Certain FCC Databases Will be Unavailable and Filing Deadlines Will be Extended in Early September to Accomodate a Significant FCC IT Upgrade
The Federal Communications Commission will be performing Information Technology upgrades and improvements from 6 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, September 2, 2015, through the Labor Day weekend. This work should be completed by 8 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, September 8, 2015.
As a result, most Commission resources normally accessible through the Commission’s web site, including access to all electronic filing systems and electronic dockets, will be inaccessible for the same period (with modifications noted below), with the exception of the Network Outage Reporting System (NORS), the Consumer Help Center (CHC), and the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS), which will remain available.1 The Commission’s web site will remain available, but with reduced content and limited search capabilities. The Commission will remain open and under normal operations during this period, including the headquarters filing window and mail room. The FCC’s 24/7 Operations Center will remain open and available at (202) 418-1122. FCC telephones will work but voicemail will not, and most Commission staff will not have access to e-mail.2 We anticipate that all systems will again be available starting at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, September 8, 2015, and will issue another Public Notice when the systems are again operational.
All of the Commission’s electronic database systems will be unavailable, other than NORS, CHC, and DIRS, during this period. The systems unavailable during the upgrade period, include, among others, the Universal Licensing System (ULS), the Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), the Electronic Document Management System (EDOCS), the Equipment Authorization System (EAS), the Electronic Tariff Filing System (ETFS), the Experimental Licensing System (ELS), the Consolidated Database System (CDBS), the Licensing and Management System (LMS), the International Bureau Filing System (IBFS/MyIBFS), the Section 43.62 Online Filing System, the Tower Construction Notification System (TCNS), the Antenna Structure Registration System (ASR), the Electronic Section-106 System (E-106),
Fee Filer, the Commission Registration System (CORES), and the 911 Reliability Certification System.
This unavailability of systems will impact the work of any entities requiring access to such systems and information. For example, Telecommunications Certification Bodies will not be able to upload applications for equipment authorization or issue grants of certification without access to the Equipment Authorization System.
As always, filings should not be made using e-mail, except where the rules provide that e-mail is a permissible method for filing, as, for example, for Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, which may be filed through FOIA@fcc.gov. See 47 C.F.R. § 0.461(d)(1)(ii).
Extension of Filing Deadlines: Because parties will not be able to make electronic filings, view the contents of any Commission databases, or access other online Commission resources during this window, we are extending the filing deadlines for all regulatory and enforcement filings that fall during this time period, with the exception of NORS filings (which can be made during this period) and those with statutory filing deadlines (see below).3 Thus, with those exceptions, filings that would otherwise be due on September 2, 3, 4, or 8, 2015, will now be due on Wednesday, September 9, 2015.
