Federal Communications Commission	DA 20-204

 DA 20-204
Released:  February 27, 2020

COALS AND OPIF UPDATED FOR CARRIAGE ELECTION INFORMATION POSTING 

MB Docket Nos. 17-105, 17-317

Deadline:  July 31, 2020

The Media Bureau today unveiled updates to the Cable Operations and Licensing System (COALS) and the Online Public Inspection File (OPIF), giving users immediate access to the Carriage Election Notification Point of Contact (CENPOC) fields.  Broadcasters, cable and open video system (OVS) operators, and direct broadcast satellite (DBS) providers may now update these Commission databases with contact information that will allow the receipt of carriage notices and carriage questions later this year. Elections for the 2021-2023 carriage cycle must be made no later than October 1, 2020.
  The contact information must be uploaded by covered entities no later than July 31, 2020.
The 2019 Carriage Election Order requires that television broadcast stations and DBS providers provide in OPIF both an e-mail address and a phone number for purposes of carriage-related inquiries, and requires cable operators to provide the same information in COALS. Electronic Delivery of MVPD Communications; Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative, MB Docket Nos. 17-105 and 17-317, Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 34 FCC Rcd 5922, 5927-28, para. 11 (2019) (2019 Carriage Election Order).
  In the 2020 Carriage Election Order, the Commission declined to create a new online public file requirement for qualified low-power and non-commercial educational translator stations.  Instead, they must respond to carriage-related inquiries received at the e-mail address and phone number they have already provided to the public in the Commission’s Licensing and Management System (LMS) database. Electronic Delivery of MVPD Communications; Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative, MB Docket Nos. 17-105 and 17-317, Report and Order, FCC 20-14 (rel. Feb. 25, 2020) (2020 Carriage Election Order).
  The 2020 Carriage Election  Order also affirmed that OVS operators must provide information in COALS in the same manner as cable operators. Id.

COALS users may provide CENPOC information by signing into COALS and completing the fields on the “COALS Account Profile” screen.  For COALS users who also have online public files, the CENPOC will automatically update in OPIF within 24 hours of being updated in COALS.
OPIF-only users may upload CENPOC information by signing into OPIF, accessing the “Profile” tab, and completing the “Carriage Election Contact Information” fields.  
LMS-only users (qualified low-power and non-commercial educational translator television stations) may confirm the accuracy of their listed contact information by signing into LMS, accessing the “Facilities” tab to select the correct Facility, and reviewing the “Contact e-mail” and “Contact phone number” fields.  Users may file an Administrative Update Notification if corrections are necessary.
For further information about this rulemaking proceeding, please contact Lyle Elder, Policy Division, Media Bureau, at (202) 418-2120 or lyle.elder@fcc.gov.  For technical assistance with COALS, please contact COALS_help@fcc.gov.  For technical assistance with OPIF or LMS, please call (877) 480-3201 or (717) 338-2824 (TTY), or submit a request online via e-support at https://esupport.fcc.gov/request.htm.

-FCC-

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