[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 11 (Friday, January 16, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2416-2421]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-00622]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[WT Docket No. 14-161; DA 14-1846]


Enhancements to the Commission's Universal Licensing System and 
Antenna Structure Registration System for Providing Access to Official 
Electronic Authorizations

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau 
(Bureau) announces the implementation of further enhancements to the 
Commission's Universal Licensing System and Antenna Structure 
Registration System for providing access to official electronic 
authorizations through those systems or by email, while providing 
options for receiving authorizations on paper through the U.S. Postal 
Service.

DATES: Effective February 17, 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Bucher at (202) 418-2656 or via 
email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#abe6cad9d285e9dec8c3ced9ebcdc8c885ccc4dd"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f3be92818addb186909b9681b3959090dd949c85">[email protected]</span></a> or the Licensing Support Center at (877) 
480-3201, Option 2; TTY (888) 225-5322, Option 2, or via its Web page 
at https://esupport.fcc.gov/request.htm.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's Public 
Notice (Notice), DA 14-1846, released on December 18, 2014. The 
complete text of this document 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 this document is also available for public 
inspection and copying during business hours at the FCC Reference 
Information Center on the Court Yard Level (Room CY-A257), 445 12th 
Street SW., Washington, DC (telephone: 202-418-0270; TTY 202-418-2555). 
In addition, copies of this document may be purchased through the FCC's 
duplication contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc. (BCPI), Portals 
II, 445 12th Street SW., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554; Telephone 
202-488-5300; Fax 202-488-5563; TTY 202-488-5562. BCPI may be reached 
by email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7a1c19193a18190a130d1f1854191517"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1e787d7d5e7c7d6e77697b7c307d7173">[email protected]</span></a> or via its Web site at http://www.BCPIWEB.com. When ordering documents from BCPI, please provide the 
appropriate FCC document number, for example, DA 14-1846. Alternate 
formats of this Public Notice (computer diskette, large print, audio 
recording, and Braille) are available to persons with disabilities by 
contacting the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 
(voice), (202) 418-0432 (TTY), or by sending an email to 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#dbbdb8b8eeebef9bbdb8b8f5bcb4ad"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="670104045257532701040449000811">[email protected]</span></a>.
    In the Notice, the Bureau announces the implementation of further 
enhancements to the Commission's Universal Licensing System (ULS) and 
Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) System and adopts final procedures 
for providing access to official electronic authorizations through 
these systems. Under these procedures, all commercial, private and 
public safety wireless service licensees and ASR registrants will 
access their current official authorizations in ``Active'' status only 
through License Manager in ULS or ASR Dashboard in the ASR System or by 
email, unless a licensee or registrant notifies the Commission that it 
wishes to receive its official authorizations on paper through the U.S. 
Postal Service. 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 authorized under 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,'' 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 Bureau 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 and final procedures in the Notice apply only 
to ULS and the ASR System. The action taken in the Notice marks another 
step in the Commission's process reform efforts, and allows the Bureau 
to modernize the Commission's wireless service licensing and antenna 
structure registration processes. As discussed in detail in the Notice, 
the Bureau takes the following actions:
    <bullet> All licensees and registrants can access their official 
authorizations in Active status by securely logging into License 
Manager in ULS or ASR Dashboard in the ASR System. Once accessed, the 
licensee or registrant can download, save and print official 
authorizations, to the extent needed.
    <bullet> A licensee or registrant can also obtain an electronic 
version of its authorization through email once its application is 
granted if the licensee or registrant voluntarily includes a valid 
email address in the application that it files through ULS or the ASR 
System, or that it provides to a private organization through which the 
applicant files applications, e.g., a Frequency Coordinator, Volunteer 
Examiner Coordinator (VEC), or a Commercial Operator License 
Examination Manager (COLEM).
    <bullet> Each official authorization will include a watermark 
``Official Copy'' imprinted across the face of each page of the 
authorization to authenticate the official status of the license or 
registration.
    <bullet> If a licensee or registrant chooses to notify the Bureau 
that it wishes to receive its official authorization(s) on paper 
through the mail, it may do so electronically, by telephone, or in 
writing. The Commission also retains the process by which licensees and 
registrants may apply through ULS or the ASR System to have duplicate 
paper copies of official authorizations mailed through the U.S. Postal 
Service.

[[Page 2417]]

    <bullet> Finally, the Commission continues to provide unofficial 
reference copies of authorizations online through ULS and the ASR 
System. The unofficial copies include the watermark ``Reference Copy'' 
imprinted on the face of each page of the authorization.
    An interim test period adopted in the Initial Public Notice (DA 14-
1478) released in this proceeding will continue until these final 
procedures become effective. The Initial Public Notice was published in 
the Federal Register on October 29, 2014. During the interim test 
period, the Commission will continue to print authorizations on paper 
and mail them out through the U.S. Postal Service to licensees or 
registrants unless a licensee or registrant notifies the Commission 
that it wishes to stop receiving authorizations on paper through the 
mail. In the Initial Public Notice, the Bureau sought comment to better 
inform its decision-making process even though section 4(b) 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 when 
promulgating ``rules of agency organization, procedure, or practice''--
so-called ``procedural rules.'' Section 3(a) of the APA requires 
agencies to publish their ``rules of procedure'' in the Federal 
Register and section 4(d) generally requires an agency to publish its 
substantive rules 30 days prior to the date on which the rules become 
effective. Because section 4(d) expressly applies to substantive rules 
and not to procedural rules, the requirement to publish the final 
procedures adopted in the Notice 30 days before they become effective 
is inapplicable in this proceeding. The Bureau has nevertheless decided 
to provide for a 30-day period after publication in the Federal 
Register before the final procedures become effective to provide 
licensees and registrants with an ample measure of time to facilitate 
their use of these new procedures. After the effective date of these 
final procedures is published in the Federal Register, the Bureau 
anticipates releasing, as additional outreach, a further public notice 
reminding licensees and registrants of that effective date.

Background

    Stations in Wireless Radio Services may be operated only with a 
valid authorization granted by the Commission, and owners of antenna 
structures that require notice of proposed construction to the Federal 
Aviation Administration (FAA) must register the structure with the 
Commission. Once an application is granted, ULS or the ASR System 
generates an authorization from information provided in the granted 
application. Historically, the Bureau has then printed each 
authorization on paper, placed it in a postage-paid envelope, and 
mailed it out through the U.S. Postal Service to the licensee or 
registrant.
    On February 14, 2014, the FCC Staff Working Group released the 
Commission's ``Report on FCC Process Reform,'' recommending that, ``to 
the extent permitted by Federal records retention requirements,'' 
licensing Bureaus ``should eliminate paper copies of licenses.'' To 
implement this recommendation, in October 2014, the Commission enhanced 
ULS and the ASR System so that all licensees and registrants can now 
access the official electronic versions of their current authorizations 
in Active status by securely logging into License Manager or a 
registrant's ASR Dashboard. Once logged in, the licensee or registrant 
can download, save, and print copies of its authorizations, to the 
extent needed.
    In conjunction with the Commission's enhancements to ULS and the 
ASR System, the Bureau released the Initial Public Notice, in which the 
Bureau deemed the electronic version of an authorization stored in ULS 
or the ASR System as the official Commission document and sought 
comment on certain final procedures for licensees and registrants to 
access official authorizations electronically through License Manager, 
through ASR Dashboard, and by email. The Bureau also noted in the 
Initial Public Notice that lifetime commercial radio operator licenses 
issued prior to implementation of ULS that were not converted into the 
ULS database remain valid even though the licenses themselves are not 
stored in ULS. The Initial Public Notice also sought comment on options 
for receiving official authorizations on paper through the U.S. Postal 
Service. The comment period ended on November 10, 2014. The Bureau 
received 11 comments in response to the Initial Public Notice. Eight 
comments were filed on behalf of amateur service licensees: Michael D. 
Adams (Adams); the American Radio Relay League, Incorporated (ARRL); 
Richard S. Jandrt (Jandrt); David W. Johnson (Johnson); Nickolaus E. 
Leggett (Leggett); Victor Magana (Magana); W. Lee McVey (McVey); and 
Edward F. Pataky (Pataky). The remaining comments were filed by AT&T 
Services, Inc. (AT&T); the Enterprise Wireless Alliance (EWA); and the 
National Association of Manufacturers and MRFAC, Inc. (NAM/MRFAC). 
Finally, the Initial Public Notice provided for an interim test period, 
which will continue until final procedures become effective.

Discussion

A. Official Electronic Authorizations

    Background. As explained in the Initial Public Notice, the Bureau's 
goal in this proceeding is to stop printing and mailing out official 
authorizations to the greatest extent possible. While the Bureau is 
currently continuing to print and mail out authorizations on paper 
unless otherwise notified, in October of this year, the Commission 
enhanced ULS and the ASR System so that all licensees and registrants 
can also access the official electronic versions of their current 
authorizations in Active status through License Manager or ASR 
Dashboard. The final procedures set forth in the Initial Public Notice 
would modify ULS and the ASR System so that the default setting would 
be not to print and mail out these authorizations. The Bureau sought 
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 and 
registrants. The Bureau also proposed a method by which a licensee or 
registrant could receive its official authorizations electronically 
through email.
    Discussion. The Bureau adopts the procedures as proposed. Once 
final procedures become effective, when an application is granted, ULS 
or the ASR System will generate an official electronic authorization. 
The Bureau, however, will no longer print out the authorization on 
paper or mail it to the licensee or registrant unless a licensee or 
registrant notifies the Bureau that it wishes to receive its official 
authorization(s) on paper. The Bureau finds this electronic process 
will improve efficiency by simplifying access to official 
authorizations in ULS and the ASR System, shortening the time period 
between grant of an application and access to the official 
authorization, and reducing regulatory costs. As described 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. Licensees and registrants may also download more than one 
authorization at a time. Once downloaded, licensees and registrants can 
save and print official authorizations, to the extent needed.

[[Page 2418]]

    The Bureau further adopts the proposed method by which licensees 
and registrants can obtain electronic versions of their authorizations 
by email. The Bureau finds that this procedure serves the public 
interest by providing licensees or registrants an additional method by 
which they may obtain electronic versions of official authorizations, 
in this case without accessing ULS or the ASR System. If an applicant 
includes a valid email address under ``Applicant Information'' 
(licensee) in a ULS application or under ``Antenna Structure Ownership 
Information'' (registrant) in an ASR System application, the Bureau 
will send the official electronic authorization via email to the 
licensee or registrant upon grant of the application. While in most 
cases a single authorization will be attached to a single email, the 
Bureau will attach all authorizations granted on the same day within 
the same system to a single email, to the extent capacity allows.
    The Bureau further notes that if an application is pending in ULS 
or the ASR System once final procedures become effective, and if the 
applicant or registrant did not include a valid email address in the 
pending application, the licensee or registrant may access the 
electronic version of the official authorization through License 
Manager or ASR Dashboard once the application is granted. An applicant 
or registrant may also amend a pending application to include a valid 
email address. To add an email address to or update email information 
included in an application pending in ULS or the ASR System, an 
applicant or registrant must file an application for ``Administrative 
Update (AU).'' In that case, once the application is granted, the 
Bureau will email an electronic version of the official authorization 
to the licensee or registrant as already described.
    The Bureau reminds licensees and registrants that this is a 
voluntary process and if a licensee or registrant does not wish to 
provide an email address in an application, it can instead continue to 
access official electronic authorizations through License Manager or 
ASR Dashboard. While the Bureau will email the licensee or registrant 
its official authorizations, the new procedure does not include sending 
an official electronic authorization by email to a ``contact'' listed 
on the application. Finally, the Bureau will send official electronic 
authorizations to valid licensee or registrant email addresses 
regardless of whether a licensee or registrant obtains its 
authorization(s) electronically through License Manager or ASR 
Dashboard, or elects to receive official authorizations on paper 
through the U.S. Postal Service. Several commenters support these 
procedures. EWA, a Commission-certified Frequency Coordinator that 
coordinates and files with the Commission approximately 9,000 to 10,000 
part 90 applications each year, ``anticipates that a significant number 
of parties will choose to rely on electronic documents, if not 
immediately, then over time as the process becomes more familiar.'' The 
National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), which represents 14,000 
small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector, in all 50 
states, and MRFAC, Inc., a Commission-certified Frequency Coordinator 
for private land mobile bands and the frequency coordinating arm for 
NAM, support the Bureau's proposals as ``a more expeditious and 
economical means of providing official authorizations to Commission 
licensees.'' AT&T also ``welcomes and supports'' the Bureau's proposals 
noting that the ``changes will lead to a more efficient system to 
transmit authorizations, save Commission resources and reduce workloads 
for Commission licensees and registrants.'' AT&T further notes that 
``authorizations sent to an email address that a licensee or registrant 
provides for receipt are likely to arrive at their ultimate destination 
and be processed more quickly than if sent by United States mail.'' 
AT&T concludes that providing authorizations electronically ``reduces 
the paperwork collection burden on licensees and registrants'' and that 
it has ``found License Manager and ASR Dashboard to be sufficient to 
meet its needs when official authorizations are needed.''
    Those filing comments on behalf of amateur service licensees, 
however, raise concerns about electronic access as the default method 
for obtaining authorizations. In particular, ARRL, the national 
association for amateur radio, strongly recommends that the Commission 
continue sending paper authorizations to new amateur licensees along 
with instructions to the licensee on how to access electronic versions 
or request paper copies of official modified or renewed licenses issued 
after the licensee receives his or her initial license. ARRL's concern 
is that licensees do not interact with ULS during the current licensing 
process for the amateur service and that the new procedures could 
``discourage newcomers'' to the amateur service or ``make their 
experience difficult from the outset.'' In addition, ARRL and other 
amateur radio commenters are concerned about ensuring the authenticity 
of licenses printed by a licensee from License Manager.
    With respect to the interaction of amateur licensees with ULS, the 
Commission currently authorizes 14 Volunteer Examiner Coordinators 
(VECs) to coordinate the efforts of Volunteer Examiner (VE) teams in 
preparing and administering amateur service operation license 
examinations. Before taking the examination, a candidate must provide 
to the VE team certain information needed for submitting a license 
application through ULS. In most cases, the candidate fills out either 
online or on paper an NCVEC Quick-Form 605 Application for Amateur 
Operator/Primary Station License (NCVEC Form 605) produced by the VECs 
for use by VE teams. Candidates who have not already obtained an FCC 
Registration Number (FRN) through the Commission's Registration System 
(CORES) before taking the examination also provide the VE team with a 
social security number. Once a candidate passes the examination, the VE 
team certifies that the candidate is qualified for a particular 
operator license class, and forwards the candidate's information to the 
coordinating VEC. The VEC submits all application information received 
from the VE team in electronic batch files. CORES then generates FRNs 
as needed and ULS produces and processes FCC Form 605 applications from 
those files.
    Once an application is granted, a new licensee who did not provide 
an FRN at the examination receives three separate mailings through the 
U.S. Postal Service: (1) A CORES-generated document providing his or 
her FRN; (2) another CORES-generated document that provides a temporary 
password for the FRN, along with instructions on how to obtain a 
permanent password; and (3) an official ULS-generated license printed 
on paper. While the new licensee may then access CORES to obtain a 
permanent password, ARRL is concerned that, under the new procedures, 
licensees will also be required to access ULS to obtain their license 
electronically when they currently do not necessarily interact with 
ULS.
    The Bureau is cognizant that the new procedures may create 
confusion for amateur service licensees; however, it finds that ARRL's 
concerns are overstated. Most importantly, the new procedures will not 
require any amateur service applicant to interact directly with ULS. To 
the contrary, if an applicant includes an email address when providing 
contact and other

[[Page 2419]]

information to VE teams, that address will be processed as part of the 
ULS application and, once granted, ULS will email the electronic 
version of the new official authorization directly to the licensee. 
While amateur licensees may access ULS to request paper copies of their 
authorizations or to download authorizations from License Manager if 
they choose, they are not required to do so and may avail themselves of 
the alternate methods described below.
    The Bureau agrees with ARRL that providing additional outreach and 
education regarding this transition would be highly beneficial. On the 
day the final procedures become effective, the Bureau will add a link 
on the ULS homepage and the homepages of certain wireless services to a 
new Web page entitled ``How to Obtain Your Official Authorization,'' 
which explains how licensees can access both the electronic and paper 
versions of their authorizations. The Bureau will also add a link on 
the ASR System homepage to a new Web page, entitled ``How to Obtain 
Your Official Registration,'' providing the same information for 
obtaining Antenna Structure Registrations. The information included on 
these new explanatory Web pages is set forth below.
    In addition to adding explanatory Web pages in ULS and the ASR 
System, Bureau staff will work with each VEC, COLEM and Frequency 
Coordinator to educate new and existing licensees about the new 
procedures. The Bureau notes that EWA, in its comments, states that 
``it will work with its members to familiarize them with the various 
options . . . [and] assist those who need help in navigating License 
Manager in ULS or ASR Dashboard in the ASR System.'' EWA explains that 
it ``provides this assistance today and will continue to do so as 
entities familiarize themselves with the authorization delivery 
options'' adopted in the Notice. The Bureau believes that the Notice, 
the explanatory Web pages it is adding to the ULS and ASR System 
homepages, and additional outreach from these private organizations, 
taken together, will provide the vast majority of licensees with the 
information they need about the new procedures.
    ARRL, as well as other commenters in the amateur service, also 
raises concerns about ensuring the authenticity of authorizations that 
licensees download and print from License Manager. Commenters note 
certain circumstances in which the Commission, as well as foreign, 
state, and local governments, requires paper copies of amateur service 
licenses. According to ARRL, the most urgent of these circumstances 
occurs when an amateur operator seeking an upgrade in license class 
must provide both an original and a copy of his or her current license 
to the VE team. Commenters also note that requirements for obtaining 
European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations 
(CEPT) operating authority for reciprocal operation in CEPT countries 
and for obtaining an International Amateur Radio Permit necessitate a 
convenient method for licensees to obtain ``demonstrably authentic 
license documents.'' Finally, commenters list certain situations where 
a state or local government may require a copy of an official license, 
including, for example, when an amateur radio operator who wishes to 
install an antenna at his or her residence files an application for a 
land-use authorization.
    Commenters contend that the type of paper the Bureau has used for 
printing authorizations substantiates the authenticity of a Commission-
issued paper license. For example, ARRL states that ``[i]f there is not 
a license printed on distinctive license stock by the Commission, 
authentication issues arise and the possibility of electronic 
alteration of a license document is created.'' To remedy the situation, 
ARRL suggests that the Bureau issue a separate public notice 
``explaining to third parties that a licensee-generated license 
document printed from the official license file in the ULS has the same 
validity and authenticity as a Commission-issued paper document.'' ARRL 
contends that an amateur service licensee could use the public notice 
``to persuade non-Federal authorities of the validity of a license 
document.'' The Bureau first notes that it stopped using ``distinctive 
stock'' and started using standard white recycled paper for printing 
authorizations earlier this year. The paper the Bureau used previously 
was six times more expensive than the standard white recycled paper it 
now uses. Thus, any plausible distinction between a Commission-printed 
authorization and a licensee- or registrant-printed authorization based 
on the type of paper used no longer exists. To address commenters' 
concerns, however, the watermark ``Official Copy'' will be imprinted on 
each page of an official authorization that a licensee or registrant 
prints out from License Manager or ASR Dashboard and licenses and 
registrations printed and mailed by the Bureau will also include the 
watermark ``Official Copy'' on each page of the authorization. While 
this enhancement should address ARRL's concerns about ``maintaining the 
integrity of the amateur radio examination process,'' which ``might be 
more difficult where something other than a Commission-printed license 
document on distinctive paper stock is presented to VEs at an 
examination session,'' the Bureau also notes that VE teams regularly 
use other methods to authenticate the current license status of the 
examination candidate.
    Finally, in its comments, AT&T contends that those licensees and 
registrants that elect to stop receiving authorizations on paper during 
the interim test period and that have provided an email address on a 
pending application that is granted during that time period should 
receive an email with the authorization attached, or at a minimum, an 
email that includes a link to the authorization in ULS or the ASR 
System. The Bureau declines to provide electronic authorizations by 
email during the interim test period. The Bureau first notes that no 
other person or entity has made a similar request. The Bureau also 
finds that providing email-delivery during this interim period only to 
licensees and registrants that have elected to stop receiving 
authorizations on paper during the interim test period would complicate 
the process and create additional expense. If the Bureau were to 
implement immediately the entire email-delivery procedure adopted in 
the Notice, all applicants that have included an email address on an 
application currently pending in ULS or the ASR System, including those 
who continue to receive paper authorizations through the mail, would, 
without notice, begin receiving electronic authorizations delivered by 
email. It is important to note that the Bureau is working diligently to 
make all of the final procedures effective for everyone shortly.

B. Official Paper Authorizations

    Background. While under the Bureau's final procedures, the 
Commission, by default, will no longer print and mail out official 
authorizations, the Bureau proposed and sought comment in its Initial 
Public Notice on several options by which a licensee or registrant 
could notify the Bureau that it wishes to receive its official 
authorization(s) on paper through the U.S. Postal Service.
    Discussion. The Bureau adopts each option as proposed. License 
Manager and ASR Dashboard both now include settings that allow a 
licensee or registrant to notify the Bureau whether it wishes to 
receive official authorization(s) on paper. Once final procedures 
become effective designating

[[Page 2420]]

electronic access as the default, if a licensee or registrant wishes to 
receive official authorizations on paper, the licensee or registrant 
can change the setting so that once an application is granted, the 
Bureau will print and mail out on paper the resulting official 
authorization(s) associated with the licensee's or registrant's FRN. 
Licensees or registrants that use more than one FRN must change the 
default setting for each FRN in each applicable system, ULS and ASR, to 
the extent they wish to receive official paper authorizations 
specifically associated with a particular FRN. The procedures for 
changing the setting(s) are detailed below.
    In addition, a licensee or registrant may contact the Licensing 
Support Center via Web page, phone, or mail to request paper 
authorizations. These methods are also detailed below. The Bureau notes 
that even if a licensee or registrant elects to receive paper 
authorizations using any of these options, the licensee or registrant 
may also continue to access its authorizations electronically through 
License Manager or ASR Dashboard, or by email where the applicant or 
registrant provides a valid email address in its application.
    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 
remains available under the Bureau's final procedures. While under this 
modernized process the need to request a duplicate paper license or 
registration is virtually eliminated, the Commission has retained the 
capability in ULS and the ASR System as an option for obtaining paper 
copies of official authorizations.
    The Bureau finds that these options serve the public interest by 
providing licensees and registrants a variety of methods, electronic as 
well as by telephone or in writing, to notify the Bureau that they wish 
to receive official authorizations on paper through the mail. The 
Bureau agrees with EWA, which supports the options, explaining that 
``[e]ntities have different internal processes for handling FCC 
authorizations that may be better suited to one approach versus 
another, at least initially, although [EWA] would hope that electronic 
documents will become the norm.''

C. Unofficial Reference Copies of Authorizations

    As explained in the Initial Public Notice, electronically stored 
application and licensing data for authorizations in wireless radio 
services and application and registration data on antenna structures is 
available for public inspection via the ULS and ASR System Web sites. 
The final procedures that the Bureau adopts in the Notice do not change 
this access. The Commission will continue providing unofficial 
reference copies of authorizations online through ULS and the ASR 
System with the watermark ``Reference Copy'' imprinted on each page. 
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.

D. Posting, Record Retention and Other Rules Are Unaffected

    Background. The Bureau explained in the Initial Public Notice that 
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, the 
Bureau explained that 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 further stated that enhancing the Commission's licensing and 
Antenna Structure Registration systems to replace official paper 
authorizations with official electronic authorizations does not affect 
any of these rules. The Bureau further notes that the Commission 
adopted revisions to its part 17 rules, which became effective October 
24, 2014, including modified requirements for posting Antenna Structure 
Registration Numbers and mailing registrations to tenant licensees and 
permittees. The enhancements and final procedures adopted in the Notice 
are independent of the proposals adopted in that rulemaking. Finally, 
the Bureau explained that while the default setting under the final 
procedures would be set so that the Bureau 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.
    Discussion. ARRL and other commenters argue that certain rules 
regarding posting of authorizations and processing of correspondence 
should change to effectuate the new procedures. ARRL first contends 
that if the Commission eliminates the default mailing of paper licenses 
to amateur service licensees, it should consider eliminating rules that 
require posting of paper licenses at transmitter sites. Similarly, 
while it supports the requirement that licensees retain copies of their 
authorizations as part of their station records, EWA recommends that 
the Commission consider eliminating the rules that require part 90 
licensees to maintain physical copies of their authorizations for base 
and other fixed stations at every station control point. Finally, NAM/
MRFAC urge the Commission to consider using electronic delivery for 
letters that ULS generates when an application is returned as 
defective. The Bureau does not disagree with commenters' 
recommendations that amendment or elimination of these rules or 
processes should be considered one day. EWA, however, is correct that 
its recommendation falls outside the scope of this proceeding, as do 
the other commenters' suggestions. The Bureau similarly rejects, as 
outside the scope of this proceeding, ARRL's argument that Section 
97.23, which requires each amateur license grant to include the 
licensee's mailing address, which must be in an area where the licensee 
can receive U.S. Postal Service, should be amended to replace mailing 
addresses with other alternatives, including email addresses, for use 
in Commission correspondence.
    Finally, the Bureau rejects ARRL's contention that Section 97.29 
must be amended. Section 97.29 provides that ``[e]ach grantee whose 
amateur station license grant document is lost, mutilated or destroyed 
may apply to the FCC for a replacement in accordance with Sec.  1.913 
of this chapter.'' As the Bureau stated earlier, it is retaining the 
capability for licensees to file applications through ULS as an 
optional means of requesting duplicate paper copies of official 
authorizations. Moreover, in the event a copy of an amateur service 
licensee's official authorization is lost or destroyed, the rule, which 
is permissive, does not preclude the licensee from obtaining a 
replacement using other methods that do not require Commission action, 
including downloading and printing an official authorization from 
License Manager.
Instructions for Downloading Official Authorizations in ULS
    The Commission currently provides both temporary and permanent 
links on the License Manager homepage to download current 
authorizations in Active status. The temporary link,

[[Page 2421]]

``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.
Instructions for Downloading Official Registrations in ASR
    The Commission provides a link, ``Download Official Registration,'' 
on a registrant's ASR Dashboard homepage and under the ``My 
Registrations'' tab on its ASR Dashboard to download current Antenna 
Structure Registrations in Active status.
Instructions for Accessing Electronic-Only Official Authorizations in 
ULS
    The Commission provides both temporary and permanent links on the 
License Manager homepage to access the 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 final procedures become effective, the default 
setting will look like this:

    ``Receive Paper Authorizations? _ Yes x No''

    If licensees wish to obtain official authorizations only 
electronically through ULS, they do not need to make any changes to the 
setting in License Manager. If the licensee does not change the 
setting, the Commission will no longer print and mail out official 
authorizations on paper through the U.S. Postal Service.
Instructions for Accessing Electronic-Only Official Registrations in 
ASR
    The Commission provides a link on the registrant's ASR Dashboard 
homepage to access the default setting that allows registrants to 
notify the Commission whether they wish to receive registrations on 
paper through the U.S. Postal Service. Once final procedures become 
effective, the default setting will look like this:

    ``Receive Paper Registrations? _ Yes x No''

    If registrants wish to obtain official registrations only 
electronically through the ASR System, they do not need to make any 
changes to the setting in ASR Dashboard. If a registrant does not 
change the setting, the Commission will no longer print and mail out 
official authorizations on paper through the U.S. Postal Service.
Instructions for Receiving Official Paper Authorizations From ULS and 
ASR
    If a licensee or registrant wishes to receive official 
authorizations on paper, the licensee or registrant can change the 
default setting(s) described above by checking the ``Yes'' box in ULS 
or the ASR System. Licensees and registrants using multiple FRNs must 
choose the setting for each FRN in each system.
    OR
    The licensee or registrant may contact the Licensing Support Center 
via phone, web or mail. All requests must include the licensee's or 
registrant's FRN(s), and whether the request applies 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 changes the setting(s) described above 
to ``Yes'' or uses any of these other options, once an application is 
granted, the Commission will print and mail out on paper the resulting 
official authorization(s) associated with the licensee's or 
registrant's FRN(s). If a licensee or registrant elects to receive 
paper authorizations, the licensee or registrant can also continue to 
access its authorizations electronically through License Manager or ASR 
Dashboard, or by email where the licensee or registrant includes a 
valid email address in its application.

    Federal Communications Commission.
Jean Kiddoo,
Deputy Bureau Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau.
[FR Doc. 2015-00622 Filed 1-15-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P


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