Federal Communications Commission	"FCC/DA  XX-XXX"



DA 20-404
Released:  April 10, 2020

PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY BUREAU PROVIDES
 GUIDANCE TO PUBLIC SAFETY ENTITIES ON REQUESTING SPECIAL TEMPORARY AUTHORITY AND WAIVERS IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19

The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) provides the following information for public safety licensees and applicants filing Special Temporary Authority (STA) requests or waiver requests in response to the declaration of national emergency due to COVID-19 issued on March 13, 2020. See Proclamation No. 9994, 85 Fed. Reg. 15337 (Mar. 18, 2020) (proclaiming that the COVID-19 outbreak in the
U.S. constitutes a national emergency, beginning on Mar. 1, 2020).


For emergency requests for STA that the FCC grants and that are not filed in the first instance in ULS (i.e., requests by informal letter, email, or by telephone), the grant may include a requirement that the applicant file a subsequent request in ULS within 10 days, or file a request for waiver in ULS.

For further information, Part 90 and Part 101 public safety licensees and applicants may contact Tracy Simmons, (717) 338-2657 or Tracy.Simmons@fcc.gov.  

In addition, during evening hours, weekends, and holidays, public safety licensees needing FCC emergency assistance or STAs can call the FCC’s Operation Center, which is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at (202) 418-1122 or by email at FCCOperationCenter@fcc.gov.

To share information during this time of national emergency, the FCC may issue news releases
detailing grants of emergency STA requests not otherwise available electronically in ULS. The substance of the emergency STA requests, and the FCC’s grants may also be provided on the FCC’s website.

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