, 2023.

List of Subjects

47 CFR Part 0

    Organization and functions (Government agencies).

47 CFR Part 1

    Administrative practice and procedure.

47 CFR Part 80

    Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.


Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary.

Final Rules

    For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Federal 
Communications Commission amends 47 CFR parts 0, 1, and 80 as follows:

PART 0--COMMISSION ORGANIZATION

0
1. The authority citation for part 0 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  47 U.S.C. 151, 154(i), 154(j), 155, 225, and 409, 
unless otherwise noted.


0
2. Amend Sec.  0.482 by revising the first sentence to read as follows:


Sec.  0.482  Application for waiver of wireless radio service rules.

    All requests for waiver of the rules (see Sec.  1.925 of this 
chapter) governing the Wireless Radio Services (see Sec.  1.907 of this 
chapter) that require a fee (see Sec.  1.1102 of this chapter) shall be 
submitted via the Universal Licensing System. * * *

PART 1--PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE

0
3. The authority citation for part 1 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 47 U.S.C. chs. 2, 5, 9, 13; 28 U.S.C. 2461 note, 
unless otherwise noted.


0
4. Amend Sec.  1.907 by revising the definition of ``Receipt date'' to 
read as follows:


Sec.  1.907  Definitions.

* * * * *
    Receipt date. The date an electronic application is received at the 
appropriate location at the Commission.
* * * * *

0
5. Amend Sec.  1.913 by revising the section heading to read as 
follows:


Sec.  1.913  Application and notification forms; electronic filing.

* * * * *

0
6. Amend Sec.  1.1102 by revising the last sentence of paragraph (a) to 
read as follows:


Sec.  1.1102  Schedule of charges for applications and other filings in 
the wireless telecommunications services.

* * * * *
    (a) * * * Manual filings and/or payments for these services are no 
longer accepted.
* * * * *

0
7. Amend Sec.  1.1109 by revising the introductory text to read as 
follows:


Sec.  1.1109  Schedule of charges for applications and other filings 
for the Homeland services.

    Payments should be made electronically using the Commission's 
electronic filing and payment system in accordance with the procedures 
set forth on the Commission's website, www.fcc.gov/licensing-databases/fees. Manual filings and/or payments for these services are no longer 
accepted.
* * * * *

0
8. Amend Sec.  1.1111 by revising paragraph (b) to read as follows:


Sec.  1.1111  Payment of charges.

* * * * *
    (b) Applicants may access the Commission's on-line filing systems 
at https://www.fcc.gov/licensing-databases/online-filing, and the 
Commission's fee payment module through the FRN access page of the 
Commission's Registration System at https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/paymentFrnLogin.do. Applicants who use the on-line processes will be 
directed to the appropriate electronic application and payment forms 
for completion and submission of the required application(s) and 
payment information.
* * * * *

0
9. Amend Sec.  1.2107 by revising the first sentence of paragraph (b) 
to read as follows:


Sec.  1.2107  Submission of down payment and filing of long-form 
applications.

* * * * *
    (b) Unless otherwise specified by public notice, within ten (10) 
business days after being notified that it is a high bidder on a 
particular license(s), a high bidder must electronically submit to the 
Commission such additional funds (the ``down payment'') as are 
necessary to bring its total deposits (not including upfront payments 
applied to satisfy bid withdrawal or default payments) up to twenty 
(20) percent of its high bid(s). * * *
* * * * *

PART 80--STATIONS IN THE MARITIME SERVICES

0
10. The authority citation for part 80 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  47 U.S.C. 151-155, 301-609; 3 U.S.T. 3450, 3 U.S.T. 
4726, 12 U.S.T. 2377.


0
11. Amend Sec.  80.59 by revising the first sentence in paragraph 
(c)(2) to read as follows:


Sec.  80.59  Compulsory ship inspections.

* * * * *
    (c) * * *

[[Page 44737]]

    (2) Feeable applications for exemption must be filed electronically 
using the Commission's Universal Licensing System. * * *
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2023-14498 Filed 7-12-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P