FCC Form 477 Public Notice DA14-412

PUBLIC NOTICE
Federal Communications Commission
th
445 12 St., S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20554

News Media Information 202 / 418-0500
Internet: http://www.fcc.gov
TTY: 1-888-835-5322

DA 14-412
Released: March 27, 2014
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR FORM 477 FILERS
ON NEW DATA SUBMISSION INTERFACE
WC Docket No. 11-10
On August 26, 2013, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) released a preliminary data
specification for the revised FCC Form 477 data collection.1 This specification provided filers with
detailed information on the data they will need to submit pursuant to the Order adopted by the Federal
Communications Commission (Commission) on June 27, 2013, which modernized and improved the
collection of data on broadband and voice services through Form 477.2 In this Public Notice, we provide
filers with additional information on the new Form 477 data collection interface, including guidance on
which data filers must submit by file upload, by interactive data entry, or a choice of the two methods.
Filers log into the new Form 477 data collection interface using the same FCC Registration
Number and password they use to log into the current Form 477 interface.3 The new interface allows
filers to submit data for multiple states in a single filing. After logging into the site, filers will enter the
Filer Identification information listed in section 1 of the Form 477 Data Specification.4
The site will then take filers to the main data submission menu, which provides links to the
various sections of the form. The sections correspond to specific sections of the Form 477 Data
Specification, which filers can reference for additional information.5 The table below lists the sections of
the new Form 477, in the order in which they will appear in the redesigned data submission interface, as
well as the corresponding section from the Form 477 Data Specification and how the data will be
submitted. Filers’ census block- or census tract-level data for the entire United States can be uploaded in

1

Wireline Competition Bureau Releases Data Specification for Form 477 Data Collection, WC Docket No. 11-10,
Public Notice, 28 FCC Rcd 12665 (Wireline Comp. Bur. 2013) (Form 477 Data Specification). The Form 477 Data
Specification can be accessed online at http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-13-1805A1.pdf.
2

Modernizing the FCC Form 477 Data Program, WC Docket No. 11-10, Report and Order, 28 FCC Rcd 9887
(2013) (Form 477 Order).
3

New filers that do not have an FRN can obtain one at https://apps.fcc.gov/coresWeb/publicHome.do.

4

Form 477 Data Specification, 28 FCC Rcd at 12667-68.

5

See Form 477 Data Specification, 28 FCC Rcd at 12665.

a single CSV6 file for each section of the form. The sections of the form that require interactive data entry
are those in which the data are submitted at the state level.

Section of New Form 477
Data Submission Interface
Filer Identification
Fixed Services
Fixed Broadband Deployment
Fixed Broadband Subscription
Fixed Voice Subscription
(Census Tract Data)
Local Exchange Telephone
Subscription (State-Level Data)
Interconnected VoIP Subscription
(State-Level Data)
Mobile Services
Mobile Broadband Deployment
Mobile Broadband Service
Availability
Mobile Voice Deployment
Mobile Broadband Subscription
Mobile Voice Subscription

Corresponding
Section in
Form 477 Data
Specification
1

Method of Data Submission
Interactive Data Entry

2
6
11

CSV File Upload
CSV File Upload or Interactive Data Entry
CSV File Upload or Interactive Data Entry

9

Interactive Data Entry

10

Interactive Data Entry

3
4

Shapefile Upload7
CSV File Upload

5
7
8

Shapefile Upload
CSV File Upload or Interactive Data Entry
Interactive Data Entry

The modifications to the Form 477 data collection adopted in the Order are subject to approval by
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA).8 As a first step in the PRA process, a 60-day notice of and request for comment on the revisions
to the Form 477 data collection was published in the Federal Register on January 31, 2014.9 OMB, the
general public, and other federal agencies are invited to comment on the data collection revisions in
response to that and future PRA notifications and submissions.
The Bureau will announce in a subsequent Public Notice the specific filing deadlines and other
procedures for submitting Form 477 under the revised rules, as well as instructions on how to prepare the
data and navigate the new filing interface. Until the rule changes in the Order take effect, providers
should continue to submit Form 477 data as required under the existing rules.10
6

CSV (comma-separated values) is a file format used to store tabular data in plain-text form.

7

Filers should submit polygons in an esri shapefile format representing geographic coverage nationwide for each
transmission technology deployed in each frequency band. Form 477 Data Specification, 28 FCC Rcd at 12672,
12674. For more information on the shapefile parameters, see id.
8

Form 477 Order, 28 FCC Rcd at 9926, para. 89.

9

Notice of Public Information Collection(s) being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission,
Comments Requested, 79 Fed. Reg. 5406 (Jan. 31, 2014).
10

Because implementation is contingent upon approval by OMB in accordance with the PRA, as well as system
upgrades to the Form 477 filing interface, we cannot provide a precise implementation date at this time. However,
as indicated in the Order, we anticipate that our first collection of deployment data on Form 477 will take place in
September 2014, for data as of June 30, 2014. Form 477 Order, 28 FCC Rcd at 9899, para. 25. The collection of

2

Additional information on the revised Form 477 data collection can be found at
http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/changes-coming-form-477-data-collection. For additional information
on this proceeding, contact Chelsea Fallon or Ken Lynch of the Industry Analysis and Technology
Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, (202) 418-0940, (202) 418-0484 (tty).
- FCC –

broadband deployment data by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), in
coordination with the states through the State Broadband Initiative, will continue until October 1, 2014, when
providers will submit data as of June 30, 2014. Form 477 Order, 28 FCC Rcd at 9897 n. 65. This likely will result
in one overlapping collection of broadband deployment data by both the FCC and NTIA.

3