Sec. 27.314  Application for temporary authorizations.

    In circumstances requiring immediate or temporary use of facilities, 
request may be made for special temporary authority (STA) to operate new 
or modified equipment. Such requests may be submitted as informal 
applications (see Sec. 22.105 of this chapter) and must contain complete 
details about the proposed operation and the circumstances that fully 
justify and necessitate the grant of STA. Such requests should be filed 
in time to be received by the FCC at least 10 days prior to the date of 
proposed operation or, where an extension is sought, 10 days prior to 
the expiration date of the existing STA. Requests received less than

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10 days prior to the desired date of operation may be given expedited 
consideration only if compelling reasons are given, in writing, for the 
delay in submitting the request. Otherwise, such late-filed requests are 
considered in turn, but action might not be taken prior to the desired 
date of operation. Requests for STAs must be accompanied by the proper 
filing fee.
    (a) Grant without Public Notice. STAs may be granted without being 
listed in a Public Notice, or prior to 30 days after such listing, if:
    (1) The STA is to be valid for 30 days or less and the applicant 
does not plan to file an application for regular authorization of the 
subject operation;
    (2) The STA is to be valid for 60 days or less, pending the filing 
of an application for regular authorization of the subject operation;
    (3) The STA is to allow interim operation to facilitate completion 
of authorized construction or to provide substantially the same service 
as previously authorized; or
    (4) The STA is made upon a finding that there are extraordinary 
circumstances requiring operation in the public interest and that delay 
in the institution of such service would seriously prejudice the public 
interest.
    (b) Limit on STA term. The FCC may grant STAs valid for a period not 
to exceed 180 days under the provisions of section 309(f) of the 
Communications Act of 1934, as amended, (47 U.S.C. section 309(f)) if 
extraordinary circumstances so require, and pending the filing of an 
application for regular operation. The FCC may grant extensions of STAs 
for a period of 180 days, but the applicant must show that extraordinary 
circumstances warrant such an extension.