The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announces the public availability of an online system for electronic preparation and submission of Form 398 filings. Form 398 is the standardized children's television programming report that commercial television stations now prepare, recording their activities in compliance with children's educational and informational programming requirements. Beginning April 10, 1997, these reports are to be placed in each station's public file on a quarterly basis. Stations have the option of filing these reports with the FCC quarterly, or they may file four quarterly reports jointly after the end of the year (January 10,1998 for the first filing year).

The online filing system allows licensees with internet access to go through either the Mass Media Bureau's WWW page, or the Video Services Division's WWW page to access an electronic system for preparing and filing their Form 398 filings. This online filing system will allow a licensee to work on its filing, save work in progress, print copies on its own local printer, to submit their filing electronically to the Commission. Documentation for this online filing system is available for downloading by accessing the online filing system's WWW page.

The Commission will also release in the near future a diskette filing system for electronic preparation and submission of the Form 398 filing. The diskette filing system will use Netscape Navigator (version 3.01 or better) to process a HTML file that will allow the user to prepare a Form 398 filing, and submit the completed electronic file to the FCC on a computer diskette. The diskette filing system is being created as an option for those stations that do not have internet access. However, if a station has internet access, the station is strongly advised to use the first option, the online filing system, because of its greater flexibility and error checking ability. Parties interested in obtaining copies of the diskette filing system when available, should contact Margaret Kelley of the Video Services Division at 418-1600 to sign up for a copy. Instructions on its use will be included in a packet sent to these parties.