2416 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 11 / Friday, January 16, 2015 / Notices 

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[FR Doc. 2015–00638 Filed 1–15–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

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. 

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 Mary.Bucher@fcc.gov 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 fcc@bcpiweb.com 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 fcc504@fcc.gov. 

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: 

• 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. 

• 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). 

• 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. 

• 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. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 11 / Friday, January 16, 2015 / Notices 2417 

• 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 decisionmaking 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. 


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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 Commissioncertified 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 Commissioncertified 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 


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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 11 / Friday, January 16, 2015 / Notices 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 Commissionprinted 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 


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2420 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 11 / Friday, January 16, 2015 / Notices 

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 § 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, 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 11 / Friday, January 16, 2015 / Notices 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 ElectronicOnly 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? l 

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 ElectronicOnly 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? l 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 

FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE 

CORPORATION 

Sunshine Act Meeting 

Pursuant to the provisions of the 

‘‘Government in the Sunshine Act’’ (5 

U.S.C. 552b), notice is hereby given that 

the Federal Deposit Insurance 

Corporation’s Board of Directors will 

meet in open session at 10:00 a.m. on 

Wednesday, January 21, 2015, to 

consider the following matters: 

Summary Agenda: No substantive 

discussion of the following items is 

anticipated. These matters will be 

resolved with a single vote unless a 

member of the Board of Directors 

requests that an item be moved to the 

discussion agenda. 

Disposition of minutes of previous 

Board of Directors’ Meetings. 

Memorandum and resolution re: Notice 

of Proposed Rulemaking Amending 

the Securitization Safe Harbor (12 

CFR 360.6). 

Memorandum and resolution re: Review 

of FDIC Regulations in Accordance 

with the EGRPRA. 

Memorandum and resolution re: 

Rescission and Removal of 

Regulations Transferred from the 

Office of Thrift Supervision: Part 390, 

Subpart N—Possession by 

Conservators and Receivers for 

Federal and State Savings 

Associations. 

Memorandum and resolution re: Final 

Rule Regarding Removal of 

Transferred OTS Regulations 12 CFR 

part 390, Subparts B, C, D, and E 

Relating to Rules of Practice and 

Procedure and Amendments to 12 

CFR part 308, Subparts A, B, C, K, and 

N of the FDIC Rules and Regulations. 

Memorandum and resolution re: Notice 

of Proposed Rulemaking on Fair 

Credit Reporting Regulations, Part 334 

and Part 391, Subpart C: Review and 

Removal of Regulations Transferred 

from the Former Office of Thrift 

Supervision; Removal of Regulations 

Transferred to the Consumer 

Financial Protection Bureau; 

Amendment of Red Flag Identity 

Theft Rules. 

Memorandum and resolution re: Review 

of Regulations Transferred from the 

Former Office of Thrift Supervision: 

Part 391, Subpart B—Safety and 

Soundness Guidelines and 

Compliance Procedures. 

Reports of actions taken pursuant to 

authority delegated by the Board of 

Directors. 

Discussion Agenda: 

Memorandum and resolution re: 

Regulatory Capital Rules, Liquidity 

Coverage Ratio, Proposed Revisions to 

the Definition of Qualifying Master 

Netting Agreement and Related 

Definitions. 

The meeting will be held in the Board 

Room temporarily located on the fourth 

floor of the FDIC Building located at 550 

17th Street NW., Washington, DC. 

This Board meeting will be Webcast 

live via the Internet and subsequently 

made available on-demand 

approximately one week after the event. 

Visit https://


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