PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 DA 09-2539 Released: December 4, 2009 MEDIA BUREAU ANNOUNCES ONLINE AVAILABILITY OF REVISED BIENNIAL FORM 323, AN INSTRUCTIONAL WORKSHOP ON THE REVISED FORM, AND THE POSSIBILITY OF OBTAINING A SPECIAL USE FRN FOR THE FORM MB Docket No. 07-294, et al. The Media Bureau today announced that the revised Form 323 will be available on the Commission’s electronic filing system by December 9, 2009. Filers required to complete a biennial ownership report may access the new form on CDBS on and after that date. To assist filers, the Bureau created a dedicated Form 323 website, which contains links to prior orders and notices and includes “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQ) about the form and its electronic filing capabilities. The website is available at http://www.fcc.gov/form323. The FAQs will be updated regularly. As another step to ease the transition to the revised form, the Bureau will hold a workshop to answer questions and provide guidance on the new filing procedures. During the workshop, Media Bureau staff will demonstrate, step by step, how to fill out and file the new form. The workshop will take place in the Commission meeting room on Wednesday, December 9, 2009, beginning at 2:00 p.m. EST. Questions can be submitted in advance of the workshop by email to Form323@fcc.gov. Responses will be given either at the workshop or in the FAQs. For those who cannot attend the workshop in person, audio/video coverage of the meeting will be broadcast live with open captioning over the Internet from the FCC Live web page at www.fcc.gov/live. Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request and should be requested as soon as possible. Include a description of the accommodation you will need. Also include a way we can contact you if we need more information. Last-minute requests will be accepted, but may not be possible to fill. Send an e- mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (tty). The revised Form 323 requires that individuals and entities reported on the form obtain and provide an FCC Registration Number (FRN). Obtaining an FRN requires submission of a Taxpayer ID Number (a Social Security Number, or SSN, for individuals and an Employer ID Number, or EIN, for entities). In response to concerns about obtaining an SSN or an FRN from some individuals who are required to be reported, the revised form allows filers to obtain a “Special Use FRN.” This FRN may be used only for the biennially filed FCC Form 323 and may not be used for any other FCC purpose. Instructions on how to obtain a Special Use FRN are on the Form 323 website provided above. We expect all filers to use their best efforts to obtain all SSNs or EINs needed to obtain a fully compliant FRN and to file a complete Form 323. We remind individuals who must be reported on the form that they have the option of obtaining their own FRN directly from the CORES system, obviating the need to disclose their SSNs to anyone other than the Commission. We encourage individuals to provide FRNs to filers to alleviate any concerns they may have about disclosing their SSNs to filing entities. We note that Special Use FRNs are an interim measure to ease the transition to use of the revised form. Use of the Special Use FRN does not relieve a filer of its ultimate duty to obtain a fully compliant FRN. We expect filers using Special Use FRNs to update their filed ownership reports with fully compliant FRNs when these are obtained. For further information, please contact Kristi Thompson or Amy Brett, Industry Analysis Division, (202) 418-2330. Press inquiries should be directed to Janice Wise, (202) 418-8165. -FCC-