Welcome to the Federal Communications Commission’s Privacy Act website. It is the policy of the FCC to ensure the accuracy and protect the privacy of every individual whose protected information is stored in Commission systems or records. The Commission carries out this policy by ensuring that it has and implements procedures to regulate the collection, maintenance, use, and dissemination of Privacy Act-protected information. From this website you can find information about all the FCC’s many efforts to comply with the Privacy Act of 1974.
- Major Information Systems
- Systems of Records - The Commission reviews and updates its Systems of Records by September 30 of each year in order to ensure that our inventory of personally identifiable information is accurate, relevant, timely, and complete.
- Internet Privacy Policy
- How to Make a Privacy Act Request
- External Privacy Links
- Contact Information
- Privacy Impact Assessment
Major Information Systems
The Electronic Freedom of Information Act of 1996 directs federal agencies to make indexes of their major information systems available in electronic form. Major information systems are automated or manual systems that require special management attention because they fall into at least one of the categories below:
- A financial system that conducts monetary transactions between the FCC and a financial institution.
- A licensing system that directly supports the FCC’s charter for regulating interstate and international communications.
- Has the potential to cause severe or catastrophic harm to the Commission if its data were compromised.
The table below lists and provides links to the Commission’s major information systems:
- FCC Access Control Systems (ACS)
- Consolidated Database System (CDBS)
- Cable Operations and Licensing System (COALS)
- Commission Registration System (CORES)
- Canadian Co-channel Serial Coordination System (COSER)
- Equipment Authorization System (EAS)
- Electronic Chairman's Lifecycle Agenda Tracking System (eCLAS)
- Experimental Licensing System (ELS)
- International Bureau Filing System (IBFS)
- Integrated Spectrum Auctions Systems (ISAS)
- Revenue Accounting Management Information System (RAMIS)
- Universal Licensing System and Antenna Structure Registration (ULS/ASR)
- Federal Financial System (Department of the Interior) (FFS)*
- Federal Personnel/Payroll System (Department of Agriculture) (FPPS)*
- Procurement Desktop (Department of the Interior) (PD)*
- USAC is a company that hosts four systems: (USAC)*
- High Cost Program
- Low Income Program
- Rural Health Care Program
- Schools & Libraries Program
*These are Non-FCC supported systems.
Systems of Records
The Privacy Act defines “systems of records” as “a group of any records under the control of any agency from which information is retrieved by the name of the individual or by some identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual.” Federal agencies are required to make the public aware of what “systems of records” they maintain.
The table below lists and provides links to the Commission’s “Systems of Records.”
The Commission reviews and updates its Systems of Records by September 30 of each year in order to ensure that our inventory of personally identifiable information is accurate, relevant, timely, and complete.
Government-wide Systems of Records
In addition to the Commission's systems of records there are also government-wide systems of records. These government-wide systems of records represent instances in which another Federal agency has published a system of records that covers that type of information for all Federal agencies. Thus the FCC does not have to publish its own system of records for the type of items noted in the Government-wide Systems of Records.
Internet Privacy Policy
Several OMB regulations (M-99-18, M-00-13, various letters) implementing the Privacy Act have requirements regarding what information federal agencies may collect and maintain through the Internet or other on-line technologies. You can find out how the FCC implements these requirements by clicking on the link below:
How to Make a Privacy Act Request
External Privacy Links
- Department of Justice Overview of the Privacy Act
- The E-Government Act of 2002, Sec. 208 on Privacy Provisions
- Office of Management and Buget Policy on Internet Privacy
- Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130: Management of Federal Information Resources, Appendix I on Maintaining Records About Individuals
- Office of Personnel Management Privacy Act Regulations on Personnel Records 4 CFR 297
- The Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a)
Contact Information
For questions on the FCC’s implementation of the Privacy Act or to file a Privacy Act request, contact:
Mr. Leslie Smith
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street SW
Room - 1-A804
Washington, DC 20554
202-418-0217
