PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12 th St., S.W. News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 DA 16-447 Released: April 25, 2016 OFFICE OF MANAGING DIRECTOR ANNOUNCES NEW USER-SPECIFIC ID REQUIREMENTS TO ACCESS THE COMMISSION REGISTRATION SYSTEM (CORES) MD Docket No. 10-234 This Public Notice announces and describes the Commission’s upcoming plans to modify the Commission’s Registration System (“CORES”). These modifications, which will take effect on or about September 1, 2016, will implement several user-specific identification requirements designed to enhance security and makes CORES more user friendly. Specifically, these changes will: ? Implement a requirement for existing and new users to designate user-specific IDs (Usernames) to access FCC Registration Numbers (FRNs) and related records; ? Allow registrants to establish multiple Usernames for each FRN with different levels of access; 1 ? Require users to provide a valid e-mail address for online access to the system; 2 and 1 By default, the first user establishing access to an existing FRN will be granted administrative responsibilities over the account and will have the ability to limit the level of access for future users, if desired. 2 Individuals without e-mail addresses may still register for an FRN or update an FRN by printing FCC Form 160 or 161 from the FCC Forms page (https://www.fcc.gov/forms) and mailing them to Federal Communications Commission Attention: CORES Administrator Room: 2-A629 445 12th St, SW Washington, DC 20554. Such individuals will continue to receive important notices via postal mail as necessary. ? Establish password-recovery security questions specific to each user. Some of these changes were among the proposed modifications to CORES contained in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) in MD Docket No. 10-234, released on December 7, 2010. 3 All of the changes to CORES adopted in this Public Notice are administrative in nature and none modify existing regulations governing CORES. 4 We find these changes necessary because they are designed to strengthen the security of records, make CORES more user- friendly, and improve the Commission compliance with various statutes that govern debt collection and the collection of personal information. 5 All these changes may be implemented without notice and comment. 6 Additional details about these modifications can be found on the CORES website at https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/publicHome.do?help=true, which provides guidance for how to register a new username account; register for new FRN; associate a username with an existing FRN; reset a password; approve or reject an FRN association request (access requests); update FRN information; check red light alerts; and establish different levels of user access. The Commission will implement a scoped pilot launch commencing on April 29, 2016 to solicit feedback on these changes from the CORES user community. The pilot program will initially be directed toward users of the Commission’s Cable Operations and Licensing System (COALS), businesses/government entities that have a significant numbers of registered FRNs associated with a single Employer Identification Number (EIN), and the top 100 Regulatory Fee payers by FRN. Further expansion of the pilot program will be considered based on user feedback. Specific FRN owners will be contacted and invited to participate in the pilot program by the Office of Managing Director as the pilot program progresses. The pilot will end by August 31, 2016. 3 Amendment of Part 1 of the Commission’s Rules, Concerning Practice and Procedure, Amendment of CORES Registration System, MD Docket No. 10-234, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 25 FCC Rcd 17407 (2010). All comments received in response to the NPRM concerning the modifications adopted here were supportive of these changes. The Commission will address the remaining proposals in this docket at a future date. 4 47 C.F.R. Part 1, Subpart W, §§ 1.8000-1.8004. 5 31 U.S.C. § 3701, et seq.; 5 U.S.C. § 552a. 6 See 5 U.S.C. § 553(b)(A) (agency organization, procedure or practice that do not have a substantial impact on substantive rights and interests do not require notice and comment). We anticipate that the updated version of CORES will be available to the full FCC user community as of September 1, 2016, at https://www.fcc.gov/cores. The current version of CORES will remain available through September 30, 2016 at https://apps.fcc.gov/coresWeb/publicHome.do. At this time, there are no changes to how other FCC systems associate resources (applications, licenses, etc.) to FRNs. If you would like to sign up for regular updates about the progress and status of this scoped pilot launch, send an email to CORES@fcc.gov with the subject line “Subscribe.” Comments, questions and feedback are welcome at CORES@fcc.gov; and input, feedback and questions on the CORES scoped pilot launch are also welcome at CORES@fcc.gov. For additional information on this Public Notice, contact Michael Schuppin at Michael.Schuppin@fcc.gov or (202) 418-1814, or Warren Firschein at Warren.Firschein@fcc.gov or (202) 418-0844, both of the Office of Managing Director. --FCC--