Deadline Extended to March 16 for the Newly Revised FCC Form 477

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has activated its new electronic filing system for the revised FCC Form 477 and has extended the deadline for filing to Monday, March 16, 2009. The form and additional information are available on the FCC's Form 477 Web site.

As we explained a previous advisory earlier this month, this form must be filed twice annually (normally, on March 1 and Sept. 1) by all facilities-based providers of broadband connections to end-user locations (such as cable modem providers); all local exchange carriers; most commercial mobile radio service (CMRS) providers; and, for the first time, interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers. Filing is especially important this year, because the data may be used by the Department of Commerce to determine which areas are “unserved” and “underserved” for purposes of awarding over $4 billion in new broadband grants adopted by Congress as part of the economic stimulus legislation.

Notable changes to Form 477 include: reporting the number of broadband connections grouped by census tract, rather than reporting at the state level and then providing a list of all ZIP codes in which the entity provides service; an increased number of broadband speed “tiers” in order to provide for a more granular breakdown of providers' data; and reporting VoIP services. If you believe that it will be impossible for you to complete this information by the March 16 deadline, we encourage you to contact us immediately to discuss your options.

If you need assistance in preparing your 477 filing or obtaining census tract maps for your service area, please contact your DWT attorney or one of the attorneys below.