Federal Communications Commission Washington, D.C. 20554 May 11, 2015 DA 15-564 Small Entity Compliance Guide Amendment of Parts 0, 1, 22, 24, and 27 of the Commission’s Rules with Regard to the Cellular Service, Including Changes in Licensing of Unserved Area REPORT AND ORDER FCC 14-181 WT Docket No. 12-40 Released: November 10, 2014 This Guide is prepared in accordance with the requirements of Section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996. It is intended to help small entities—small businesses, small organizations (non-profits), and small governmental jurisdictions—comply with the new rules adopted in the above-referenced FCC rulemaking docket(s). This Guide is not intended to replace the rules and, therefore, final authority rests solely with the rules. Although we have attempted to cover all parts of the rules that might be especially important to small entities, the coverage may not be exhaustive. This Guide may, perhaps, not apply in a particular situation based upon the circumstances, and the FCC retains the discretion to adopt approaches on a case-by-case basis that may differ from this Guide, where appropriate. Any decisions regarding a particular small entity will be based on the statute and regulations. In any civil or administrative action against a small entity for a violation of rules, the content of the Small Entity Compliance Guide may be considered as evidence of the reasonableness or appropriateness of proposed fines, penalties or damages. Interested parties are free to file comments regarding this Guide and the appropriateness of its application to a particular situation; the FCC will consider whether the recommendations or interpretations in the Guide are appropriate in that situation. The FCC may decide to revise this Guide without public notice to reflect changes in the FCC’s approach to implementing a rule, or to clarify or update the text of the Guide. Direct your comments and recommendations, or calls for further assistance, to the FCC’s Consumer Center: 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) TTY: 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) Fax: 202-418-0232 2TABLE OF CONTENTS I. SUMMARY OF ACTION TAKEN AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROCEEDING .................... 3 II. REGULATIONS AND POLICIES THAT THE COMMISSION ADOPTED OR MODIFIED, INCLUDING COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS ................................................... 4 A. Geographic License Boundaries ................................................................................................... 5 B. Field Strength Limit ...................................................................................................................... 5 C. SAB Extensions Negotiated with Another Licensee.................................................................... 6 D. SABs Remaining within CGSA Boundaries ................................................................................ 6 E. 50-Contiguous-Square-Mile Minimum for CGSA Expansions ................................................. 6 F. SAB Extensions into Unserved Area; Shared Service on a Secondary Basis ........................... 7 G. Submission of Maps ....................................................................................................................... 7 H. Elimination of Certain Application Content Requirements ...................................................... 7 I. Mutually Exclusive Applications in the Cellular Service ........................................................... 8 1. Initial License for Chambers, Texas Market (CMA672-A)................................................. 8 2. Mutually Exclusive CGSA Expansion Applications ............................................................ 9 J. Other Amendments; Non-relocation of Rules ............................................................................. 9 1. Obsolete or Outdated Terminology and Provisions ............................................................. 9 2. AMPS-related Data Collection............................................................................................. 10 3. Correction of Section 1.958(d).............................................................................................. 10 4. Decision Not to Relocate Part 22 Cellular and Part 24 PCS Rules to Part 27 ................. 10 K. Gulf of Mexico Service Area ....................................................................................................... 10 L. Freeze Order Lifted and Related Interim Procedures Terminated ........................................ 10 III. RECORDKEEPING AND OTHER COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS................................... 10 IV. WEBLINK .......................................................................................................................................... 10 3I. SUMMARY OF ACTION TAKEN AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROCEEDING In the Report and Order in WT Docket No. 12-40, the Commission adopted fundamental, sweeping reforms of rules governing the 800 MHz Cellular (“Cellular”) Service by introducing a geographic-based licensing framework that forms the basis of a vastly streamlined Cellular licensing regime. With the Report and Order, the Commission achieved regulatory reform goals by eliminating the need for a wide range of regulatory filings, modernizing the rules that will remain in place, and deleting obsolete provisions. Under the newly adopted licensing regime, licensees’ administrative burdens and time-consuming regulatory processes are reduced. Licensees will also benefit immediately from greater flexibility to modify their systems quickly in response to market demands, facilitating advanced broadband services to the benefit of consumers. The tremendous increase in flexibility and significant reduction in time-consuming regulatory processes will benefit all licensees and FCC staff alike. The new scheme will also bring the Cellular Service into greater harmony with the more flexible licensing schemes used by other geographically-licensed commercial wireless services, such as the Broadband Personal Communications Service (“PCS”), certain Advanced Wireless Services (“AWS”), and the 600 MHz and 700 MHz Services. The Commission revised the rules to establish geographic licenses based on Cellular Geographic Service Area (“CGSA”) boundaries, while preserving direct access on an as-needed basis nationwide to area that remains unlicensed (“Unserved Area”). Incumbents will be permitted to seek Commission approval to expand their CGSAs (i.e., expand service on a primary, protected basis) so long as the claimed Unserved Area is at least 50 contiguous square miles. This change is coupled with the Commission’s decision in the Report and Order to authorize incumbents to serve indefinitely, on a secondary basis, Unserved Area parcels smaller than 50 contiguous square miles, without notifying the FCC or seeking its prior approval. These reforms will dramatically reduce the number of applications – as well as the associated build-out notifications – that are, under current rules, required even for extremely small CGSA expansions. The Commission clarified that applications for CGSA expansions that do not meet the new minimum square mileage requirement of at least 50 contiguous square miles will be returned or dismissed unless first withdrawn by the applicant. Small entities will particularly benefit from being permitted to provide service on a secondary basis indefinitely in Unserved Area parcels of less than 50 contiguous square miles without Commission filings. This approach will allow small entities to serve smaller parcels and make system improvements within the licensed geographic boundary, which also will increase their ability to respond to the market and serve their customers without being hampered by administrative burdens. The Commission also adopted a Cellular Service field strength limit rule. It is more flexible than the comparable rules in other competitive wireless services, as appropriate in light of the continued ability to expand CGSAs. Notably, because a licensee’s CGSA will in some cases be bordered by Unserved Area rather than the CGSA of a neighboring co-channel licensee, the adopted rule applies the 40 dBµV/m field strength limit at the CGSA boundary of the neighboring co-channel licensee. Consistent with the flexibility provided in other wireless services such as PCS, the new rule also permits neighboring co- channel licensees to negotiate different field strength limits. The new rules adopted in the Report and Order also eliminate the need to obtain consents and submit filings related to extensions of service area boundaries (“SABs”) into the CGSAs of neighboring licensees operating on the same channel block. Recognizing, however, the unique licensing regime for the Gulf of Mexico Service Area (“Gulf”), established over decades through various Commission and judicial proceedings, the Commission concluded that it should retain the status quo for that region in certain respects. Accordingly, the Commission exempted the Gulf from the new field strength limit rule to the following extent: land-based carriers adjoining the Gulf will be required to negotiate any desired SAB extensions into the Gulf of Mexico Exclusive Zone (“Exclusive Zone”) and submit minor 4modification applications to the Commission, certifying that such consent has been obtained; and licensees in the Exclusive Zone will likewise be required to negotiate any desired SAB extensions into the licensed area of adjacent co-channel land-based carriers and submit minor modification applications to the Commission, certifying that such consent has been obtained. The Commission clarified that all land- based carriers will, however, be subject to the new field strength limit rule to protect the licensed CGSA boundaries of all neighboring co-channel land-based licensees. The Commission adopted a new rule for licensing, on a permanent, geographic basis, the Chambers, Texas, Cellular Market Area (“CMA”) – i.e., CMA672-A. In addition, as part of modernization of the provisions that remain in place, the Commission eliminated the need for routine submission of 16 exhibits and other technical information currently required with new-system and major modification applications in the Cellular Service, and mandated the submission of electronic map files in GIS format with any Cellular applications that require maps. II. REGULATIONS AND POLICIES THAT THE COMMISSION ADOPTED OR MODIFIED, INCLUDING COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS In the Report and Order, the Commission took the following steps: ? defined geographically licensed areas based on CGSA boundaries, within which licensees will have new flexibility to make system changes; ? adopted a new rule (Section 22.983) to establish a 40 dBµV/m field strength limit while permitting neighboring licensees to negotiate a different limit (lower or higher), and specified the circumstances in which the rule applies; ? preserved a key element of the site-based licensing model – the ability to expand service coverage into remaining Unserved Area in all CMAs – in a manner that greatly reduces licensees’ filing burdens and increases their flexibility by establishing a CGSA-expansion minimum of 50 contiguous square miles for primary, protected service, and authorized service on a secondary basis indefinitely in smaller Unserved Area parcels without Commission filings; ? revised Section 22.912 to permit negotiated SAB extensions into neighboring CGSAs without prior authorization or notification to the Commission, but retained the need for agreements and associated filings for extensions into and from the Gulf of Mexico Exclusive Zone; ? eliminated the requirement to notify the Commission of changes or additions to cell sites where the SAB remains confined within the CGSA; ? revised Section 22.953 to eliminate the routine need to submit 16 exhibits and other technical information with new-system and CGSA-expansion applications; ? adopted new Section 22.960 to address the licensing of the Chambers, Texas market on a permanent basis; ? mandated the electronic filing of maps with certain filings under Sections 22.948, 22.953, and 22.960; and ? revised numerous other rules applicable to Cellular licensees to delete obsolete or unnecessary provisions and bring the rules up to date, consistent with the other reforms adopted in the Report and Order, such as provisions regarding analog operations and 5references to the legacy licensing model’s initial five-year and Phase I build-out periods, and other miscellaneous rule changes. A. Geographic License Boundaries The Commission concluded that the Cellular geographic-based license area should be defined as the CGSA. This is consistent with its goal of affording increased system flexibility (including deployment of broadband service) within fixed boundaries, and brings the Cellular Service scheme into greater harmony with the more flexible licensing schemes in other similar mobile services, such as PCS and AWS, for example. B. Field Strength Limit The Commission determined that the proposed 40 dBµV/m field strength limit is appropriate for the Cellular band and adopted a new rule establishing this limit. Also, consistent with other geographic- based wireless services, the new rule permits neighboring co-channel Cellular licensees to negotiate different field strength limits – higher or lower than 40 dBµV/m. Cellular licensees must comply at all times with the applicable radiated power limits and applicable provisions of international agreements and treaties. The Commission adopted a rule that will apply at every point along the neighboring co-channel licensee’s CGSA boundary. The following two examples illustrate this new rule: (1) if a licensee’s CGSA borders Unserved Area (whether currently or through a service coverage expansion in compliance with the Commission’s new rules), that licensee can exceed the 40 dBµV/m limit at its own CGSA boundary, so long as it complies with that limit (or a negotiated limit) at every point along the neighboring co-channel licensee’s CGSA boundary and that same licensee expanding its service is entitled to protection at its own CGSA boundary under the Cellular field strength limit rule adopted in the Report and Order; it is not protected under the rule at the boundary of its service coverage expansion area unless and until that area becomes part of its licensed geographic area (i.e., its CGSA); (2) if two co- channel licensees’ CGSAs are adjacent, both licensees will be subject to the field strength limit rule at every point along their shared CGSA boundary to protect one another. This more flexible approach serves the public interest. It takes into account the unique features of the Cellular licensing system reflected in the Report and Order, yet ensures appropriate protection of Cellular licensees from harmful interference at their licensed geographic area (i.e., CGSA) boundaries. All Cellular licensees should be mindful that, because the Commission preserved certain CGSA expansion rights, CGSA boundaries are subject to change, and application of the field strength limit rule will change accordingly. As set forth in the field strength limit rule adopted in the Report and Order (Section 22.983) and the revised version of Section 22.912, the Commission determined that, rather than risking disruption, it serves the public interest to continue to maintain the status quo Gulf regime in most respects and not apply the new field strength limit rule except as explained below. New rules adopted in the Report and Order in the interest of streamlining and modernizing the Cellular Unserved Area licensing model will apply to any Gulf licensee that is subject to the Unserved Area licensing rules. The Commission will continue to require service area extension agreements and associated filings with the Commission as follows: land-based carriers adjoining the Gulf will be required to negotiate with licensees in the Exclusive Zone any desired SAB extensions into that Zone and submit minor modification applications to the Commission, certifying that such consent has been obtained; and licensees in the Exclusive Zone will likewise be required to negotiate any desired SAB extensions into the licensed area of neighboring land- based carriers and submit minor modification applications to the Commission, certifying that such consent has been obtained. The Commission clarified that all land-based carriers will, however, be 6subject to the new field strength limit rule to protect the licensed CGSA boundaries of all neighboring co- channel land-based licensees. The Commission revised Section 22.911 and deleted provisions rendered obsolete due to the adopted field strength limit rule and elimination of certain requirements governing SAB extensions into another licensee’s CGSA, in connection with transitioning the Cellular Service to a geographic-based model. Revisions to Section 22.911 do not affect the formulas for calculating CGSAs and SABs. C. SAB Extensions Negotiated with Another Licensee The Commission adopted revised Section 22.912 regarding SAB extensions into neighboring licensees’ CGSAs, and adopted a conforming change to Section 22.911(d). It clarified that, so long as a licensee either meets the 40 dBµV/m field strength limit adopted in the Report and Order or negotiates a different limit (higher or lower) with the neighboring co-channel licensee, resulting SAB extensions into a neighboring licensee’s CGSA will be permitted without a minor modification application or a certification that consents have been obtained. The exception is with respect to the Gulf as explained in the Report and Order. The Commission emphasized that it does not seek to disrupt previously negotiated SAB extension agreements between Cellular licensees, nor does it seek to prohibit new ones. It fully expects that parties will continue to comply with the terms of their existing SAB extension agreements or negotiate new terms if they deem warranted. D. SABs Remaining within CGSA Boundaries The Commission determined that it serves the public interest to no longer require that Cellular licensees notify the Commission of changes to cell sites, or the addition of new cell sites, where the SAB remains confined within the existing CGSA boundary. This approach is consistent with the goals of reducing licensee administrative burdens, enhancing flexibility to adapt quickly to technological and market place changes, and increasing harmonization of the Cellular Service rules with those of other geographically licensed services. The Commission adopted a simplified Section 22.165(e) to eliminate references to the legacy Cellular licensing model (e.g., the five-year construction period of an initial primary license) and to clarify when a Cellular transmitter may be added without prior Commission approval. E. 50-Contiguous-Square-Mile Minimum for CGSA Expansions The Commission will continue to permit CGSA expansions in all CMA Blocks at this time. So- called dual licensing will also continue to be permitted in the Cellular Service, and consequently, the same licensee (or commonly controlled licensees) of two CGSAs may serve area within both CGSAs from a single transmitter site (if technically feasible), but may not claim any served area as part of more than one CGSA. Likewise, a licensee (or commonly controlled licensees) of two CGSAs wishing to file an application to claim, in compliance with all applicable rules, two separate parcels of Unserved Area as CGSA may propose to serve both parcels from a single transmitter site (if technically feasible), but may not claim either parcel as part of more than one CGSA. The Commission concluded that it serves the public interest to establish by rule a minimum requirement of 50 contiguous square miles (as determined pursuant to the applicable formula in Section 22.911) for all CGSA expansions (i.e., to expand service coverage on a primary, protected basis). By “contiguous” the Commission refers to the claimed Unserved Area parcel itself and does not require that such area be adjacent to the applicant’s existing CGSA. Particularly in Alaska, a CGSA may involve parcels that are not adjacent to one another. The Commission concluded that this approach balances the concerns of large and smaller carriers alike, particularly because the Commission will not only continue 7to permit expansion of service into smaller parcels (less than 50 contiguous square miles) on a secondary basis, but it will enhance flexibility by eliminating previously required Commission filings for such parcels, as explained further below. The new minimum requirement for CGSA expansions has been incorporated into the revised Section 22.949 adopted in the Report and Order and, consistent with the Commission’s regulatory reform agenda to streamline its rules where possible, the Commission consolidated the existing new-system coverage requirements currently set forth in Section 22.951 into Section 22.949. The Commission anticipates that licensees will not make unnecessary filings under the new rules adopted in the Report and Order. It clarified that, to the extent that applications are filed claiming Unserved Area as CGSA without meeting the new minimum square mileage requirement, Commission staff will not process them; rather, they will return or dismiss such filings unless first withdrawn by the applicant. F. SAB Extensions into Unserved Area; Shared Service on a Secondary Basis A high volume of applications under current Cellular rules are to make improvements in response to technological changes, demographic changes, and consumer demand that change the CGSA boundary by an extremely small amount. It serves the public interest to permit continued access to these small parcels of Unserved Area. However, to increase flexibility to make changes to an existing system, the Commission also concluded that it serves the public interest to permit incumbents to extend their SABs (as calculated under Section 22.911) into adjacent Unserved Area parcels that are less than 50 contiguous square miles and provide service coverage on a secondary basis indefinitely, without any filings with the Commission. The Commission clarified that this is applicable whether the SAB extension is the result of an added transmitter, modification of a cell site, or both. Under the rules adopted in the Report and Order, a licensee extending its SAB into an Unserved Area parcel of less than 50 contiguous square miles must: (1) pursuant to Section 22.983 adopted in the Report and Order, comply with the 40 dBµV/m field strength limit at the boundary of the neighboring co- channel licensee’s CGSA or negotiate a different field strength limit; (2) accept interference from other Cellular systems; and (3) avoid causing harmful interference to any neighboring co-channel licensee’s CGSA. To the extent that more than one incumbent borders and wishes to serve the same Unserved Area parcel less than 50 contiguous square miles, such incumbents will be required to provide service in that parcel on a shared secondary (unprotected) basis only. In sum, Cellular incumbents are authorized to serve Unserved Area parcels less than 50 contiguous square miles on a secondary basis consistent with the requirements discussed in the Report and Order. G. Submission of Maps The Commission adopted final updated rules that require mandatory electronic filing of map files in GIS format with any Cellular applications that require maps. The Commission will continue to accept and preserve large-scale paper maps filed prior to the effective date of the electronic filing requirement. Thereafter, the Commission will not accept paper maps with Cellular applications unless it finds that a large-scale paper map is necessary to review and act on a particular application and requests such a submission. Applications that do not comply with the new requirement will either be returned to the applicant or dismissed. H. Elimination of Certain Application Content Requirements The Commission determined that it serves the public interest to adopt revised provisions to minimize the content requirements for Cellular applications. It deleted Section 22.929 and consolidated application requirements into a single revised rule, Section 22.953. Under the revised Section 22.953, applicants for new systems or system modifications will no longer be required routinely to submit the 8following information in their exhibits: ? Height of the center of radiation of the antenna above average terrain; ? Antenna gain in the maximum lobe; ? Antenna model; ? Antenna manufacturer name; ? Antenna type; ? Antenna height to tip above ground level; ? Maximum effective radiated power; ? Beam-width of the maximum lobe of the antenna; ? A polar plot of the horizontal gain pattern of the antenna; ? The electrical field polarization of the wave emitted by the antenna when installed as proposed; ? Channel plan; ? Service proposal; ? Cellular design; ? Blocking level; ? Start-up expenses; and ? Interconnection. The Commission reserves the right to request the information and exhibits listed above if deemed necessary to review an application, and it will continue to require all the information specified in FCC Form 601 (including all applicable Schedules) for Cellular new-system and modification applications. In light of the advances and maturity of the Cellular Service, the information and technical exhibits identified above are either no longer routinely necessary for Commission staff in reviewing Cellular applications or can be accessed elsewhere. By eliminating all 16 of these requirements for routine review, the Commission has alleviated to a significant degree the resources that licensees will need to expend on Cellular applications. I. Mutually Exclusive Applications in the Cellular Service 1. Initial License for Chambers, Texas Market (CMA672-A) The Commission adopted geographic coverage build-out requirements, rather than subjecting the new Chambers licensee to the legacy five-year and Phase I/Phase II build-out/application processes. The Chambers licensee will therefore be required to provide signal coverage and offer service over at least 35% of the geographic area of CMA672-A within four years of initial license grant, and to at least 70% of that same area by the end of the license term, as set forth in new Section 22.960 adopted in the Report and Order. For purposes of this geographic benchmark, the licensee is to count total land, and failure to meet these coverage benchmarks will result in automatic termination of the license and its return to the Commission for re-licensing by auction. Any licensee that fails to meet these benchmarks will not be eligible to regain the Chambers license. The holder of the interim operating authorization (currently AT&T Galveston) does not have primary authority to operate and would not be afforded incumbent status entitled to protection from the Chambers licensee. The performance obligations adopted in this Report and Report for the Chambers license are consistent with those for geographic area licenses in certain other services similarly issued through competitive bidding. The Commission also eliminated the numerous existing provisions pertaining to or referencing the legacy build-out periods for the Cellular Service, which are otherwise obsolete, throughout Parts 1 and 22 of the Commission’s rules in order to be consistent with its regulatory reform agenda and updated references to the Phase II build-out period. 9The Commission concluded that it is appropriate to deem the boundary of CMA672-A as the CGSA boundary of the Chambers licensee. Neighboring co-channel licensees will not be permitted to claim as CGSA any area within CMA672-A, even if not built out by the Chambers licensee by the end of the initial license term. The Chambers licensee will be permitted to claim, as a CGSA expansion, Unserved Area in a neighboring CMA, provided that it has first met all of its build-out requirements in CMA672-A by the end of the initial license term. Any such CGSA expansion area will not, however, remain part of the Chambers license in the event the Chambers license is automatically terminated by Commission rule or revoked for any reason, in which case the area within CMA672-A will revert to the Commission for re-licensing by auction, while the CGSA expansion area will revert to the Commission for re-licensing pursuant to the Unserved Area licensing rules. With respect to licensee protection requirements, pursuant to the field strength limit rule adopted in the Report and Order, the Commission clarified that the Chambers licensee will have the flexibility to construct anywhere within CMA672-A subject to Cellular Service technical requirements, but must comply with the 40 dBµV/m field strength limit at the CGSA boundaries of neighboring co-channel licensees, unless a different limit is negotiated. Further, consistent with the new Cellular field strength limit rule and with protection requirements in other geographic-based wireless services, such as PCS, a neighboring co-channel Cellular licensee must comply with the 40 dBµV/m field strength limit at the Chambers licensed area boundary (i.e., the boundary of CMA672-A), regardless of whether the Chambers licensee is yet operating near the border of CMA672-A, or else negotiate a different limit. The Commission concluded that this approach provides the most efficient and effective means to foster the provision of additional advanced wireless service by a primary licensee to this Texas market and serves the public interest. In the event that mutually exclusive applications are accepted for this license, new Section 22.961 adopted in the Report and Order shall govern. The Commission directed the Bureau to proceed, within a reasonable time following the effective date of the final rules adopted in the Report and Order, to release the appropriate public notice(s) to implement a decision regarding the Chambers license. 2. Mutually Exclusive CGSA Expansion Applications The Commission adopted new Section 22.961 not only to govern the Chambers license but also mutually exclusive Cellular Unserved Area applications, and consolidated into Section 22.961 certain other rules to eliminate redundancy and obsolescence in provisions addressing mutually exclusive Cellular Service applications. J. Other Amendments; Non-relocation of Rules 1. Obsolete or Outdated Terminology and Provisions The Commission deleted rules and adopted revised rules as follows: Section 1.929(b) (revised); Section 22.99 (deleted defined terms “Build-out transmitters,” “Five-year build-out period,” and “Partitioned cellular market,” revised slightly the definitions for “Cellular Geographic Service Area,” “Extension,” and “Unserved Area,” and added and defined the term “Cellular Market Area”); Section 22.131 (revised paragraphs (c)(3)(iii) and (d)(2)(iv)); Section 22.143 (revised paragraph (a)); Section 22.909 (revised); Section 22.911 (deleted paragraph (c) and revised paragraph (e)); Section 22.912 (revised); Section 22.946 (revised); Section 22.947 (deleted); Section 22.948 (revised); and Section 22.949 (revised). The Commission deleted Section 1.919(c) governing the reporting of Cellular cross- ownership interests, which is obsolete because the reporting requirement has sunset. Adopting these rule changes serves the public interest and advances the Commission’s regulatory reform agenda. 10 2. AMPS-related Data Collection The Commission determined that it serves the public interest to revise Section 22.901 by deleting paragraph (b) regarding analog mobile phone service (“AMPS”). As of the effective date of revised Section 22.901 that was adopted in the Report and Order, the Commission ceased collecting AMPS sunset certifications from Cellular licensees. 3. Correction of Section 1.958(d) The Commission adopted a revised version of Section 1.958(d) to correct an inadvertent error in the distance computation formula in the rule. 4. Decision Not to Relocate Part 22 Cellular and Part 24 PCS Rules to Part 27 The Commission concluded that relocating the Part 22, Subpart H Cellular Service rules is not appropriate. Moreover, as the Commission’s suggestion to relocate the Part 24 PCS rules was contingent on relocation of the Part 22 Cellular Service rules, it also concluded that it is not appropriate to further consider relocation of the Part 24 PCS rules in this proceeding. K. Gulf of Mexico Service Area The Commission concluded that, to the extent that Gulf licensees are subject to Unserved Area licensing procedures under the current rules, it serves the public interest that Gulf licensees not be exempt from the revised rules and procedures that were adopted in the Report and Order to modernize and streamline the Cellular Unserved Area licensing model. L. Freeze Order Lifted and Related Interim Procedures Terminated The Commission concluded that to continue the freeze or the interim procedures that were imposed as of the adoption date of the 2012 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Order in WT Docket No. 12-40 no longer serves the goals of the proceeding or the public interest. Therefore, effective as of January 4, 2015, the freeze and interim procedures were no longer in effect. III. RECORDKEEPING AND OTHER COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS The Commission’s action in the Report and Order will have ongoing positive effects with respect to the reporting, recordkeeping, and compliance obligations of small entities because all Cellular licensees are now subject to reduced filing burdens and recordkeeping, described in detail above, as a result of the Commission’s transition of the Cellular Service to geographic-based licensing. For details of all compliance requirements, refer to the Report and Order. IV. WEBLINK The Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 14-181, was adopted November 7, 2014 and released November 10, 2014. Parts 1 and 22 of the Commission’s rules, 47 C.F.R. Parts 1 and 27, were amended as specified in Appendix A of the Report and Order, effective January 4, 2015, except for those provisions that contain modified information collection requirements, which required approval by the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) under the Paperwork Reduction Act. OMB has since approved those provisions – which can be found in Sections 22.165(e), 22.948, and 22.953 of the Commission’s rules, 47 C.F.R. §§ 22.165(e), 22.948, and 22.953 – and they will take effect on May 19, 2015. Reform of Rules Governing the 800 MHz Cellular Service, 80 Fed. Reg. 23452 (Apr. 28, 2015). 11 Finally, effective as of January 4, 2015, the freeze and interim procedures that were imposed as of the adoption date of the 2012 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Order in this WT Docket No. 12-40 are no longer in effect. http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-14-181A1.docx http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-14-181A1.pdf http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-14-181A1.txt