CDBS one step closer to retirement

The Federal Communications Commission has announced today that effective Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 5PM ET, electronic filings in the Commission's Centralized Database System (CDBS) will no longer be accepted.  This is the next step in the overall retirement of CDBS.  On September 25, 2019, the FCC moved all FM broadcast engineering applications from CDBS to LMS and on November 18, 2020, the FCC moved assignments of license and transfer of control applications from CDBS to LMS

The following application types have not yet moved to LMS as of January 11, 2022:

  • AM engineering applications (forms 301, 302, 340).
  • Special temporary authority requests and extensions.
  • Silent STAs, silent notifications, resumption of operations, extensions of silent STAs.
  • Change in mailing address (these should also be handled through an administrative update in LMS).
  • Digital notifications (FM hybrid, AM hybrid and AM all-digital).
  • Amendments to pending applications previously submitted in CDBS.
  • Pleadings (informal objections, petitions to deny, replies, supplements, petitions for reconsideration, applications for review, etc.)

Going forward, these applications will need to be sent to Staff via email at the address audiofilings@fcc.gov.   Form applications should be attached in PDF format.  Informal filings may be sent in PDF or word (.doc, .docx) format. 

Commercial applicants must remit the appropriate filing fee using CORES and submit an electronic copy of the proof of payment.  

For more information, please see the FCC Public Notice:

https://www.fcc.gov/document/media-bureau-announces-new-filing-procedures