PUBLIC NOTICE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 1919 M STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20554 News Media Information: (202) 418-0500 Fax-On-Demand: (202) 418-2830 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov ftp.fcc.gov DA 99-120 January 7, 1999 WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS BUREAU TO BEGIN USE OF UNIVERSAL LICENSING SYSTEM (ULS) FOR AIRCRAFT STATION LICENSING BEGINNING JANUARY 19, 1999 On January 19, 1999, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (Bureau) will begin use of the Universal Licensing System (ULS) for all Aircraft station licensing. ULS is a new, interactive licensing database developed by the Bureau to consolidate and replace eleven existing licensing systems used to process applications and grant licenses in wireless services. ULS provides numerous benefits, including fast and easy electronic filing, improved data accuracy through automated checking of applications, and enhanced electronic access to licensing information. On October 21, 1998, the Commission released the Report and Order in WT Docket No. 98-20, in which it adopted new ULS licensing rules and revised application forms for use in ULS. The new rules and forms will become effective on February 12, 1999. This Public Notice summarizes interim procedures for the deployment of ULS for Aircraft station licensing under existing rules. Additional details regarding procedures once the new rules are effective will be provided by future public notice prior to the effective date. Overview of ULS Conversion Beginning on January 19, 1999, applicants for and licensees of Aircraft stations will be able to use ULS Form 605 (OMB Control Number 3060-0850) for electronic filing of new station applications, license modifications, application amendments, license renewals, license cancellations, application withdrawals, requests for duplicate licenses, and administrative updates. [Note: Form 605 will not be affected by the transition to new ULS rules on February 12, 1999. Form 605 was previously approved by OMB in November 1998, and this version of the form will continue to be used after the effective date of the new rules.] As part of the conversion process, all existing Aircraft station licensing data currently residing in the Bureau's database will be transferred to the ULS database, and all Aircraft station applications filed on or after January 19, 1999, will be entered into the ULS database and processed through the new system. Also, as of January 19, 1999, Aircraft station licensing data will be available to the public via ULS, and will no longer be updated in the Aircraft station database. [Note: Until further notice, applications for aircraft flight test stations should continue to be filed on FCC Form 406. The licensing of Aircraft flight test stations will be converted to ULS in a future release at which time the Bureau will release a Public Notice detailing new procedures.] TIN Registration As mandated by the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, the Commission is requiring all wireless licensees, including Aircraft station licensees, to register their Taxpayer Identification Numbers (TINs) in ULS. Aircraft station licensees who have not yet registered their TIN and selected user passwords in ULS must do so before filing applications electronically or updating licensing information in the new system. All applicants and licensees must submit their TIN with their applications regardless of whether they file electronically or manually. Failure to register prior to filing an application will result in delayed processing of the application. The Bureau urges applicants and licensees to electronically register their TIN. This can be done at the FCC's ULS Internet site at http://www.fcc.gov/wtb/uls by clicking on the "ULS Call Sign Registration" link. Manual TIN registration requires FCC Form 606 (TIN Registration Form), which can be obtained from the Internet at http://www.fcc.gov/formpage.html, by calling the FCC's Form Distribution Center at 1-800-418-FORM (3676), or from the FCC's Fax-on-Demand service by calling (202) 418-0177 from the handset of a fax machine (follow the prompts and use document retrieval number 000606). To protect licensee privacy, registered TINs will not be made available to the public. However, TIN information may be released to the U.S. Treasury Department for purposes of compliance with the Debt Collection Act. Manually-filed Form 606 should be mailed to: Federal Communications Commission Information Technology Division Attention: Kathy McLucas 1270 Fairfield Road Gettysburg, PA 17325-7245 Form 605 Filing Procedures Form 605 will replace three forms (Forms 404, 405B, and 900) previously used by Aircraft station applicants and licensees. It will be used for all Aircraft station licensing purposes including new station applications, license modifications, application amendments, license renewals, license cancellations, application withdrawals, requests for duplicate licenses, and administrative updates. To facilitate immediate use of ULS, the Bureau hereby waives its rules to the extent that they require the filing of Forms 404 and 405B for Aircraft station licensing. This waiver is conditioned on the timely filing of Form 605 in lieu of the old forms. For instructions on filing Form 605 electronically, point your web browser to http://www.fcc.gov/wtb/uls. For instructions on filing form 605 manually, refer to Instructions included with the form. Applicants for and licensees of Aircraft stations may continue to use existing forms until August 12, 1999 (six (6) months after the effective date of the Report and Order). However, the Bureau strongly urges applicants and licensees to use the new Form 605 when submitting an application. The choice of application form and filing method will affect applications in the following way: (1) Form 605 filed electronically is the most efficient filing method and will result in expedited treatment compared to filing manually. (2) Form 605 filed manually - will result in expedited treatment compared to filing old forms or letter requests. (3) Old forms or letter requests filed manually - is not recommended and will result in slower processing than the options described above. Applicants filing manually using old forms must remember to include their TIN with each application or letter request. Application Fees Applicants using ULS to file electronically remain subject to existing application fees where applicable under current rules. ULS, however, will simplify the process of submitting fees to the Commission and greatly reduce the potential for insufficient fees to be submitted. When an applicant submits its application online, ULS will assign a file number and will pre-fill fee information on FCC Form 159, including the correct fee amount due and the payment type code. ULS will instruct the applicant on how to print out the pre-filled Form 159 so that it can be mailed to Mellon Bank. The Form 159 and accompanying fee must be received by Mellon Bank within 10 days of filing the application. In the near future, ULS will be capable of accepting credit card payments online. The Bureau will release a public notice and provide information on its web site when this option becomes available. Section 1.1111 of the Commission's Rules, 47 C.F.R.  1.1111, requires applications and fees to be submitted as a single package and states that the Commission will not be responsible for matching fees and applications submitted separately. The Commission has adopted rules to amend this requirement to provide for the filing of applications online and fees separately, via mail. In order to immediately bring the full benefits of online filing to the public, the Bureau hereby waives the requirements of Section 1.1111 to the extent that Aircraft station applicants filing electronically via ULS may remit fees separately via U.S. mail or courier. This waiver is conditioned on the appropriate fee amount being received at Mellon Bank, at the address specified to the applicant by the ULS, within 10 days from the receipt date shown on the application. Applications filed online that do not conform with the conditions of this waiver will be dismissed as defective. Where to Send Payments for Electronically-filed Applications All payments for electronically-filed applications should be sent to: Federal Communications Commission ULS Electronic Filings P.O. Box 358994 Pittsburgh, PA 15251-5994 Where to Send Manually-filed Applications Manually-filed Renewal Only applications that require fees should be sent to: Federal Communications Commission Wireless Telecommunications Bureau P.O. Box 358245 Pittsburgh, PA 15251-5245 All other manually-filed applications that require fees should be sent to: Federal Communications Commission ULS Application Processing P.O. Box 358130 Pittsburgh, PA 15251-5130 All manually-filed applications that do not require fees should be sent to: Federal Communications Commission ULS Application Processing 1270 Fairfield Road Gettysburg, PA 17325-7245 Note: Applicants are advised that filing manually -- using new or old forms -- likely will delay processing in comparison to electronic filing of ULS Forms because of the additional time required for the FCC to enter manually-filed information into ULS. Additionally, applicants using non-ULS forms are reminded that they must include their TINs on the front of their applications so that the data can be entered into ULS. For Further Information or Assistance For general information about ULS, including answers to frequently asked questions regarding submitting applications, finding the status of pending applications, and searching the ULS database, the Commission recommends first consulting the ULS webpage at http://www.fcc.gov/wtb/uls. Those having specific questions not addressed on the webpage may contact Commission staff via phone or e-mail as described below. FCC Technical Support Hotline: (202) 414-1250, or via e-mail at ulscomm@fcc.gov. Contact the Technical Support Hotline about questions concerning computer access to ULS, TIN registration, uploading files, or submitting attachments in ULS. The hotline is available Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST. In order to provide better service to ULS users and ensure the security of the electronic filing system, all calls to the hotline are recorded. ULS Aircraft Licensing Support: (717) 338-2646, or via e-mail at dreeder@fcc.gov. Contact Licensing Support with questions about which application purpose(s) are appropriate for a particular filing, what information is being requested on a ULS Form or Schedule, or any other ULS-related licensing matter. ULS Licensing Support is available Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST. Comments on ULS should be sent via the Internet to: ulscomm@fcc.gov.