This page provides information to help guide visitors through the FCC’s facility security screening process and COVID-19 safety protocols for the FCC’s Headquarters and other facilities.

On March 12, 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the FCC restricted visitor access to its facilities to only those visitors with a clear operational necessity. In light of the improved pandemic conditions, updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that focuses on COVID-19 Community Levels and the associated Safer Federal Workforce Task Force (the Task Force) guidance, beginning on June 9, 2022 the Commission will permit visitors with scheduled appointments, in conjunction with safety protocols identified by the Task Force, to enter its facilities.

We encourage all visitors to arrive early for scheduled appointments to allow ample time for security screening and, if applicable, any necessary COVID-19 safety protocols.

Appointments Are Required For All Visitors At All FCC Facilities

All visitors will be required to have a scheduled appointment with an FCC contact at least 48-hours in advance. The FCC contact shall be responsible for escorting the visitor throughout their time in the FCC facility. Visitors without appointments and designated FCC point of contact will not be permitted to access Commission facilities. There are no longer frequent visitor badges for any FCC facility.

Security Screening At FCC Headquarters And Gettysburg Facilities

All visitors are required to go through the security screening process in the main lobby, including:

Effective immediately, all visitors entering FCC facilities must adhere to the safety protocols below:

1 Visitors should complete the symptom self-screening using the online CDC COVID-19 Facility Access Tool or paper form; however, the FCC will not be collecting completed forms. Visitors will be asked to attest that based on a completed self-screening, they may access the FCC facility. If a visitor has applicable symptoms of COVID-19 within 48 hours of their visit, they should reschedule their visit to another time.

2 When required, visitors should complete a paper copy of the Certification of Vaccination form, which they will be required to show to designated FCC staff in or near the FCC facility entrance or lobby. After review, the form will be returned to the visitor. The FCC will not be collecting completed forms.

3 Where a negative test result is required, the FCC will accept test results from any test authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to detect current infection and produce a dated result. Self-administered, rapid antigen test results, therefore, will generally not be accepted because they do not produce a dated result. When required, visitors will show their test result to designated FCC staff in or near the FCC facility entrance or lobby. After review, the test result will be returned to the visitor. The FCC will not be collecting test results.

4 A person is considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19 two (2) weeks after they have received the requisite number of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine approved or authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or that has been listed for emergency use by the World Health Organization. For Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or AstraZeneca/Oxford, that is 2 weeks after an employee has received the second dose in a 2-dose series. For Johnson and Johnson (J&J)/Janssen, that is 2 weeks after an employee has received a single-dose.