[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 3, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10379-10380]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-5403]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Being Reviewed by the 
Federal Communications Commission

February 24, 1998.
SUMMARY: The Federal Communications Commission, as part of its 
continuing effort to reduce paperwork burden invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the 
following information collection(s), as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. An agency may not conduct or 
sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently 
valid control number. No person shall be subject to any penalty for 
failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the 
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) that does not display a valid control 
number. Comments are requested concerning (a) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the Commission, including whether the information 
shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Commission's 
burden estimate; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 
of the information collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of 
the collection of information on the respondents, including the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted on or before May 4, 1998. 
If you anticipate that you will be submitting comments, but find it 
difficult to do so within the period of time allowed by this notice, 
you should advise the contact listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Direct all comments to Judy Boley, Federal Communications 
Commission, Room 234, 1919 M St., N.W., Washington, DC 20554 or via 
internet to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or copies 
of the information collection(s), contact Judy Boley at 202-418-0214 or 
via internet at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Approval Number: 3060-0502.
    Title: Section 73.1942, Candidate rates.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Businesses or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 11,518.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 0.5 hours for disclosure of lowest 
unit charge; 20 hours for calculation of lowest unit charge; 2 hours 
for review of records.
    Total Annual Burden: 650,767 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement.
    Estimated Cost Per Respondent: N/A.
    Needs and Uses: Section 315(b) of the Communications Act directs 
broadcast stations to charge political candidates the ``lowest unit 
charge of the station'' for the same class and amount of time for the 
same period, during the 45 days preceding a primary or runoff election 
and the 60 days preceding a general or special election.
    Section 73.1942 requires broadcast licensees to disclose any 
station practices offered to commercial advertisers that enhance the 
value of advertising spots and different classes of time (immediately 
preemptible, preemptible with notice, fixed, fire sale, and make good). 
Section 74.1942 also requires licensees to calculate the lowest unit 
charge. Stations are also required to review their advertising records 
throughout the election period to determine whether compliance with 
this section requires that candidates receive rebates or credits. The 
disclosure would assure candidates that they are receiving the same 
lowest unit charge as other advertisers.

    OMB Approval Number: 3060-0211.
    Title: Section 73.1943, Political file.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Businesses or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 15,817.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 0.25 hours per request (each station 
is estimated to have 25 political broadcasts per year).
    Total Annual Burden: 98,856 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement.
    Estimated Cost Per Respondent: N/A.
    Needs and Uses: Section 73.1943 requires licensees of broadcast 
stations to keep and permit public inspection of a complete record 
(political file) of all requests for broadcast time made by or on 
behalf of candidates for public office, together with an appropriate 
notation showing the disposition made by the licensee of such request. 
The data is used by the public to assess money expended and time 
allotted to a political candidate and to ensure that equal access was 
afforded to other qualified candidates.

    OMB Approval No.: 3060-0788.
    Title: DTV Showings/Interference Agreements.
    Form No.: FCC 301/FCC 340.
    Type of Review: Extension of currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Businesses or other for-profit, not-for-profit 
institutions.
    Number of Respondents: 20.
    Estimated Hours Per Response: 55 hours (5 hours applicant; 60 hours 
advisory committee).
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement.
    Cost to Respondents: Undetermined.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 100 hours.
    Needs and Uses: Section V-D of the FCC 301/FCC 340 begins with a 
``Certification Checklist.'' This checklist contains a series of 
questions by which applicants may certify compliance with key 
processing requirements. The first certification requires conformance 
with the DTV Table of Allotments. In the Sixth Report and Order in MM 
Docket No. 87-268, the Commission allowed flexibility for DTV 
facilities to be constructed at locations within five kilometers of the 
reference allotment sites without consideration of additional 
interference to analog or DTV service, provided the DTV service does 
not exceed the allotment reference height above average terrain or 
effective radiated power. In order for the Commission to process 
applications that cannot certify affirmatively, the rules adopted in 
the Sixth Report and Order require applicants to submit a technical 
showing to establish that their proposed facilities will not result in 
additional interference to TV broadcast and DTV operations.
    Additionally, in the Sixth Report and Order, the Commission 
permitted broadcasters to agree to proposed DTV facilities that do not 
conform to the initial allotment parameters, even though they might be 
affected by potential new interference. The Commission also recognized 
that industry frequency coordination could help to facilitate the 
implementation of the DTV service, and it encouraged the broadcast 
industry to continue their voluntary coordination efforts through a 
process open to all affected parties. In this regard, the Commission 
will consider granting applications on the basis of interference 
agreements, including agreements obtained through

[[Page 10380]]

the coordination process, if it finds that such grants will serve the 
public interest. These agreements must be signed by all parties to the 
agreement. In addition, the Commission needs the following information 
to enable such public interest determinations: a list of parties 
predicted to receive additional interference from the proposed 
facility, a showing as to why a grant based on the agreements would 
serve the public interest, and technical studies depicting the 
additional interference. Applicants who use a voluntary coordination 
process should provide the name, address and telephone number of the 
person who coordinated studies and a description of how the 
coordination process was open to all interested parties.
    The technical showings and interference agreements will be used by 
FCC staff to determine if the public interest would be served by the 
grant of the application and to ensure that the proposed facilities 
will not result in additional interference.

    OMB Approval Number: 3060-0500.
    Title: Section 76.607, Resolution of Complaints.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business and other for-profit entities.
    Number of Respondents: 11,365 cable television systems.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 1-26 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement.
    Cost to Respondents: $56,825. The annual printing, photocopying and 
stationery costs associated with the disclosure and recordkeeping 
requirements accounted for in this collection are estimated to be $5 
per cable system. 11,365 systems  x  $5 = $56,825.
    Total Annual Burden to Respondents: 306,855 hours. Based on 
Commission records, there are approximately 11,365 cable television 
systems in the nation. The average burden for cable systems to advise 
subscribers at least once each calendar year of the procedures for 
resolution of complaints is estimated to be one hour per system. This 
information is assumed to be easily disclosed to subscribers as part 
of, or attached to, monthly billing statements. 11,365 systems  x  1 
hour = 11,365 hours. The average burden for cable systems to undergo 
recordkeeping procedures for subscriber complaints/resolutions is 
estimated to be no more than .5 hours per week, or 26 hours per year. 
11,365 systems  x  26 hours = 295,490 hours. 11,365+295,490 = 306,855 
total annual burden hours.
    Needs and Uses: On March 4, 1992, the Commission adopted a Report 
and Order, FCC 92-61, MM Docket Nos. 91-169 and 85-381 in the matter of 
cable television technical and operational requirements. This 
rulemaking added Section 76.607 to the Commission's rules. Section 
76.607 requires cable system operators to advise subscribers at least 
once each calendar year of the procedures for resolution of complaints 
about the quality of television signals delivered. Section 76.607 also 
requires that records be maintained by cable system operators on all 
such subscriber complaint and resolution of complaints for at least a 
one-year period. The records are used by local franchising authorities 
to assess the technical performance of cable television systems and to 
ensure that quality service is being provided to subscribers.

    OMB Approval Number: 3060-0316.
    Title: Section 76.305, Records to be maintained locally by cable 
system operators for public inspection.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business and other for-profit entities.
    Number of Respondents: 4,670 cable television systems.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 26 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement.
    Cost to Respondents: $46,700. The annual printing, photocopying and 
stationery costs associated with the recordkeeping requirements 
accounted for in this collection are estimated to be $10 per cable 
system. 4,670 systems  x  $10 = $46,700.
    Total Annual Burden to Respondents: 121,420 hours. According to the 
National Cable Television Association's Cable Television Developments 
publication, Fall 1997, p. 11, there are an estimated 10,943 cable 
television systems in the nation, of which approximately 4,670 serve 
more than 1,000 subscribers. The average burden for each cable system 
serving more than 1,000 subscribers to comply with Section 76.305 
recordkeeping requirements that are not already accounted for in other 
OMB information collections is estimated to be 26 hours yearly. This 
estimate is based on FCC staff's knowledge and familiarity with the 
availability of the data required. 4,670 cable systems  x  26 hrs. per 
week = 121,420 hours.
    Needs and Uses: Section 76.305 requires cable television systems 
having 1000 or more subscribers to maintain a public inspection file 
containing various records in accordance with the following Sections of 
the Commission's rules: Section 76.207 (political file); Section 76.221 
(sponsorship identifications); Section 76.79 (EEO records available for 
public inspection); Section 76.225(c) (commercial records for 
children's programming); Section 76.601(c) (proof-of-performance test 
data); Section 76.601(e) (signal leakage logs and repair records); 
Section 76.701(h) (records for leased access); and records kept 
regarding the testing and activation of Emergency Alert Systems. Many 
of the recordkeeping requirements listed have OMB approval under 
separate information collection Control Numbers. Specifically, the 
recordkeeping requirements set forth in Section 76.207 are approved 
under OMB Control Number 3060-0313. The recordkeeping requirements set 
forth in Section 76.221 are approved under OMB Control Number 3060-
0315. The recordkeeping requirements set forth in Section 76.79 are 
approved under OMB Control Number 3060-0348. The recordkeeping 
requirements set forth in Section 76.601(e) are approved under OMB 
Control Number 3060-0332. Finally, the recordkeeping requirements set 
forth in Section 76.701(h) no longer exist in the Code of Federal 
Regulations. On May 7, 1997, the Commission released a Memorandum 
Opinion and Order in MM Docket No. 92-258, FCC 97-156, which amended 
Section 76.701 and removed subsection (h). This information collection, 
Control Number 3060-0316, therefore accounts for the remaining 
recordkeeping requirements set forth in Section 76.305. These records 
are used by Commission staff in field inspections/investigations, by 
local public officials and by the public to assess a cable television 
system's performance and to ensure that the system is in compliance 
with all of the Commission's applicable rules and regulations.

Federal Communications Commission.
Magalie Roman Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-5403 Filed 3-2-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P