WASHINGTON-Radio licensees beware: In 18 days, on May 1,if you file an application for a radio-frequency license with the Federal Communications Commission and there is an error or omission, the application will be dismissed instead of returned as was past practice.
Once an application has been dismissed and is refiled it loses its place in line and must be accompanied by another filing fee.
This is a change of policy designed to speed the application process, but could end up punishing those who diligently try to file applications correctly the first time, said a participant at an FCC public meeting last week.
“The return process works very well. There are very few dismissals … Are you being fair to the user out there?” asked George A. Daigneault, president of the Licensing Assistance Office. LAO is a part of Daigneault Communications Inc.
The FCC released a public notice on Feb. 24 announcing the policy change. Last week’s forum was designed to give further detail and answer any lingering questions. There were a few technical questions from the audience dealing with issues ranging from how the tower registration process works to applications that may cause concern with the Canadian government. All questions and answers put forth at the forum or by e-mail are expected to be available on the Internet today, said Roger Noel, chief of the licensing and technical analysis branch of the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau.
Tower registration numbers are required to be included in the application, but sometimes finding this information and getting the tower registered are problematic, said one participant. The tower, if it meets certain prescribed rules, should have been registered by last July and this registration number should be available from the tower owner, said the FCC.
Applications that may need additional or different information to satisfy concerns of the Canadian government will not be dismissed, said Charlene Lagerwerff of the FCC. Lagerwerff added, however, that modifications should not be filed with renewals because if there is a problem with the modification it could cause the person renewing the license to lose the license if the renewal date passes without a decision on the modification.
Daigneault, who said he has been filing applications at the FCC since 1965, took the opportunity to berate the FCC staff present for the rule change and urge them to delay the May 1 effective date. “What you are doing is downright unfair … At least delay it … The people in the field don’t have time to read all of your presentations,” he said.
The policy change comes as the FCC is migrating all of its licensing from paper format to electronic format. Electronic filing, through the FCC’s Universal Licensing System, will catch some of the most common errors that in the past have meant the application would be returned.
“The on-line filing won’t let you file [incorrectly] … Typically stuff that is going to be bounced will be returned immediately,” said Steve Linn of the FCC.
Some applications still could be returned rather than dismissed, but these cases are expected to be rare, said the FCC. If the application is returned, it must be sent back to the FCC within 30 days or it will be considered dismissed.
Some of the common errors include missing or insufficient fee amount, missing interference study where required, wrong file number or location number referenced, missing points of communication for control stations, and in the cellular context, missing confirmation of contract agreements.
