For applicants wishing to see a “form” when entering data online, we expect the new ASP format to be easier to read and use than the PDF version. As an alternative, the Interview mode for doing a Form 470 online remains an option.

Once the ASP version is available, the older PDF version will be removed from the SLD Web site. An applicant who started, but has not yet completed, a Form 470 online in PDF format can retrieve and finish it in Interview mode. The one drawback of the new ASP version is that it will not permit interoperability with the Interview mode.

There are two important implications of this “improvement.”

(1) Applicants who have been using PINs to certify forms online, and who plan to do so in the future, will have to apply for new PINs (see below). The older PINs were deactivated on November 19th. Please do not wait until your next form is due to re-apply for a new PIN.

(2) Although the SLD did not cite any specific problems that had been experienced with the old PINs, it did indicate that one advantage of the new PIN system was that, henceforth, applicants would be notified by e-mail each time their PINs were used. As a result, if “the security of the PIN has been compromised, the authorized person will know immediately and should…alert the SLD.”

To apply (or re-apply) for a new PIN, the authorized person must have previously submitted either a Form 471 or Form 486 and must be able to cite both the form identification number and the online security number that had been assigned (and hopefully saved). A new PIN can be requested in the PIN Area of the SLD web site. Assuming that all information in the PIN application is correct, new PIN data will be provided to the applicant within an hour.

The new e-mail portal is accessed through the SLD web site. The system asks the questioner to specify a form or topic (including “Other” at the bottom of the drop-down list). Based on this selection, the inquiry will be directed to the proper SLD group for response. An acknowledgement of the inquiry will be e-mailed back within an hour. If it is a new inquiry, the acknowledgement will include a case number that can be used for follow-up questions.

(1) Although vendors are required to file an annual certification Form 473, this filing does not permit a vendor to update its contact information. Such information can be corrected only by filing a revised Form 498. A recent effort by the SLD to contact all vendors by e-mail resulted in a 75% rejection rate, a troubling indicator that much vendor information is out of date. We encourage service providers to take this opportunity to review and update all their contact information.

(2) Before mailing in a Form 498, it is important to note the first paragraph on Page 17 of the Instructions that state: “A letter of certification, written on company letterhead, with a valid signature, must accompany the FCC Form 498. Sample letters are included in Attachments A, B, and C.”