FCC Announces Full Electronic Filing Capability

This week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC") released a Public Notice that announced 100 percent electronic filing capability for license applications in the Wireless Radio Services. Accordingly, the filing of all wireless license applications via the Wireless Telecommunication Bureau's online Universal Licensing System (ULS), or the FCC's Electronic Comment Filings System (ECFS), will become mandatory on July 29, 2020. After 4 PM July 28, 2020, applications that are manually filed will no longer be accepted. This deadline will be strictly enforced.

The categories that were previously exempt from electronic filing were as follows: Special Temporary Authority (STA) applications in certain market-based services, sublease applications, and multi-step transactions. For the aforementioned categories, those applications can now be filed electronically, and the FCC has made available an ECFS non-docketed filing solution (instructions for filing here). As mentioned above, electronic filing via ECFS of the previously exempt categories will become mandatory on July 29, 2020.

Licensees can email courtesy copies of their applications with urgent filing deadlines to ULScc@fcc.gov. Please reach out to your counsel if you need assistance or are unfamiliar with these filing requirements.