If you received an email from fcc-note@v-soft.com with the subject line "FCC Activity Report from V-Soft", that email did not come from the FCC, but instead, from a private company called V-Soft Communications.
V-Soft is a company that provides (very expensive) broadcast engineering software to our industry. The software V-Soft makes is similar to other software packages like ComStudy II (which is what REC uses in addition to our proprietary in-house software), RF Investigator and similar packages.
The emails are sent by this private company in an attempt to sell "flagging services" that watch the database and notify you when action takes place on your application. REC provides a "reactive" version of this service with our fcc.today website, which displays application activity at the FCC within 15 minutes of it taking place.
It is important to know that on LPFM applications involving construction permits, such as site or channel changes, the FCC will send you an email immediately after your application is granted. These emails will come from lm-support@fcc.gov and will have a subject line beginning with "Attached is a copy of authorization for application file number..." and will contain a link to your granted construction permit or license. You can also retrieve your authorization document by going to REC's FCCdata.org and bringing up your station and then clicking on the "Authorization" link next to the appropriate application. For FM stations, we will normally have the authorization link available about 30 minutes after the FCC grants the application.
The FCC normally does not send emails for granted renewal applications. To receive a copy of your renewal grant, you can visit REC's LPFM Renewal Status site at recnet.com/renewal-status.
V-Soft will normally send these emails to the contact representative to the application. At REC, we get these all the time.
V-Soft is not a part of the Federal Communications Commission and therefore, the email did not come from a government agency.
You need not take any action in response to this email. It's intended just as a courtesy, as well as a sales pitch for their paid services.
Official emails will come from addresses with @fcc.gov at the end.
