First step: Read this entire message, then come back to the
top and follow the procedure you think best suits your needs.
Start:
Brief instructions on how to file comments on a petition pending
before the FCC.
Let's assume you wanted to file comments on one of the petitions
regarding dropping the Morse Code testing requirement, in this case
the petition filed by the National Council of Volunteer Examiner
Coordinators (NCVEC) has been assigned RM-10787 as it's "proceeding
number". (there are 5 other petitions on file on this same general
subject)
First, start at the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing
System (EFCS) home page.
here is the URL:
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/
Then, select "Submit a Filing" , which is the 2nd item down on the
menu under "EFCS Main Links" in the upper right corner of
the EFCS main page. Click on "Submit a Filing"
This will take you to the electronic comment filing page. Or,
you may go directly there by clicking on the following link:
http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/upload_v2.cgi
Once there, fill in the form. The most important
thing to do is to enter the proceeding number you are commenting
on.
In the case of the NCVEC filing for eliminating Morse Code
testing, the proceeding number is:
RM-10787
You must type the number in exactly as shown, with the RM in upper
case, and include the hyphen. You can cut and paste from this
message if you wish.
Next, fill in the appropriate blank areas.
Note that some of the fields are optional and some are
required. Use your name for the "Name of Petitioner". If
a data field is already filled with "default" information, take that
choice.
You may fill in the "optional" information fields, but that is not
necessary. However, I recommend that you fill in the "e-mail
ID" field, so they can send you a confirmation number that shows your
comment was received and entered into the system, and also so they
can communicate with you if there is a problem with entering your
comment. .
Next, move down the page and note that there are two areas for
comment filings: The first, with a blue border, is
for use if you are attaching a Word document , such as the sample
file I have attached to this email. This becomes an official
comment. Type in the complete file and path name for your
attachment (or use the "browse" button to find it), and attached it
to your message. Be sure "COMMENT" is selected as the
description, and choose a file type that is compatible with what you
have prepared. You MUST use one of the listed file types.
If your document is not in one of the acceptable formats, you must
convert it before continuing.
To use the file I have attached, open it with MS Word, edit it
appropriately, including changing the name and address from mine to
yours, and attach the edited document to your comment filing.
Alternatively, if you are not attaching a previously prepared
document, then you can move a bit farther down the page until you see
the are with the green border. This is where you can type in
comments directly, and these become known as "brief comments".
When you have finished typing in your information, and/or attaching
any documents, then click on "Send attached file to FCC" or
"Send brief comment ot FCC" button, as appropriate.
Select only one of these choices.
A new screen should appear, with a confirmation number that indicates
that your comment has been received and filed.
If you want to view previously filed comments without making
one of your own, then chose the URL below:
http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/comsrch_v2.cgi
Enter RM-10787 in the "Proceeding" field, and press
"enter" . Again, the proceeding number must be entered exactly
as shown here. If you are interested in a different proceeding,
use that number instead of RM-10787.
The system will begin displaying filed comments in groups of 10 or
20. To view a comment, select the "COMMENT", or "brief comment"
link in the lower left corner of each comment descriptor block, and
an Adobe Acrobat view of that comment will appear. (You must
have Acrobat Reader on our system to view comments). Use the
"forward" and "back" arrow keys on your browser to navigate, and
select the group of comments from the list at the bottom.
Note: It is much more efficient to view comments in small groups
instead of loading the whole set at once.
The initial petition will appear as the highest numbered
comment. In other words, if there are 300 comments on file, the
initial petition itself will be comment number 300. And,
instead of "COMMENT" of "brief comment", it will say "View".
Click on "View" to see the original petition as filed.
Deadline for comments on petition RM-10787 is September 29 - if you
are intending to file a comment, do it now!
Finally, many of you already know his, but I was one of the four
people selected by the NCVEC to draft the original petition, which
was sent in under the signature of Fred Maia, W5YI. Fred was
chairman of our committee, and was included because of his experience
and knowledge in making previous filings before the FCC, and his
grasp of "legalese". The other members were Scott Neustadter,
W4WW, who heads the question pool committee, John Johnstone, W3BE, a
retired FCC type who wrote the original FCC Part 97 rules, and
myself. I was chosen partly to replace Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, who
runs the ARRL VEC, and declined to serve because of possible
conflict, the league not having developed their official position on
the matter, and partly because of my involvement in the Alaska Remote
Testing Project. Somehow in this process, I also got myself
elected vice-chairman of NCVEC - so if you have something to say to
them, send it to me and I will see it gets to the right place.
If you would like more background about why the petition was filed,
let me know and I will be glad to send you a document that outlines
our thinking in detail, and how we got there. I would
particularly recommend looking at this information if you are unsure
whether or not to support this idea. The document will
also outline some of the next steps we intend to pursue.
73 -
- Jim, KL7CC