DA 20-757
Released: July 17, 2020

Chief Financial Officer Announces the Release of an Enhanced Payment Portal 

This Public Notice announces the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC’s) plans to release an enhanced Payment Portal available to users through the updated Commission Registration System (CORES). These enhancements result from system changes the FCC is required to implement to comply with Department of Treasury’s pay.gov integration requirements.  The Department of Treasury is retiring the technology it uses for completing online payments and will require the use of its new hosted technology for all agencies in 2020.
  The FCC is required to implement these changes to comply with the Department of Treasury’s (Treasury) pay.gov system integration requirements.  Treasury is retiring the technology it uses for completing online payments and is requiring all federal agencies to use new hosted technology.  The FCC’s release of these enhancements, to be implemented in three phases starting on July 24, 2020 will provide a comprehensive FCC Registration Number (FRN) financial dashboard to improve and simplify how FCC users view their FCC-related financial data and make payments.  Specifically, these enhancements will: 

· Allow users to retrieve financial data for the FRNs they manage, Users must have ‘view financial info’ permission for the FRN they are associated with and are managing. 
 including red and green light status, open bills, Open bills have no remittance ID.  After an open bill or application fee is selected to pay, a remittance ID is assigned.  
 any other remittances generated from any FCC system that are awaiting payment completion, and payment history. 
· Permit users to select the type of payment they would like to make from an enhanced CORES payment selection screen. 
· Utilize the Department of Treasury’s supported technology to complete online (credit card and ACH) payments.
· Enhance and strengthen security.

In Phase 1, the enhanced Payment Portal can be accessed by users directly logging into the updated CORES with an FCC Username and password. The FCC is currently maintaining a legacy version of CORES which does not support the Payment Portal enhancement we are announcing today.  It is anticipated that legacy CORES will be retired in the near term.
  From there, users will be able to manage any of the financials for the FRNs associated with their Username account.  Users that have not registered in the updated CORES with an FCC Username and password or have not updated their FRN to link it to a Username and password in the updated CORES may do so at any time to begin taking advantage of the Payment Portal upgrade, or may continue to make payments through the existing payment platforms. Users register in the enhanced CORES by registering their e-mail address information as their Username. 
  Phase 1 of the Payment Portal enhancement will begin July 24, 2020.

In Phase 2, when users interact with the Commission’s Red-Light Display System, Fee Filer Online System, and ULS Pay Fees system, they will be automatically connected to the enhanced Payment Portal in the updated CORES without needing to log into CORES, will be able to select the type of payment they would like to make from an enhanced CORES payment selection screen, and will be able to complete their payments.  This Phase 2 enhancement will occur seamlessly for these users beginning August 10, 2020.

In Phase 3, users of any FCC system or application connecting to the legacy Electronic Form 159 application will be re-directed to the enhanced Payment Portal to make a payment.  Users are encouraged to login with an FCC Username and password to take full advantage of the enhancements allowing them to view additional financial data. Id.
  Users that do not have a Username account can login with an FRN and password to complete payments for that FRN, but they will not have access to the other modules of enhanced CORES.  Phase 3 of the Payment Portal enhancement will begin September 4, 2020.

The Payment Portal in CORES offers users payment options based on each remittance and the current rules of each Bureau and Office of the FCC: ACH, check, credit card and wire transfer.  For check payments, where applicable, a printable FCC Form 159E is available to users to submit along with the check.  For Auction upfront payments, a printable Form 159 is also available to submit along with the WIRE.  All credit card and ACH payments are resolved through the Department of Treasury and payments are not complete until the status in CORES is updated to “Posted” for the remittance. 

For instructions on viewing open bills, remittances, and making payments in CORES, users are encouraged to review the FRN Financial help file found here, or by pasting this link into their web browser: https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/publicHome.do?help=true.  Help files can also be found there to assist users in registering, associating, and managing FRNs in CORES.  Additional tutorials and help files on setting up an FCC Username account are available here on the CORES home page, or by pasting this link into their web browser:  https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/userLogin.do?csfrToken=.


2