How to Participate In the Federal Communications Commission Comments Process

 How to Participate In the FCC Process Panel IV--Now It's Your Turn: How to Comment The Federal Communications Commission seeks comments from the public on proceedings and proposed rule makings before the Commission. Individuals interested in commenting on proceedings may do so in various forms. Often people do not comment on items of interest to them because they fear that comments must be prepared and filed by an attorney. This is not the case. You do not have to hire the services of an attorney to prepare comments. You or any representative of your company may prepare and file comments. You do not need an attorney in order to participate in the FCC rule making process or to "let your voice be heard" at the FCC. Comments may be in the form of a short statement or brief letter. However, comments may also be detailed documents prepared by an outside law firm or your company's in-house counsel. One important item to remember: You must include the docket number, or rulemaking number, on your comments for the proceeding on which you are commenting. If you do not know the docket number, contact the Office of Public Affairs, Public Service Division at (202) 418-0260 or the Bureau/Office responsible for the item. The docket number is critical to make sure your comments are considered, no matter how you submit them. There are two basic types of comments: formal and informal comments. The main difference between formal and informal comments is the number of copies that are filed with the Commission. In filing formal comments, an original plus four copies of your comments must be delivered, by mail or by hand, to the Office of the Secretary, 1919 M Street, room 222, NW, Washington, DC 20554. The Secretary's Office hours of operation are Monday- Friday (except government holidays) 8:00 am - 5:30 pm. Comments must be filed in the Secretary's Office by 5:30 pm on the deadline date. (The comment and reply comment deadline dates are usually noted on the first page of a Notice of Proposed Rule Making or Notice of Inquiry. If you need to verify a comment deadline date, please contact the relevant Bureau/Office.) If you would like your formal comments to be circulated to the Commissioners, an original and nine (9) copies must be submitted. The Commission also accepts comments via e-mail or fax. If you file your comments via e- mail or fax or in the form of a letter without the extra four copies, they will be considered "informal" comments. That means that your comments will not be as widely distributed within the FCC for review. You should also be aware that in some instances we have requested copies of comments to be filed on disk in addition to the paper copies. This has been of tremendous value because it enables us to make comments available on the Internet. This has provided greater access to information, especially for individuals not located in the Washington, DC area. It has made it easier for others to review the record, provide reply comments and to better understand and evaluate the issues. So keep in mind, when we ask for comments to also be submitted on a diskette, it helps us help you. To encourage your participation in our rule making process, we are, in specific proceedings, encouraging comments to be submitted via electronic mail. The Commission will address these issues in a comprehensive fashion later this year. (The Commission will sponsor an open forum on the use of the Commission's Internet site on June 24th. For more information about this forum, please call the Office of Public Affairs, Public Service Division on (202) 418-0260.) Individuals interested in filing e-mail comments should contact the person listed in the Notice or the Secretary's office on (202) 418-0300 to see if an electronic mail box has been set up for the proceeding on which you wish to comment. Some helpful guidelines for filing informal vs. formal comments: If you file e-mail comments and would like them to be treated as "formal" please print out your comments and send the original plus four copies to the Secretary's office by the stated deadline. If you cannot get your comments in on time this way, or if it is a choice of commenting informally or not commenting at all, please send your comments however you can and follow up with a phone call to ensure receipt. For example, contact the Public Service Division if you have e-mailed your comments to our main mailbox. If you have sent the comments directly to the Bureau handling that proceeding, call them to follow up. If you have faxed your comments or sent in a letter, call and make sure the information was received. Following up a fax by mailing an original plus four copies of your comments by the deadline ensures that they will be considered "formal". If you require assistance or have any questions about how to file comments, please contact the FCC Office of Public Affairs, Public Service Division or the Office of the Secretary. More information on how to file comments can be found in 47 Code of Federal Regulations, Sec. 1.399- 1.430 regarding FCC Rule making proceedings.