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 11- 1930 Released: November 22, 2011 MEDIA BUREAU AND CONSUMER AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS BUREAU TO BEGIN IMPLEMENTATION OF MANDATORY ELECTRONIC FILING FOR CABLE SPECIAL RELIEF PETITIONS AND CABLE SHOW CAUSE PETITIONS, VIA THE ELECTRONIC COMMENT FILING SYSTEM Effective January 3, 2012, the Commission will no longer accept and consider Cable Special Relief (CSR) and Cable Show Cause (CSC) petitions filed on paper. As of that date, such petitions must be submitted electronically, utilizing the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS).1 This change in filing procedures is made pursuant to Section 1.49(f) of the Commission’s Rules, as recently amended in the Commission’s Report and Order released on February 4, 2011.2 Therein, the Commission revised portions of its Part 1 practice and procedural rules and its Part 0 organizational rules to increase the efficiency of Commission decision-making and modernize the agency’s processes in the digital age.3 How to File To allow parties to transition to these new procedures, effective December 1, 2011, voluntary electronic filing of CSR and CSC petitions will be permitted through January 3, 2012, when electronic filing will become mandatory. The Media Bureau has opened Docket No. 11-187 (“Cable Special Relief and Cable Show Cause Petitions for 2011”) to facilitate the voluntary electronic filing of CSR and CSC petitions during this transition period. Docket No. 11-187 will serve as a holding area for all such petitions until they have been reviewed and placed on public notice by the Media Bureau. Upon review and acceptance of each petition, the Media Bureau will assign either a CSR or CSC number to the petition. It will then assign a new docket number to each petition and issue a Special Relief and Show Cause Petition Public Notice containing the filing information and guidelines. A new holding area docket for 2012 will be opened and announced by Public Notice issued on or before January 3, 2012. Petitions electronically filed during this transition period can be searched for via ECFS by using Docket No. 11-187 in the proceeding number field. Once the Media Bureau has issued a Special Relief and Show Cause Petition Public Notice, the petition at issue will be able to be found using the newly assigned docket number and/or the CSR or CSC number. The CSR or CSC number should be entered 1 The revised procedures announced herein pertain only to the filing of CSR and CSC petitions. The documentation required for the electronic filing of CSR and CSC petitions is the same as that currently required for their filing on paper. 2 Amendment of Certain of the Commission’s Part 1 Rules of Practice and Procedure and Part 0 Rules of Commission Organization, Report and Order, 26 FCC Rcd 1594 (2011). 3 Id. at 1594-95, para. 1. 2 into the Bureau Identification Number field in ECFS. All persons filing petitions via ECFS should be sure to record the confirmation number generated by ECFS at the time the petition is filed for use, in case issues arise concerning the status of the filing. If a filer does not receive a confirmation number, the petition was not successfully filed and they should contact the ECFS customer support staff for assistance. Demonstration of New Filing Procedures On November 29, 2011, the Commission will hold a brown bag luncheon to demonstrate these new filing procedures at its Headquarters, 445 12th Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20554, in the second floor South Conference Room (2-B516). Parties interested in attending should contact Dorothy Stifflemire at 202-418-7349, or via e-mail at Dorothy.Stifflemire@fcc.gov. Remote attendance will also be available via the Commission’s website. To register and join the online event: 1. Go to https://fccevents.webex.com/fccevents/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=998511785. 2. The Event Information for Electronic Filing of Cable Special Relief Petitions appears; click on Register. 3. At the Register for Electronic Filing of Cable Special Relief Petitions event page, provide the required information and click Submit. 4. Once registered, you will receive a confirmation e-mail message containing instructions for joining the event, the password and the link for the meeting. 5. Information for joining the audio portion of the meeting will appear as a popup when you join the meeting. If it does not appear, you may use the following to join the audio portion of the meeting: Call-in number : 1-888-858-2144 Access code : 8672480 Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities will be available upon request. The request should include a detailed description of the accommodation needed and contact information. Please provide as much advance notice as possible; last minute requests will be accepted, but may be impossible to fill. Send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (TTY). The Media Bureau will also post on its website detailed instructions for these new procedures, and has created a CRS_CSC_Help@fcc.gov e-mail address for specific filer inquiries. For assistance using ECFS, contact ECFS help at 202-418-0193 or ecfshelp@fcc.gov. For further information, contact Pam Pusey at 202-418-1067 or Claudia Tillery of the Media Bureau at 202-418-1056. By the Chief, Media Bureau, and the Chief, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau – FCC –