Opinion ID: 740472
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Amendment policy

Text: 21 Solar's second argument is that the Commission erred in not allowing it to amend its certification in 1990 by introducing a newly-obtained bank letter as evidence of its financial qualification. Under the Commission's rules, once an application has been designated for hearing it may be amended only upon a showing of good cause for late filing. 47 C.F.R. § 73.3522(b). Since adopting its financial certification procedure in 1981 the FCC has generally required that an applicant demonstrate that it had a reasonable assurance of financing at the time that it made its initial certification before it will be permitted to amend its application. Pontchartrain Broadcasting Co. v. FCC, 15 F.3d 183, 184 (D.C.Cir.1994). 22 Solar argues that this policy is inconsistent with the Commission's historical policy of liberally allowing amendments for good cause. The Commission quite understandably modified its liberal amendment policy, however, in 1981 when it eliminated the requirement that each applicant submit detailed financial documents; the agency was concerned that an applicant would certify to its financial qualifications first and secure its financing only later. See id. at 185 (Commission's amendment policy directed at preventing applicant from certifying financial qualifications without any basis or justification). Solar itself acknowledged in its Petition for Leave to Amend that where an applicant's certification has no objective basis ab initio, the applicant may not rely on a later financial commitment to support its earlier certification. For that very reason, the Commission reasonably denied Solar's request to amend its certification.