*Pages 1--7 from Microsoft Word - 7811.doc* PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12th St., S. W. Washington, D. C. 20554 News Media Information 202 / 418- 0500 Fax- On- Demand 202 / 418- 2830 TTY 202 / 418- 2555 Internet: http:// www. fcc. gov ftp. fcc. gov DA 01- 580 March 6, 2001 Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) Reminds Land Mobile Radio Services User Community of Mandatory Deadlines Regarding Electronic Filing via the Universal Licensing System (ULS). Mandatory electronic filing via ULS takes effect for Phase I users on March 20, 2001; Phase II users on April 25, 2001; and Phase III users on June 5, 2001. The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) reminds Land Mobile Radio Services and 218- 219 MHz Service users of mandatory electronic filing deadlines taking effect in three phases, on March 20, 2001; April 25, 2001; and June 5, 2001. The deadlines represent the end of transition periods that end six months after the date of deployment for each of three phases in which Land Mobile services have deployed to ULS. Now that the three- phase deployment of all Land Mobile services to ULS has taken place, applicants and licensees are able to use ULS to file for: New Station Applications Requests for Duplicate Licenses License Modifications Administrative Updates Application Amendments Notifications License Renewals Extension of Time Requests License Cancellations Transfer and Assignment Applications Application Withdrawals Requests for Special Temporary Authority (STA) Mandatory Use of ULS Forms 601, 602, and 603 Applicants and coordinators also are reminded that in addition to mandatory electronic filing requirements, all applications filed on or after these dates must be filed using ULS Form 601 (November 2000 edition or later); Form 602 (February 1999 edition or later); and Form 603 (February 1999 edition or later). Applications submitted on the pre- ULS forms will be dismissed. Frequency Coordinators A large percentage of Land Mobile applications filed with the Commission each year are filed by Commission- certified frequency coordinators on behalf of Land Mobile applicants. If you file applications through a frequency coordinator, you must file those applications on the correct 1 2 form and with any supplementary information that may be required. The Commission leaves it to the discretion of each frequency coordinator to specify whether their customers are to file with them on paper, electronically, or a combination of the two. In all cases for all radio services, however, frequency coordinators will be required to file applications with the Commission electronically after mandatory deadlines go in effect. For applications that you file directly with the Commission without the services of a frequency coordinator, you may be required to file electronically depending on the particular radio service involved. Land Mobile applicants should be sure to verify what does and does not need to be coordinated with their coordinators. Applicants are responsible for submitting their license applications to their coordinator, who will then forward the applications to the Commission. Applications without appropriate coordination will be dismissed, when coordination is required. Coordinator Waiver Requirements Coordinators are reminded that mandatory electronic filing takes effect for all application purposes on the dates specified below. If a coordinator then is unable to file all applications electronically by the stated deadlines, he or she should request a waiver of the mandatory electronic filing requirement. These waiver requests should contain the following information: 1) An explanation of why the coordinator needs an extension of the mandatory deadline. 2) A description of the steps the coordinator is taking to achieve electronic filing. 3) A timeline of when the coordinator expects to begin filing his or her applications electronically. Coordinators requiring a waiver should submit their requests prior to the mandatory deadlines. Manual applications received from the coordinators after the respective mandatory dates will be dismissed if a waiver has not been granted. Waiver requests should be sent to Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, FCC, 455 12 th St. S. W., Washington, D. C. 20554. Filers Not Using Coordinators Filers who do not use coordinators and who are preparing to file for the first time can find guidance in a previous Public Notice, "Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Recommends Licensees Take Steps to Prepare for Electronic Filing Via the Universal Licensing System (ULS)," DA 99- 1228 (rel. June 23, 1999). To view this public notice, click on the “Headlines” section of the ULS homepage at http:// www. fcc. gov/ wtb/ uls and then select that public notice hyperlink listed in section “All Releases.” Phase I Services Mandatory Electronic Filing Deadlines Mandatory Electronic Filing in Effect March 20, 2001 Deployment of Phase I, the first phase in the three- phased deployment of Land Mobile services to ULS, 2 3 took place September 19, 2000. Conversion to mandatory electronic filing takes effect after a six- month transition period ends March 19, 2001. The mandatory electronic filing requirements take effect on March 20, 2001. All Land Mobile Phase I applicants who file directly with the Commission who are subject to the mandatory filing requirement (as described in the following chart) as well as all frequency coordinators who file on behalf of applicants must file electronically effective March 20, 2001. Additionally, effective March 20, 2001, an application must be filed electronically if it contains both radio service code( s) subject to mandatory electronic filing and radio service code( s) for which electronic filing is optional. For radio services marked “optional,” applicants who file directly with the Commission (but not frequency coordinators) may elect to continue to submit manually filed applications (see § 1.913( b) of the Commission’s Rules, 47 C. F. R. § 1.913( b). Land Mobile Phase I services include: Radio Service Code Mandatory* on 3/ 20/ 2001 Radiolocation RS – Radiolocation Optional QD - Non- nationwide Data Yes QO – Non- nationwide Other Yes QM – Non- nationwide Public Safety/ Mutual Aid Optional QT – Non- nationwide, 5- Channel Trunked Yes 220 MHz NC – Phase 1 Nationwide Commercial 5- Channel Yes Paging GS – 929- 930 MHz, Site- Specific Channels Yes LW – 902- 928 MHz Location Wideband (Grandfathered AVM) Yes Location and Monitoring Service (LMS) LN – 902- 928 MHz Location Narrowband (Non- Multilateration) Yes GX – 806- 821/ 851- 866 MHz, Conventional Yes GR – 896- 901/ 935- 940 MHz, Conventional Yes YX – 806- 821/ 851- 866 MHz, Trunked Yes SMR YS – 896- 901/ 935- 940 MHz, Trunked Yes 218- 219 MHz ZV – 218- 219 MHz service** Yes RP – Broadcast Auxiliary – Remote Pickup Optional Broadcast LP – Broadcast Auxiliary – Low Power Optional *Applications filed on or after March 20, 2001 must be filed electronically via the ULS for the services marked “Yes.” The WTB encourages electronic filing for all services in ULS. ** This service is administered under the Commission’s Part 95 rules. However, because it has traditionally been licensed in conjunction with the Land Mobile radio services, it was included in the Land Mobile conversion. Pre- ULS Forms and Letter Requests Will Be Dismissed Use of pre- ULS Forms must be in accordance with Appendix A supplemental information requirements, found in the public notice announcing deployment of Land Mobile Phase I, Public Notice, “Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Implements Phase I Of a Three- Phased Deployment of the Universal 3 4 Licensing System for Land Mobile Radio Services on September 19, 2000,” DA 00- 1992 (rel. Sept. 1, 2000). To view this public notice, click on the “Headlines” section of the ULS homepage at http:// www. fcc. gov/ wtb/ uls and then select that public notice hyperlink listed in section “All Releases.” Use of pre- ULS Forms for Phase I Land Mobile applications is permitted only until March 19, 2001. Any pre- ULS Form or letter request received on or after March 20, 2001 for these services will be dismissed without prejudice. Unified Dismissal Policy WTB has announced that a unified dismissal policy will take effect in each wireless service six months after the service is converted to ULS. Accordingly, this policy will take effect for Land Mobile Phase I services for applications filed beginning March 20, 2001. Under the unified dismissal policy, an application is subject to automatic dismissal if applicants: 1. Fail to sign or to complete the application with respect to answers to questions, informational showings, required forms or schedules, or other matters of a formal character; 2. Request an authorization that would not comply with one or more of the FCC’s Rules and the application does not contain a waiver request (or, in cases where the waiver is denied, the application fails to contain an alternative proposal); 3. Do not pay the required fee or fees; or 4. Submit an application that is otherwise is incomplete or contains inconsistent information that renders the application unprocessable. In addition, applications that do not contain a valid Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) number (when one is required), or whose coordinates differ from those of the ASR, are subject to dismissal. Applicants are reminded if they file interactively using ULS they will receive error messages prior to submitting their applications. This should minimize the potential for submitting applications with incomplete data. To view information on this policy, applicants should click on the “Headlines” section of the ULS homepage at http:// www. fcc. gov/ wtb/ uls and then select the “Unified Dismissal/ Return Policy” hyperlink listed in the “Release Sections.” Refer to Public Notice, “Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Announces Unified Policy for Dismissing and Returning Applications and Dismissing Pleadings Associated with Applications, DA 99- 385 (rel. Feb. 24, 1999); “WTB Postpones Effective Date of Unified Dismissal Policy for Applications in the Wireless Services, Public Notice, DA 99- 811 (rel. April 29, 1999). Phase II Services Mandatory Electronic Filing Deadlines Mandatory Electronic Filing in Effect April 25, 2001 Deployment of Phase II, the second phase in the three- phased deployment of Land Mobile services to ULS, took place October 24, 2000. Conversion to mandatory electronic filing takes effect after a six- month transition period ends April 24, 2001. 4 5 The mandatory electronic filing requirements take effect on April 25, 2001. For Land Mobile Phase II frequency coordinators who file on behalf of applicants, applications must be filed electronically effective April 25, 2001. Additionally, effective April 25, 2001, an application must be filed electronically if it contains both radio service code( s) subject to mandatory electronic filing and radio service code( s) for which electronic filing may be optional. (Note, as described in the following chart, these public safety services are optional). Land Mobile Phase II services include: Radio Service Code Electronic filing requirements on 4/ 25/ 2001* GP – Public Safety/ SpecEmerg, 806- 821/ 851- 866 MHz, Conv. Optional YP – Public Safety/ SpecEmerg, 806- 821/ 851- 866 MHz, Trunked Optional YW – Public Safety Pool, Trunked Optional Public Safety/ Special Emergency PW – Public Safety Pool, Conventional Optional GF – Public Safety Ntl Plan, 821- 824/ 866- 869 MHz, Conv. Optional Public Safety National Plan YF – Public Safety Nat’l Plan, 821- 824/ 866- 869 MHz, Trunked Optional *Electronic filing requirements for these public safety services are optional, for those applications that do not require coordination and are filed directly with the Commission. Pre- ULS Forms and Letter Requests Will Be Dismissed Use of pre- ULS Forms must be in accordance with Appendix A supplemental information requirements, found in the public notice announcing deployment of Land Mobile Phase II, Public Notice, “Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) Implements Phase II of Three- Phased Deployment of the Universal Licensing System (ULS) for Land Mobile Radio Services on October 24, 2000,” DA 00- 2292 (rel. Oct. 6, 2000). To view this public notice, click on the “Headlines” section of the ULS homepage at http:// www. fcc. gov/ wtb/ uls and then select that public notice hyperlink listed in section “All Releases.” Use of Pre- ULS Forms for Land Mobile Phase II applications is permitted only until April 24, 2001. Any pre- ULS Form or letter request submitted on or after April 25, 2001 for these services will be dismissed without prejudice. Unified Dismissal Policy WTB has announced that a unified dismissal policy will take effect in each wireless service six months after the service is converted to ULS. Accordingly, this policy will take effect for Land Mobile Phase II services for applications filed beginning April 25, 2001. See discussion above under Phase I section for the requirements of the Unified Dismissal Policy. 5 6 Phase III Services Mandatory Electronic Filing Deadlines Mandatory Electronic Filing in Effect June 5, 2001 Deployment of Phase III, the third phase in the three- phased deployment of Land Mobile services to ULS, took place December 4, 2000. Conversion to mandatory electronic filing takes effect after a six- month transition period ends June 4, 2001. The mandatory electronic filing requirements take effect on June 5, 2001. All Land Mobile Phase III applicants who file directly with the Commission who are subject to the mandatory filing requirement (as described in the following chart) as well as all frequency coordinators who file on behalf of applicants must file electronically effective June 5, 2001. Additionally, effective June 5, 2001, an application must be filed electronically if it contains both radio service code( s) subject to mandatory electronic filing and radio service code( s) for which electronic filing may be optional. Land Mobile Phase III services include: Radio Service Code Mandatory on 6/ 5/ 2001* IK – Industrial/ Business Pool- Commercial, Conventional Yes YK – Industrial/ Business Pool- Commercial, Trunked Yes IG – Industrial/ Business Pool, Conventional Optional Industrial Business Pool YG – Industrial/ Business Pool, Trunked Optional GB – Business, 806- 821/ 851- 866 MHz, Conventional Optional GU – Business, 896- 901/ 935- 940 MHz, Conventional Optional YB – Business, 806- 821/ 851- 866 MHz, Trunked Optional Business for 800/ 900 MHz YU – Business, 896- 901/ 935- 940 MHz, Trunked Optional GO – Oher Indust/ Land Transp., 806- 821/ 851- 866 MHz, Conv. Optional GI – Other Indust/ Land Transp., 896- 901/ 935- 940 MHz, Conv. Optional YO – Other Indust/ Land Transp. 806- 821/ 851- 866 MHz, Trunked Optional Industrial/ Land Transportation 800/ 900 MHz YI – Other Indust/ Land Transp. 896- 901/ 935- 940 MHz, Trunked Optional *Applications filed on or after June 5, 2001 must be filed electronically via the ULS for the services marked “Yes.” The WTB encourages electronic filing for all services in ULS. Pre- ULS Forms and Letter Requests Will Be Dismissed Use of pre- ULS Forms must be in accordance with Appendix A supplemental information requirements, found in the public notice announcing deployment of Land Mobile Phase III, Public Notice, “Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) Implements Phase III of Three- Phased Deployment of the Universal Licensing System (ULS) for Land Mobile Radio Services on December 4, 2000,” DA 00- 2564 (rel. Nov. 9, 2000). To view this public notice, click on the “Headlines” section of the ULS homepage at http:// www. fcc. gov/ wtb/ uls and then select that public notice hyperlink listed in section “All Releases.” 6 7 Use of pre- ULS Forms for Phase III Land Mobile applications is permitted only until June 4, 2001. Any pre- ULS Form or letter request submitted on or after June 5, 2001, for these services will be dismissed without prejudice. Unified Dismissal Policy WTB has announced that a unified dismissal policy will take effect in each wireless service six months after the service is converted to ULS. Accordingly, this policy will take effect for Land Mobile Phase III services for applications filed beginning June 5, 2001. See discussion above under Phase I section for the requirements of the Unified Dismissal Policy. For Further Information or Assistance For general information about ULS, including answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding submitting applications, finding the status of pending applications, and searching the ULS database, the FCC recommends first consulting the ULS Web page at http:// www. fcc. gov/ wtb/ uls. Individuals having specific questions not addressed on the Web page may contact FCC staff via phone or email as described below. Applicants can reach the FCC Technical Support Hotline at (202) 414- 1250, via TTY at 202- 414- 1255, or via email at ulscomm@ fcc. gov. Contact its technicians regarding questions concerning computer access to ULS, TIN registration, uploading files, or submitting attachments in ULS. The hotline is available Monday– Friday, from 7 a. m.– 10 p. m., on Saturdays from 8 a. m.– 7 p. m., and Sundays from 12 p. m.– 6 p. m., Eastern Time. To provide better service to ULS users and ensure the security of the electronic filing system, all calls to the hotline are recorded. ULS Licensing Support and Forms Information is a separate hotline. To talk with an agent, applicants should call 1- 888- CALLFCC (225- 5322) and choose option #2, or send questions to ulshelp@ fcc. gov. Contact Licensing Support for any ULS- related licensing matters. ULS Licensing Support is available Monday– Friday, from 8: 00 a. m.– 5: 30 p. m., Eastern Time. Comments on ULS should be sent via email to ulscomm@ fcc. gov. 7