how to find fcc stuff on the web susan bahr, esq. law offices of susan bahr, pc (301) 258-8947...

HOW TO FIND

FCC STUFF ON THE

WEB

Susan Bahr, Esq.Law Offices of Susan

Bahr, PC(301) 258-8947

[email protected]

Law Offices of Susan Bahr, PC

AGENDA• BACKGROUND

• FINDING STUFF RELEASED BY THE FCC

• FINDING SPECIFIC FCC RULES

• FINDING STUFF SUBMITTED BY INTERESTED PARTIES

• FINDING CONGRESSIONAL DOCUMENTS

• FINDING COURT OPINIONS

• FUTURE CHANGES


BACKGROUND


Constitution

President

Congress

Courts

Interested Parties


STATUTE

• Communications Act of 1934, as amended

• Found at 47 U.S.C. § 151, and so on, where U.S.C. = U.S. Code

• Was amended by the Telecommunications Act of 1996


COMPOSITION OF THE COMMISSION

• Section 154 of the Act –– 5 Commissioners appointed by

President, consent of Senate– 3 from same political party

Powell Ness Kennard Furchtgott-Roth Tristani

?Powell

? ???


ORGANIZATION OF FCCwww.fcc.gov/fccorgchart.html


THINGS THE FCC DOES

• Makes rules

• Enforces rules

• Executes rules (e.g., grants licenses)


HOW RULES ARE MADE(Sometimes)

Notice of Inquiry (NOI)

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)

Order (e.g., “Report and Order” or “Memorandum Opinion and Order”),maybe New Rules and a News Release

Petition for Reconsideration (PFR)

Petition for Review(Appeal) in Court


FINDING STUFF

RELEASED BY THE

FCC


WHAT THE FCC RELEASES

• News Releases• Notices

– of Inquiry– of Proposed Rulemaking

• Orders– Report and Order– Memorandum Opinion and Order

• Public Notices


DOCKETS AND DOCUMENT NUMBERS

DOCUMENTNUMBER

DOCKETNUMBER


PUBLIC NOTICEFEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION445 12th STREET, S.W.WASHINGTON, D.C. 20554 DA 99-2334News media information 202/418-0500 Fax-On-Demand 202/418-2830 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov ftp.fcc.gov

Released: October 27, 1999

Common Carrier Bureau Seeks Comment onJoint Submission of Program Administrators Regarding Consolidated

Data Collection Procedures and Cost Allocation Methodology

PUBLIC NOTICEFEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20554 DA 99-2334News media information 202/418-0500 Fax-On-Demand 202/418-2830 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov ftp.fcc.gov

DOCKETS AND DOCUMENT NUMBERS (contd)

DOCUMENTNUMBER

• FCC/DA # - "Document number"; identifies specific document by number; "FCC“: document was adopted at Commission level; "DA“: document was adopted by "delegated authority“ such as Common Carrier Bureau; “99“: released in 1999

• Docket - Proceeding for specific topic; "99" = began 1999


FCC WEB SITE

• Three ways to find documents released by FCC– Search for them– Go directly to them using the URL– Look in the Daily Digest

www.fcc.gov


SEARCHING FOR FCC DOCUMENTS

• Go to www.fcc.gov, click on Search, click on FCC Electronic Document Management System (EDOCS)

• Search on any information you have, such as:– Bureaus – usually Common Carrier– FCC number – document number– DA number – document number– Title Contains – this can be tricky!– Docket or RM– Date range


• NOTE: ".txt" doesn't have footnotes, but loads faster.

• For hard copies, always use ".doc", ".pdf" or ".wp" files because they have footnotes.


GO DIRECTLY TO THE FILE USING THE URL

• FCC File name conventions -www.fcc.gov/ftp/reference_tools/guide.html

• General form of Common Carrier Bureau file names

where:

type = News_Releases, Orders, Notices (i.e., NPRMs

or NOIs), Public_Notices

year = 1999, 2000, 2001, etc.

http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/type / year / filename


Federal Communications Commission FCC 99-171____________________________________________________________ Before the FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20554

In the Matter of )CC Docket No. 94-158Amendment of Policies and Rules )Concerning Operator Service )Providers and Call Aggregators )

SECOND REPORT AND ORDER

Adopted: July 12, 1999; Released: July 19, 1999 By the Commission:

I. INTRODUCTION

In this Second Report and Order, we amend our rules governing operator service providers (OSPs)147 C.F.R. § 64.708(g).

------------------- 1 Raise your hand and tell Sue, "It's time to give out the surprise gifts."

Example

DOCUMENTNUMBER

DOCKETNUMBER

http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/Orders/1999/fcc99171.wp


DAILY DIGESTDaily Digest

Federal Communications Commission News media information 202 / 418-0500445 12th St., SW Internet: http://www.fcc.govWashington, D.C. 20554 TTY: 202/418-2555

Vol. 20 No. 42 February 21, 2001

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------…

---------------- TEXTS ---------------- GTE SERVICE COPORATION. Granted GTE request for waiver of the affiliate transactions rules: permission to use fully distributed cost, in lieu of fair market value,to value services GTE provides to affiliates and former affiliates. Action by: Chief, Accounting Safeguards Division, Common Carrier Bureau. Adopted: 02/16/2001 byMO&O. (DA No. 01-422). CCB DA-01-422A1.pdf DA-01-422A1.doc DA-01-422A1.txt

http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/Orders/2001/da010422.doc

(e.g., Orders, Notices)OTHER CATEGORIES:PUBLIC NOTICES, NEWS RELEASES


HOW TO GET THE DAILY DIGEST

• Three ways– Follow the link from the FCC’s Web

Page– Get it delivered via email each day

•For the above two options, go to www.fcc.gov, click on Daily Digest, and follow the instructions

– Use the URLhttp://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Digest/2001/dd010208.html

http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Digest/2001/ddtoday.html


FINDING SPECIFIC

FCC RULES


WHERE RULES ARE PUBLISHED

Attached to the Order in which they are adopted

Published in the Federal Register –Often determines effective date

http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces140.htm

Placed in the Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.)http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/index.html

Click on:Search or browse your choice of CFR titles and/or volumes

In the Title 47 row, click on the most recent date


SEARCHING FOR RULES IN C.F.R.

For example, at:http://www.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/cfrassemble.cgi?title=200047


FINDING STUFF

SUBMITTED BY

INTERESTED PARTIES


HOW TO FIND DOCUMENTS (e.g., comments) SUBMITTED BY INTERESTED PARTIES

• Go to www.fcc.gov, click on E-Filing, click on Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), click on Search the ECFS

System

DOCKETNUMBER


FINDING

CONGRESSIONAL

DOCUMENTS


CONGRESS

• General information about billshttp://thomas.loc.gov/

• Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee

http://www.senate.gov/~commerce/

• House Committee on Energy and Commerce http://www.house.gov/commerce/

• Transcripts of the House and Senate - in the Congressional Record

http://thomas.loc.gov/


FINDING COURT

OPINIONS


COURTS• Court opinions

– Links to federal courtshttp://www.uscourts.gov/

links.html

– Most FCC appeals go to D.C. Circuit:http://www.cadc.uscourts.gov

– U.S. Supreme Courthttp://www.supremecourtus.gov/


COURTS (contd)

• Lists of documents filed in a court case (i.e., "docket listings") usually are available only through PACER (a fee-based service). For info,

http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/

• Most documents (e.g., briefs) are not available online.


FUTURE CHANGES


• FCC Documents– Search using EDOCS– Use URL– Links from Daily Digest

• Rules in C.F.R.

• Comments in ECFS

• Congress and Court Websites