PUBLIC NOTICE 1 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 10-1664 Released: September 14, 2010 FINANCIAL SYSTEM BLACKOUT PERIOD (OCTOBER 1 – 18, 2010) The Federal Communications Commission (“Commission”) will be implementing a new financial system in October 2010.1 To prepare for cutover to the new financial system, the Commission’s current financial system will shut down on September 30, 2010, the last day of our fiscal year.2 We anticipate that it will take until October 18, 2010 for our new financial system to become fully operational. During the conversion, or “blackout,” period, the Commission’s licensing systems will not have full access to up- to-date payment information; nor will those systems have access to current Red Light Display System statuses. Thus, applicants will not be able to view their current Red Light status or recent payment activity online during the conversion period. Similarly, Commission staff will have limited ability during the conversion period to access certain files and systems that track payments, and may, therefore, be unable to verify account statuses during the conversion period. Further, time-sensitive filings may incur processing delays during the conversion period. Applicants, therefore, are urged to plan their licensing activities around the conversion period and submit any applications before commencement of the conversion or after completion of conversion to the new financial system. Applicants also are advised to consult the Commission’s website for any updates or changes to the conversion period, as the above-listed date may change slightly, based on the progress of the conversion. Although the Commission will continue to act upon routine applications, as well as emergency and expedited applications, during the conversion period, Commission staff may be unable to confirm recent changes and/or payments made to accounts. We remind applicants that, pursuant to the Commission’s rules set forth at 47 CFR 1.1910(b)(2), "any Commission action taken prior to the payment of delinquent non-tax debt owed to the Commission is contingent and subject to rescission." 1 The Commission’s financial system replacement effort is being conducted in compliance with all applicable Federal financial systems regulations and guidance. Of particular applicability is the Office of Management and Budget’s Circular A-127 Financial Management Systems. This Circular prescribes policies and standards for federal agencies to follow when developing, operating, evaluating, and reporting on financial management systems. Each Federal agency is required to establish and maintain a single, integrated financial management system that complies with the requirements defined in the Circular. An “integrated financial management system” is defined by the Circular as: “…a unified set of financial systems and the financial portions of mixed systems encompassing the software, hardware, personnel, processes (manual and automated), procedures, controls and data necessary to carry out financial management functions, manage financial operations of the agency and report on the agency's financial status to central agencies, Congress and the public." 2 We will ensure that our accounts payable (vendor payments) are current prior to October 1, 2010. 2 Should it be necessary to submit an application or filing, or remit payment during the conversion period, applicants are strongly urged to make such filings or payments via Fee Filer either as an on-line credit card transaction or as an Automatic Clearing House (“ACH”) payment. Applicants may experience a delay in the granting of applications during the conversion period; this is especially true if applicant has remitted payment by check. The Commission will not process refunds or vendor payments during the conversion period until such conversion is complete and all systems are returned to normal operation. During the conversion period— Licensees and applicants can continue to (subject to the caveats and limitations detailed above): § file applications electronically and make payment on-line via Remittance Over Secure Internet E-Commerce (ROSIE). § use the Commission’s on-line Fee Filer system to pay their debts. § mail applications, paper filings, payments of debts, monetary forfeitures, voluntary contributions and Form 159s to our lockbox bank (U.S. Bank, located in St. Louis, MO). § file applications and filings with the Commission. § contact the Revenues, Receivables Operations group and our Financial Operations Helpdesk for questions and concerns. Finally, our licensing systems have dismissal periods in place for confirming application fee payments.3 These dismissal periods will be suspended during the financial system conversion period. Therefore, instead of dismissing applications after 10 calendar days (14 calendar days for International Bureau applications), applications will not be dismissed until system operations are returned to normal, so that Red Light Display System statuses can be verified and any recent payment (or lack thereof) can be confirmed. The Commission will notify its customers via our website upon completion of the conversion and return to normal operation. For assistance during the financial system conversion period, contact the Financial Operations Help Desk at 1-(877) 480-3201 or the Revenue and Receivables Operations Group at (202) 418-1995. Email: ARINQUIRIES@fcc.gov. For further information contact: Rob Fream, Office of Managing Director, Federal Communications Commission at (202) 418-0408. Email: Rob.Fream@fcc.gov. - FCC - 3 Per our application fee filing guides, applicants must remit payment within 10 calendar days of submitting their application, or the application will be dismissed; the exception being that International Bureau applicants are provided 14 calendar days to remit payment.