LMS real time updates

On June 21, 2018, REC Networks now offers a real-time view into the FCC's Licensing and Management System (LMS) database.  This functionality complements the existing functionality that takes a similar look into the FCC's Centralized Database System (CDBS).  Throughout the weekday, the LMS update will take place immediately after the CDBS update once every 5 minutes.  REC's real-time LMS functionality behave similar to the CDBS functionality by looking at all application activity that has a status date of the current day.  There is currently a hard limitation that only 500 records can be retrieved during a check.  If there are more than 500 applications being filed and/or being statused, some could be missed.

LMS is the FCC filing database currently used for most television broadcast applications.  It is also starting to be used for radio broadcast ownership report filing.   CDBS is still used widely by radio broadcast services.  The FCC plans to eventually migrate radio into LMS. 

As a result of this new back-end functionality, REC has issued a new software release of FCC.today, REC's online dashboard to the FCC Media Bureau. 

  • Previously, LMS applications may get "sent" over to CDBS once per day.  With this new functionality, LMS enjoys the same real time functionality that FCC.today has provided for CDBS records.  
  • Unlike CDBS, LMS does not use "file prefixes" (like BPH, BNPFT, etc.). We will attempt to determine an application type and show that as the "prefix" such as "L2C" for license to cover, "DIS" for displacement, etc.).
  • Clicking on the application file number will either send you to  the actual PDF application if we have the application in the daily raw data update or just to the FCCdata.org page if not.
  • At this time, LMS pleadings (petitions for reconsideration, objections, etc.) are not supported due to the current low volume of these pleadings in the raw-data feed.  This will be slated for a future update.

With this new real-time data functionality for LMS, we also have transaction log functionality.  In FCCdata.org, like with CDBS, you will now see red triangles on the application history (lower right) and by clicking on that triangle will show the application history log that we have for a particular facility.

Date: 
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Systems affected: 
FCCdata.org
FCC.today
Issue type: 
Enhancement