Justification for Exception to Fair Opportunity

The USPTO requires uninterrupted SSL certificate services during the transitioning phase to maintain availability, integrity, and confidentiality of enterprise network traffic and public-facing applications that support mission operations. Any lapse or delay in certificate issuance, renewal, or management would pose immediate risks to system availability, user access, and data security. To prevent service degradation and security non-compliance, continuity must be maintained without interruption while the new certificates are fully transitioned and operational.