PUBLIC NOTICE![](media/image1.png){width="0.6541666666666667in"
height="0.6604166666666667in"}

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

445 12th STREET, S.W.

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20554

News media information 202/418-0500 Fax-On-Demand 202/418-2830 Internet:
http://www.fcc.gov ftp.fcc.gov

**August 2, 2000**

**FY 2000 Cable Television System**

**Regulatory Fees**

**The Federal Communications Commission issues this Public Notice in
order to provide information concerning the payment of regulatory fees
in FY 2000. If you are an operator of a cable television system or a
licensee of a cable television relay service (CARS), you should
carefully review this Public Notice. If you have a [broadcast auxiliary
service]{.underline}, please refer to the Mass Media Bureau website
([www.fcc.gov/mmb]{.underline}) for the payment amount of this
service.**

**WHO MUST PAY REGULATORY FEES IN FY 2000**

Cable television systems operating on [December 31, 1999]{.underline},
must pay regulatory fees per subscriber in FY 2000. Governments and
nonprofit entities (exempt under Section 501 of the Internal Revenue
Code) are not required to pay regulatory fees and should not submit
payment. *The Commission requires that each exempt entity submit, or
have on file with the Commission, a current IRS Determination Letter
documenting its nonprofit status, a certification of governmental
authority, or certification from a governmental authority attesting to
its exempt status.* All cable television systems must pay regulatory
fees of \$0.47 per subscriber for each community unit in which it
operates. Additionally, each licensee of a CARS facility operating on
[October 1, 1999]{.underline}, must pay a \$53.00 fee for each CARS
license held. Responsibility for payment of that fee rests with the
current holder of the permit or license at the time payment is due. A
regulatee is responsible for summing all of its services in order to
determine if a fee is due. If the sum of all services owed is less than
\$10, then the regulatee is exempt from paying the fee.

**WHY THE COMMISSION MUST COLLECT REGULATORY FEES**

The requirement to collect annual regulatory fees from cable television
systems is contained in Public Law 103-66, \"The Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act of 1993.\" These regulatory fees, which are likely to
change each fiscal year, are used to offset costs associated with the
Commission\'s enforcement, public service, international and policy and
rulemaking activities. These fees are in addition to any application
processing fees associated with obtaining a license or other
authorization from the Commission.

#### WHEN FEES WILL BE DUE

**Fee payments must be [received]{.underline} by the Commission during
the period beginning [September 11, 2000]{.underline}, and ending
[September 20, 2000]{.underline}. Any payments not received at Mellon
Bank by 11:59 p.m., September 20, 2000 will be assessed a 25% late
payment fee.**

  ----------------------------- --------------------- --------------------
  TYPE OF FEE                   REGULATORY FEE        FEE CODE
                                PAYMENT               

  Cable System Subscriber Fee   \$0.47 per subscriber 0071

  CARS License                  \$53 per license      0070
  ----------------------------- --------------------- --------------------

IMPORTANT FY 2000 CHANGES FOR REGULATORY FEE FILERS

The Remittance Advice 159 has been revised to accept payer and applicant
FCC Registration Numbers (FRN). We recommend that you begin using the
registration number with all payments to the Commission. The Commission
will continue to accept Remittance Advice 159 dated July 1997 without an
FRN.

To obtain a revised Remittance Advice 159:

-   A revised Remittance Advice 159 is included in this package

-   Go to <http://www.fcc.gov/formpage.html>.

-   Call the FCC's Form Distribution Center at 1-800-418-FORM \[3676\].

-   Pick up the form at the Commission in Room TWB200

The Commission began accepting Registration Numbers (FRN) after July 19,
2000, on the Remittance Advice 159 to assure proper credit of fee
payments. Currently, the use of the Registration Number is voluntary,
however, we strongly recommend that you begin using the registration
number with all payments to the Commission. The Commission may consider
making it mandatory in the future.

If you were registered in the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau's
Universal Licensing System (ULS) and your registration included all the
information we needed to issue a Registration Number, we pre-registered
you and mailed you your FRN in a letter in late July 2000. You may check
CORES to determine if you were automatically pre-registered.

To obtain a Registration Number:

-   Register at [www.fcc.gov](http://www.fcc.gov/) and click on the
    CORES Registration link.

-   Check your pre-assigned number [www.fcc.gov](http://www.fcc.gov/)
    and click on the CORES Registration link.

-   File FCC Form 160, (CORES Registration) which is included in this
    package. You may obtain the form at
    <http://www.fcc.gov/formpage.html> or by calling the FCC's Form
    Distribution Center at 1-800-418-FORM \[3676\]. You may also pick up
    the form at the Commission in Room TWB200. Mailing instructions are
    found on the form.

After July 19, 2000, if you do not register electronically, you may
submit your manual application for a Registration Number (FCC Form 160)
directly to Mellon Bank with your filing and payment. Mellon will
register you and you will receive a confirmation letter from the FCC
through the U.S. Postal Service mail.

Please also note that **Regulatory Fee Payment Type Codes** **have
changed** for the FY 2000 filing. These new codes are listed in the back
of this notice under the section, **Special Instructions for Completing
FCC Forms 159 and 159-C**. To assure proper credit for your regulatory
fees, **please be sure to use these new codes**.

**FCC FORM 159**

Regulatory fee payments [must]{.underline} be accompanied by FCC Form
159 (\"FCC Remittance Advice\"), dated February 2000. A copy of this
form, with specific instructions, is attached to this Public Notice and
may be used to submit fees. Reproduced forms are acceptable. Please see
\"Special Instructions for Completing FCC Forms 159 and 159-C\" for
detailed information on how to correctly complete these forms. You must
list each community unit and/or each call sign separately on Forms
159/159-C. [Written attachments are not acceptable]{.underline}. Failure
to properly complete FCC Form 159/159-C will delay the processing of
your regulatory fee payment.

Any regulatee may submit the Form 159 information electronically by
accessing the FCC website. Information on how to file electronically
will be made available on a subsequent public notice.

**WHERE TO SEND REGULATORY FEE PAYMENTS**

If sending your regulatory fee payment by [mail]{.underline}, please
address your envelope as follows:

**Federal Communications Commission**

**Regulatory Fees**

**P.O. Box 358835**

**Pittsburgh, PA 15251**-**5835**

If you prefer to send your regulatory fee payment by
[courier]{.underline} to our lockbox bank, you may do so 24 hours per
business day (except Federal or bank holidays). Please address your
envelope and deliver it to the following address:

Federal Communications Commission

**c/o Mellon Bank**

**Three Mellon Bank Center**

**525 William Penn Way**

**27th Floor, Room 153-2713**

**Pittsburgh, PA 15259-0001**

**(Attention: FCC Module Supervisor)**

**METHOD OF PAYMENT**

Regulatory fee payments may be made by check, money order, or by credit
card (Visa or Mastercard only). When paying by credit card, please make
sure you complete and sign block 31 of FCC Form 159. Payments may also
be made by wire transfer or ACH Debit. Instructions are provided below.

NOTE: We encourage arrangements to consolidate regulatory fee payments
either by a single entity or by different entities into a single payment
instrument. Consolidated fee payments may cover any number of service
categories. Payers who will be making a single payment for a significant
number of entities and wish to submit their payment information
electronically in lieu of submitting a large number of FCC Forms 159-C
(\"Advice Continuation Sheets\") may do so by accessing the FCC
[website]{.underline}. Specific instructions regarding electronic
submission will be issued separately. No more than twenty-five (25) Form
159-C\'s should be manually submitted for payment. If more than
twenty-five (25) Form 159-C\'s are to be submitted, we encourage the
public to file the information electronically. Only properly filled out
Form 159\'s will be accepted. [Attached listings of call signs or other
identifiers will not be accepted]{.underline}.

**WIRE TRANSFER PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS**

A wire transfer is a transaction that you initiate via your bank. It
authorizes your bank to wire funds from your account to our lockbox
bank, the Mellon Bank in Pittsburgh, PA. All payments made by wire
transfer must be supported by a completed FCC Remittance Advice (FCC
Form 159) and Advice Continuation Sheet (FCC Form 159-C), if required.
The FCC Form 159 must be faxed to Mellon Bank at (412) 209-6045 at least
one hour before the wire transfer on the same business day. Indicate on
the top of the FCC Form 159 \"Wire Transfer - Regulatory Fee Payment.\"
In the Box (1) - Lockbox#, located at the upper left hand corner,
indicate \"358835.\" **Failure to submit the completed FCC Form 159 will
result in a delay in crediting your account. Due to Federal Reserve
regulations, wire transfers received after 6:00 p.m. (EDT) will be
credited the next business day.**

The following information should be provided to your bank to complete
the wire transfer:

ABA Routing Number 043000261

Receiving Bank: Mellon Pittsburgh

BNF: FCC/ACV\--9116106

OBI Field: (Skip one space between each information item)

\"REGULATORYPAY\"

PAYER TIN (Exactly as on FCC Form 159, Block #25)

PAYER NAME (Exactly as on FCC Form 159, Block #2)

Phone: (Daytime Phone #, exactly as on FCC Form 159, Block #9)

LOCKBOX 358835

**ACH DEBIT PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS**

If you are interested in using Mellon\'s Customer Initiated Payment
Program (CIP), a brief application form must be completed and a personal
identification number (PIN) issued by the bank. Arrangements for using
this process must be completed 14 days prior to submitting payment of
the regulatory fee. After you have been set up for this program, you
have until September 19, 2000 to submit payment to ensure processing by
the deadline of September 20, 2000. Please contact the Credit and Debt
Management Group at (202) 418-1995 to request the Customer Initiated
Payment Program Package.

**COMPLIANCE**

Please make sure your total remittance and the amount indicated on the
FCC Form 159 are in agreement. Failure to do so will delay processing.
Cable television systems are solely responsible for accurately
accounting for all CARS, as well as the number of subscribers within
each community unit, and for paying the proper regulatory fees. Any data
omission, erroneous or incomplete data submission, or payment deficiency
may result in a **25% monetary penalty**, dismissal of pending actions,
and/or revocation of any authorization. You are strongly urged to submit
your payment on time and accurately in order to avoid a penalty.
Additionally, the Commission will invoke any lawful authority it may
possess under the Debt Collection Act to collect any fees due or
outstanding against any cable television system failing to meet its
regulatory fee payment obligations.

**WAIVERS, REDUCTIONS AND DEFERMENTS OF REGULATORY FEES**

The Commission will consider requests for waivers, reductions or
deferments of regulatory fees, [in extraordinary and compelling
circumstances only]{.underline}, upon a showing that such action
overrides the public interest in reimbursing the Commission for its
regulatory costs. Your regulatory fee must be paid by the due date even
if a request is made for a waiver or reduction. This will ensure
efficient collection in situations where a waiver or reduction is not
warranted and will allow the requestor to avoid a **25% late-payment
penalty** if its request is denied. The regulatory fee will be refunded
if the request is granted. Only in exceptional or compelling instances
(where payment of the regulatory fee with the waiver or reduction
request could result in the reduction of community service or financial
hardship to the regulatee or licensee) will the Commission accept a
petition to defer payment for a waiver or reduction request. All
requests for deferments must be received before [September 20,
2000]{.underline}, to avoid the **25% late-payment penalty**. Please
submit your written request for waiver or reduction to the following
address:

## 

## 

## Office of the Managing Director

## Federal Communications Commission

445 12th Street, S.W., Room 1-A625

## Washington, D.C. 20554

attn: Regulatory Fee Waiver/Reduction Request

However, [submit your regulatory fee payment to the address on page 3 of
this Public Notice]{.underline}.

**ADDITIONAL INFORMATION**

Applicable Public Notices, and FCC Forms 159 and 159-C are available
from the Commission\'s Office of Media Relations, Consumer Center or can
be downloaded from the Internet (http://www.fcc.gov or ftp@fcc.gov).
Text of the [Report and Order]{.underline} including the entire Schedule
of Regulatory Fees can also be downloaded from the Internet. Forms may
also be obtained by contacting the Forms Hotline at (800) 418-FORM
(3676) outside the Washington, D.C. area, or (202) 418-3676 locally. For
more information, please contact the Consumer Center at (888) 225-5322,
or write to: Federal Communications Commission, Office of Media
Relations, ATTN: Consumer Center, 445 12th Street, S.W., Washington,
D.C. 20554.

**PAYMENT PROCEDURES FOR CABLE TELEVISION SYSTEMS**

**Subscriber Fees**

All cable television systems are subject to a fee of \$0.47 per
subscriber[^1]. A system\'s total subscriber fee can be determined by
multiplying \$0.47 times the number of subscribers as of [December 31,
1999]{.underline}, within all community units in which it operates. You
may pay for multiple community units with a single payment as long as
the community units are all part of the same cable system or part of a
group of commonly-owned cable systems. However, **[you must still list
each individual community unit identifier (CUID)]{.underline}**.

#  CARS

Cable systems holding CARS licenses must pay a regulatory fee of \$53.00
for [each]{.underline} CARS held as of [October 1, 1999]{.underline}.
**NOTE: [One payment]{.underline} may be submitted for all regulatory
fee obligations ([i.e.]{.underline}, \"subscriber fees\" and all Cable
Television Relay Service licenses). [However, you must still list each
individual community unit identifier (CUID) and CARS call
sign.]{.underline}**

**Payment Due Date**

**All regulatory fee payments for cable television systems must be
[received]{.underline} at the Commission during the period beginning
[September 11, 2000,]{.underline} and ending [September 20,
2000]{.underline}.** **Any payments not received by Mellon Bank by 11:59
p.m., September 20, 2000 will be assessed a 25% late fee.**

**[SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING]{.underline}**

**[FCC FORMS 159 AND 159-C]{.underline}**

FCC Form 159 (\"FCC Remittance Advice\") and, as necessary, FCC Form
159-C (\"Advice Continuation Sheet\") must accompany all regulatory fee
payments. FCC Form 159 allows payers to report information on one or
more payment items (e.g., multiple community units, CARS licenses, or
any combination). Use FCC Form 159-C to report additional community
units or licenses.

FCC Forms 159 and 159-C have been attached to this Public Notice for you
to complete and remit with your payment. Payers filing electronically
must include information equivalent to the items on the FCC Forms 159
and 159-C. You may make additional copies of the forms as required. In
addition to the instructions for FCC Form 159, the following information
applies specifically to cable television payers:

[Block (9) - \"Telephone Number\"]{.underline}:

-   Enter the telephone number of the individual responsible for
    submitting the payment and supporting FCC Form 159 and Form 159-C.

    [Block (12) - \"PAYER TIN\":]{.underline}

Enter the fee payer\'s nine digit Taxpayer Identification Number.

[Block (22) - \"APPLICANT TIN\"]{.underline}:

-   If different from payer, enter the applicant\'s nine digit Taxpayer
    Identification Number.

    [Block (23A) - \"FCC CALL SIGN/OTHER ID\"]{.underline}:

Enter your **Community Unit Identification number (CUID)** for reporting
subscribers in [each community unit]{.underline} within your
system[.]{.underline} [CUIDs must be entered in the following format: a
two-digit state code followed immediately by four numbers (e.g. AL0002).
Please do not add any dashes (-).]{.underline} **[THIS BLOCK MUST BE
COMPLETED FOR EACH COMMUNITY UNIT]{.underline}.**

Enter your call sign for [CARS]{.underline} licenses. [Call signs must
be entered in one of the two following formats: for fixed stations, the
call sign is generally comprised of three letters, followed by a dash,
followed by two or three numbers (e.g. WAL-504). For mobile licenses,
the call sign is generally comprised of two letters, followed by a dash,
followed by five numbers (e.g. KB-60111). **THIS BLOCK MUST BE COMPLETED
FOR EACH CARS LICENSE.**]{.underline}

[Block (24A) - \"PAYMENT TYPE CODE\"]{.underline}: **(PLEASE NOTE NEW
PAYMENT TYPE CODES)**

**0071:** Use this code when paying a [subscriber]{.underline} fee
(\$0.47 per subscriber). Please note that subscriber information must be
provided for [each community unit]{.underline} in which the system is
operated.

**0070:** Use this code when making a regulatory fee payment for a
[CARS]{.underline} license (\$53.00 per license).

[Block (25A) - \"QUANTITY\"]{.underline}:

For subscriber fees (payment type code **0071**) enter the number of
subscribers within each [community unit]{.underline}. For
[CARS]{.underline} licensees (**payment type code 0070**), enter \"1\"
in this block [for each call sign]{.underline}.

[Block (27A) - \"TOTAL FEE\"]{.underline}:

For [subscriber]{.underline} fees (payment type code **0071**), multiply
the amount in Block 25A (\"Quantity\") by \$0.47 and enter the result
here. **Round [down]{.underline} to the nearest whole dollar.**

For [CARS]{.underline} licenses (payment type code **0070**) enter
\$53.00.

[Block (28A) - \"FCC CODE 1\"]{.underline}:

LEAVE BLANK.

[Block (29A) - \"FCC CODE 2\"]{.underline}:

For [subscriber]{.underline} fees only (i.e., payment type code
**0071**), provide the [name]{.underline} of the community unit.
[Community names are not a substitute for the community unit identifier
(CUID). You must also provide your CUID in Block 23A -- "FCC CALL
SIGN/OTHER ID."]{.underline}

[Block (30) - \"CERTIFICATION\":]{.underline}

Provide the printed name and signature of an individual owner/licensee
or officer attesting to the accuracy and completeness of the information
supplied.

**Please remember to include a daytime telephone number so that the
Federal Communications Commission can contact you if questions arise
regarding your payment.**

\- FCC -

[^1]: ? Number of Subscribers In a Community Unit = Number of single
    family dwellings + Number of individual households in multiple
    dwelling units (e.g., apartments, condominiums, mobile home parks,
    etc.) paying at the basic subscriber rate + Number of bulk-rate
    customers + Number of courtesy and free service. (NOTE: Bulk-Rate
    Customers = total annual bulk rate charge basic annual subscription
    rate for individual households).