[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 88 (Wednesday, May 7, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24926-24927]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-11830]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


Public Information Collections Approved by Office of Management 
and Budget

May 1, 1997.
    The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has received Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) approval for the following public 
information collections pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, Public Law 104-13. An agency may not conduct or sponsor and a 
person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless 
it displays a currently valid control number. For further information 
contact Shoko B. Hair, Federal Communications Commission, (202) 418-
1379.

Federal Communications Commission

    OMB Control No.: 3060-0734.
    Expiration Date: 03/31/2000.
    Title: Implementation of the Telecommunications Act of 1996: 
Accounting Safeguards Under the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
    Form No.: N/A.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 168 respondents; 1074.6 hours per response 
(avg.); 180,547 total annual burden hours.

Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $633,000.

    Description: In Accounting Safeguards Under the Telecommunications 
Act of 1996, Report and Order in CC Docket No. 96-150 (Report and 
Order), the Commission addresses the accounting safeguards necessary to 
satisfy the requirements of Sections 260 and 271 through 276 of the 
Telecommunications Act of 1996. The Report and Order prescribes the way 
incumbent local exchange carriers (LECs), including the Bell Operating 
Companies (BOCs), must account for transactions with affiliates 
involving, and allocate costs incurred in the provision of, both 
regulated telecommunications services and nonregulated services, 
including telemessaging, interLATA

[[Page 24927]]

telecommunications and information services, telecommunications 
equipment and customer premises equipment manufacturing, electronic 
publishing, alarm monitoring services and payphone service. The 
Commission concludes that its current cost allocation rules generally 
satisfy the 1996 Act's accounting safeguards requirements when 
incumbent LECs, including the BOCs, provide services permitted under 
Sections 260 and 271 through 276 on an in-house basis. The Commission 
also concludes that its current affiliate transactions rules generally 
satisfy the 1996 Act's accounting safeguards requirements when 
incumbent LECs, including the BOCs, are required to, or choose to, use 
an affiliate to provide services permitted under sections 260 and 271 
through 276. In the Report and Order, the Commission also modifies its 
affiliate transactions rules to provide greater protection against 
subsidization of competitive activities by subscribers to regulated 
telecommunications services. The information collections will enable 
the Commission to ensure that the subscribers to regulated 
telecommunications services do not bear the costs of these new 
nonregulated services and that transactions between affiliates and 
carriers will be at prices that do not ultimately result in unfair 
rates being charged to ratepayers. Public reporting burden for the 
collections of information is as noted above. Send comments regarding 
the burden estimate or any other aspect of the collections of 
information, including suggestions for reducing the burden to the 
Records Management Branch, Washington, D.C. 20554.

Federal Communications Commission
William F. Caton,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-11830 Filed 5-6-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-U