STATEMENT OF
ACTING CHAIRWOMAN JESSICA ROSENWORCEL

Re:	Mandatory Electronic Filing of Section 325(c) Applications, International Broadcast Applications, and Dominant Carrier Section 63.10(c) Quarterly Reports, IB Docket No. 21-265

Back in the day, if you wanted to file something with the Federal Communications Commission, it had to be done on paper.  It was slow and not all that efficient.  But in the last quarter of a century—really since the Telecommunications Act of 1996—the agency has been on a tear to update our filing systems to reflect the realities of the digital age.  But here’s the thing—not every system was updated at the same time and in the same way.  Different policies sometimes required different approaches.  

Different times also require new approaches.  That means we need to look at all of our systems at the FCC and ensure they are right for right now.  For instance, there is work to do to modernize the Electronic Comment Filing System to improve security and the public’s ability to engage with the agency on important issues—and we’re on it.  There is also work to do to update the agency’s Online Public Inspection File to ensure that submissions are machine-readable.  Today, we update the International Bureau Filing System, or IBFS.  It was introduced back in 1998 and at this point most filings are electronic.  But some applications and reports still require the filing of a paper copy.  We eliminate those rules today and update the IBFS system to support electronic filing of these documents.  That means better service at lower cost.  

Thank you to all of those who worked on this item, including Kathleen Campbell, Denise Coca, Kimberly Cook, Clay DeCell, Nese Guendelsberger, Francis Gutierrez, Jocelyn Jezierny, Karl Kensinger, Kal Krautkramer, David Krech, Olga Madruga-Forti, James McLuckie, Kathyrn Medley, Brandon Moss, Kathryn O’Brien, Tom Sullivan, and Cheryl Williams from the International Bureau; Andrew Kennedy, Barbara Kreisman, Al Shuldiner, and Sarah Whitesell from the Media Bureau; Susan Aaron, Andrea Kearney, David Konczal, Elizabeth Lyle, Bill Richardson, and Jeffrey Steinberg from the Office of General Counsel; and Cathy Williams from the Office of the Managing Director.