Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/03/27/2020-05800/closure-of-fcc-lockbox-979093-used-to-file-fees-for-services-provided-by-the-international-bureau
Timestamp: 2020-04-03 02:33:11
Document Index: 788467223

Matched Legal Cases: ['§\u20091', '§\u20091', 'arts 1', '§\u20091', '§\u20091', '§\u20091', '§\u20091', '§\u200963', 'arts 25', '§\u20091', '§\u20091', '§\u20091', '§\u20091', '§\u20091', '§\u20091', '§\u20091', '§\u20091', '§\u20091', '§\u200963', '§\u20091', '§\u200963']

Federal Register :: Closure of FCC Lockbox 979093 Used to File Fees for Services Provided by the International Bureau
A Rule by the Federal Communications Commission on 03/27/2020
85 FR 17283
17283-17285 (3 pages)
MD Docket No. 20-64
FCC 20-16
FRS 16561
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2020-05800 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2020-05800
This is a summary of the Commission's Order, FCC 20-16, MD Docket No. 20-64, adopted on February 26, 2020 and released on March 4, 2020. The full text of this document is available for public inspection and copying during normal business hours in the FCC Reference Center (Room CY-A257), 445 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20554, or by downloading the text from the Commission's website at https://www.fcc.gov/​document/​closure-lockbox-used-services-provided-international-bureau.
2. This document does not contain new or modified information collection requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), Pub. Law 104-13. In addition, therefore, it does not contain any new or modified information collection burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees, pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, Pub. Law 107-198, see 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(4).
4. In the Order, we reduce expenditures by the Commission and modernize procedures by amending § 1.1107 of our rules, 47 CFR 1.1107, which sets forth the application fees for services administered by the FCC's International Bureau (IB). The rule amendment reflects the closure of the lockbox (P.O. Box) [1] used for such manual payment of filing fees for thirteen types of IB services: (1) International Fixed Public Radio; (2) Section 214 Applications; (3) Fixed Satellite Transmit/Receive Earth Stations; (4) Fixed Satellite Transmit/Receive Earth Stations (2 meters or less operating in the 4/6 GHz frequency band); (5) Receive Only Earth Stations; (6) Fixed Satellite Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) Systems; (7) Mobile Satellite Earth Stations; (8) Space Stations (Geostationary); (9) Space Stations (NGSO); (10) Direct Broadcast Satellites; (11) International Broadcast Stations; (12) Permit to Deliver Programs to Foreign Broadcast Stations; and (13) Recognized Operating Agency. We discontinue the option of manual fee payments and instead require the use of an electronic payment for each service listed above.
5. Section 1.1107 of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 1.1107, provides a schedule of application fees for proceedings handled by IB. The rule had also directed filers that do not utilize the Commission's on-line filing and fee payment systems to send manual payments to P.O. Box 979093 at U.S. Bank in St. Louis, Missouri. In recent years, there have been a decreasing number of lockbox filers, and it now is rare that the Commission receives a lockbox payment.
6. The Commission has begun to reduce its reliance on P.O. Boxes for the collection of fees, instead encouraging the use of electronic payment systems for all application and regulatory fees and closing certain lockboxes. We find that electronic payment of fees for the services processed by IB reduces the agency's expenditures (including eliminating the annual fee for the bank's services) and the cost of manually processing each transaction, with little or no inconvenience to the Commission's regulatees, applicants, and the public.
7. As part of this effort, we are now closing P.O. Box 979093 and modifying the relevant rule provision that requires payment of fees via the closed P.O. Box. In addition, we make minor modifications to reflect the replacement of the International Bureau Filing System (IBFS) with a new system, MyIBFS. Finally, we make a minor adjustment to rule § 1.10006 to reflect that applications for which an electronic form is not available must now be filed through the Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) solely in PDF format until new forms are introduced. The rule changes are contained in the Appendix of the Order and the Final Rules of this document. We make these changes without notice and comment because they are rules of agency organization, procedure, or practice exempt from the general notice-and-comment requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act, see 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A).
8. Implementation. As a temporary transition measure, for 90 days after publication of this document in the Start Printed Page 17284 Federal Register, U.S. Bank will continue to process payments to P.O. Box 979093. After that date, payments for these IB services must be made in accordance with the procedures set forth on the Commission's website, https://www.fcc.gov/​licensing-databases/​fees/​application-processing-fees (International Bureau Fee Filing Guide). For now, such payments will be made through the Fee Filer Online System (Fee Filer), accessible at https://www.fcc.gov/​licensing-databases/​fees/​fee-filer. As we assess and implement U.S. Treasury initiatives toward an all-electronic payment system, we may transition to other secure payment systems with appropriate public notice and guidance.
9. Accordingly, it is ordered, that pursuant to sections 4(i), 4(j), 158, 208, and 224 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 154(i), 154(j), 158, 208, and 224, the Order is hereby adopted and the rules set forth in the Appendix of the Order are hereby amended effective April 27, 2020.
For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Federal Communications Commission amends 47 CFR parts 1 and 63 as follows:
2. Amend § 1.1107 by revising the introductory text to read as follows:
3. Amend § 1.10001 by revising the definition of “All other applications” to read as follows:
§ 1.10001
4. Revise § 1.10006 to read as follows:
Electronic filing is mandatory for all applications for international and satellite services for which an International Bureau Filing System (MyIBFS) form is available. Applications for which an electronic form is not available must be filed through the Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) in PDF format until new forms are introduced. See §§ 63.20 and 63.53 of this chapter. As each new MyIBFS form becomes available for electronic filing, the Commission will issue a public notice announcing the availability of the new form and the effective date of mandatory filing for this particular type of filing. As each new form becomes effective, manual filings will not be accepted by the Commission and the filings will be returned to the applicant without processing. Mandatory electronic filing requirements for applications for international and satellite services are set forth in this part and parts 25, 63, and 64 of this chapter. A list of forms that are available for electronic filing can be found on the MyIBFS homepage. For information on electronic filing requirements, see §§ 1.1000 through 1.10018 and the MyIBFS homepage at http://licensing.fcc.gov/​myibfs.
5. Amend § 1.10007 by revising paragraph (a) to read as follows:
(a) For a complete list of applications or notifications that must be filed electronically, log in to the MyIBFS website at http://licensing.fcc.gov/​myibfs.
6. Amend § 1.10009 by revising paragraphs (c)(2)(i), (e)(1)(iii), (e)(2), (e)(3)(i) and (ii), and (e)(4), removing paragraph (e)(5), redesigning paragraph (e)(6) as paragraph (e)(5), revising newly redesignated paragraph (e)(5), and removing paragraph (e)(7) to read as follows:
(1) * * *Start Printed Page 17285
(ii) You can generate a pre-filled FCC electronic submission of payment online form from MyIBFS using your IB submission ID. For specific instructions on using MyIBFS to generate your FCC electronic submission of payment online form, go to the MyIBFS website (http://licensing.fcc.gov/​myibfs) and click on the “Getting Started” button.
(5) For more information on fee payments, refer to Payment Instructions found on the MyIBFS internet site at http://licensing.fcc.gov/​myibfs, under the Using IBFS link.
7. Revise § 1.10010 to read as follows:
§ 1.10010
8. Amend § 1.10011 by revising paragraphs (a) through (c) and (d) introductory text to read as follows:
§ 1.10011
9. Amend § 1.10015 by revising paragraph (b) to read as follows:
§ 1.10015
11. Amend § 63.53 by revising paragraph (a) to read as follows:
(a) Applications for international service under section 214 of the Communications Act must be filed electronically with the Commission. Subject to the availability of electronic forms, all applications and other filings described in this section must be filed electronically through the International Bureau Filing System (MyIBFS). A list of forms that are available for electronic filing can be found on the MyIBFS homepage. For information on electronic filing requirements, see §§ 1.10000 through 1.10018 of this chapter and the MyIBFS homepage at http://www.fcc.gov/​ibfs. See also § 63.20.