[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 59 (Friday, March 27, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14940-14942]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-8153]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


Public Information Collections Approved by Office of Management 
and Budget

March 24, 1998.
    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.: 3060-0823.
    Expiration Date: 09/30/98.
    Title: Pay Telephone Reclassification Memorandum Opinion and Order, 
CC Docket No. 96-128.
    Form No.: N/A.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 400 respondents; 111.7 hours per response 
(avg.); 44,700 total annual burden hours.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion, monthly, quarterly, annually, 
one-time.
    Description: In the Payphone Orders, the Commission adopted new 
rules and policies governing the payphone industry to implement Section 
276 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Those rules and policies in 
part establish a plan to ensure fair compensation for ``each and every 
completed intrastate and interstate call using [a] payphone.'' 
Specifically, the Commission established a plan to ensure that payphone 
service providers (PSPs) were compensated for certain noncoin calls 
originated from their payphones. As part of this plan, the Commission 
required that by October 7, 1997, LECs provide payphone-specific coding 
digits to PSPs, and that PSPs provide those digits from their payphones 
to IXCs. The provision of payphone-specific coding digits is a 
prerequisite to payphone per-call compensation payments by IXCs to PSPs 
for subscriber 800 and access code calls. The Common Carrier Bureau, on 
its own motion, subsequently provided a waiver until March 9, 1998, for 
those payphones for which the necessary coding digits were not provided 
to identify calls. In a Memorandum Opinion and Order (MO&O) (released 
March 9, 1998), we clarify the requirements established in the Payphone 
Orders for the provision for payphone-specific coding digits and for 
tariffs that LECs must file pursuant to the Payphone Orders. We also 
grant a waiver of Part 69 of the Commission's rules so that LECs can 
establish rate elements to recover the costs of implementing FLEX ANI 
to provide payphone-specific coding digits for per-call compensation. 
The Commission in the Memorandum Opinion and Order, therefore, is 
effecting the following collections of information made in regard to 
information disclosures required in the Payphone Orders to implement 
Section 276 of the Act. The collection requirements are as follows: a. 
LEC Tariff to provide FLEX ANI to IXCs: The MO&O requires that local 
exchange carriers (LECs) implement FLEX ANI to comply with the 
requirements set forth in the Payphone Orders. LECs must provide to 
IXCs through their interstate tariffs, FLEX ANI service so that IXCs 
can identify which calls come from a payphone. LECs (and PSPs) must 
provide FLEX ANI to IXCs without charge for the limited purpose of per-
call compensation, and accordingly, LECs providing FLEX ANI must revise 
their interstate tariffs to reflect FLEX ANI as a nonchargeable option 
to IXCs no later than March 30, 1998, to be effective no later than 
April 15, 1998, in those areas that it is available. (No. of 
respondents: 400; hours per response: 35 hours; total annual burden: 
14,000 hours.) b. LEC Tariff to recover costs: LECs must file a tariff 
to establish a rate element in their interstate tariffs to recover 
their costs from PSPs for providing payphone-specific coding digits to 
IXCs. This tariff must reflect the costs of implementing FLEX ANI to 
provide payphone-specific coding digits for payphone compensation, and 
provide for recovery of such costs over a reasonable time period 
through a monthly recurring flat-rate charge. LECs must provide cost 
support information for the rate elements they propose. The Bureau will 
review these LEC rate element tariff filings, the reasonableness of the 
costs, and the recovery period. LECs will recover their costs over an 
amortization period of no more than ten years. The rate element charges 
will discontinue when the LEC has recovered its cost. (No. of 
respondents: 400; hours per response: 35 hours; total annual burden 
14,000 hours.) c. LECs must provide IXCs information on payphones that 
provide payphone-specific coding digits for smart and dumb payphones: 
LECs must provide IXCs information on the number and location of smart 
and dumb payphones providing payphone-specific coding digits, as well 
as the number of those that are not. (No. of respondents: 400; hours 
per response: 24 hours; total annual burden: 9600 hours.) d. LECs must 
provide IXCs and PSPs information on where FLEX ANI is available now 
and when it is to be scheduled in the future: Within 30 days of the 
release of the MO&O, LECs should be prepared to provide IXCs, upon 
request, information regarding

[[Page 14941]]

their plans to implement FLEX ANI by end office. LECs must provide IXCs 
and PSPs information on payphones that provide payphone-specific coding 
digits on end offices where FLEX ANI is available, and where it is not, 
on a monthly basis. Pursuant to the waivers in this order, LECs must 
also inform IXCs and PSPs proposed dates for its availability. (No. of 
respondents: 400; hours per response: 16 hours; total annual burden: 
6400 hours.) e. For a waiver granted to small or midsize LECs, a cost 
analysis must be provided, upon request: In the MO&O, the Bureau grants 
a waiver to midsize and small LECs that will be unable to recover the 
costs of implementing FLEX ANI in a reasonable time period. LECs must 
make this evaluation within 30 days of the release of the MO&O. The LEC 
must then notify IXCs that they will not be implementing FLEX ANI 
pursuant to this waiver, and provide the number of dumb payphones 
providing the ``27'' coding digit and the number of smart phones for 
which payphone-specific coding digits are unavailable. A LEC delaying 
the implementation of FLEX ANI pursuant to this waiver provision must 
be prepared to provide its analysis, if requested by the Commission. 
(No. of respondents: 20; hours per response: 35 hours; total annual 
burden: 700 hours.) The information disclosure rules and policies 
governing the payphone industry to implement Section 276 of the Act 
will ensure the payment of per-call compensation by implementing a 
method for LECs to provide information to IXCs to identify calls, for 
each and every call made from a payphone. The Bureau has reviewed 
several methods of identifying payphone calls and determined that among 
them, FLEX ANI is the most flexible and has the added capability of 
providing a number of additional coding digits, in real-time, that can 
uniquely identify a call as coming from a payphone. FLEX ANI is, 
therefore, the best method. Obligation to respond: required.

    OMB Control No.: 3060-0512.
    Expiration Date: 09/30/98.
    Title: The ARMIS Annual Summary Report.
    Form No.: FCC Report 43-01.
    Respondents: Businesses or other for profit entities.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 150 respondents; 220 hours per response 
(avg.); 33,000 total annual burden hours.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.
    Frequency of Response: Annually.
    Description: The ARMIS Annual Summary Report contains financial and 
operating data and is used to monitor the local exchange carrier 
industry and to perform routine analyses of costs and revenues on 
behalf of the Commission. Obligation to respond: Mandatory.

    OMB Control No.: 3060-0395.
    Expiration Date: 09/30/98.
    Title: Automated Reporting and Management Information Systems 
(ARMIS)--Sections 43.21 and 43.22.
    Form No.: FCC Reports 43-02, 43-03, 43-05.
    Respondents: Business or other for profit.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 50 respondents; 1252.7 hours per response 
(avg.); 62,637 total annual hours.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.
    Frequency of Response: Annually.
    Description: FCC Report 43-02 contains company-wide data for each 
account specified in the Uniform System of Accounts (USOA). It provides 
the annual operating results of the carriers' activities for every 
account in the USOA. (No. of respondents: 50; hours per response: 960 
hours; total annual burden: 48,000 hours). FCC Report 43-05 collects 
data at the study area level and holding company level and is designed 
to capture trends in service quality under price cap regulation. It 
provides service quality information in the areas of interexchange 
access service installation and repair intervals, local service 
installation and repair intervals, trunk blockage and total switch 
downtime for price cap companies. (No. of respondents: 12; hours per 
response: 849 hours; total annual burden: 10,197.4 hours). FCC Report 
43-07 is designed to capture trends in telephone industry 
infrastructure development under price cap regulation. It provides 
switch deployment and capabilities data. (No. of respondents: 8; hours 
per response: 550 hours; total annual burden: 4400 hours). Obligation 
to comply: Mandatory.

    OMB Control No.: 3060-0513.
    Expiration Date: 09/30/98.
    Title: ARMIS Joint Cost Report.
    Form No.: FCC Report 43-03.
    Respondents: Business or other for profit.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 150 respondents; 200 hours per response 
(avg.); 30,000 total annual hours.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping: $0.
    Frequency of Response: Annually.
    Description: The Joint Cost Report is needed to administer our 
joint cost rules (Part 64) and to analyze the regulated and 
nonregulated cost and revenue allocations by study area in order to 
prevent cross-subsidization of nonregulated operations by the regulated 
operations.

    OMB Control No.: 3060-0511.
    Expiration Date: 09/30/98.
    Title: ARMIS Access Report.
    Form No.: FCC Report 43-04.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 150 respondents; 1,150 hours per response 
(avg.); 172,500 total annual hours.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.
    Frequency of Response: Annually.
    Description: The Access Report is needed to administer the results 
of the FCC's jurisdictional separations and access charge procedures in 
order to analyze revenue requirements, joint cost allocations, 
jurisdictional separations and access charges. Obligation to comply: 
Mandatory.

    OMB Control No.: 3060-0763.
    Expiration Date: 09/30/98.
    Title: The ARMIS Customer Satisfaction Report.
    Form No.: FCC Report 43-06.
    Respondents: Businesses or other for profit entities.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 8 respondents; 7200 hours per response 
(avg.); 5,760 total annual burden hours.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.
    Frequency of Response: Annually.
    Description: The Customer Satisfaction Report collects data from 
carrier surveys designed to capture trends in service quality. 
Obligation to comply: Mandatory.

    OMB Control No.: 3060-0496.
    Title: The ARMIS Operating Data Report.
    Form No.: FCC Report 43-08.
    Respondents: Businesses or other for profit entities.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 50 respondents; 160 hours per response 
(avg.); 8,000 total annual burden hours.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.
    Frequency of Response: Annually.
    Description: The ARMIS Operating Data Report consists of 
statistical schedules which are needed by the Commission to monitor 
network growth, usage, and reliability. Obligation to comply: 
Mandatory.
    ARMIS was implemented to facilitate the timely and efficient 
analysis of revenue requirements and rate of return, to provide an 
improved basis for audits and other oversight functions, and to enhance 
the Commission's ability to quantify the effects of alternative policy. 
The information contained in the reports provides the necessary detail 
to enable the Commission to fulfill its regulatory responsibilities. 
Automated reporting of these data greatly enhances

[[Page 14942]]

the Commission's ability to process and analyze the extensive amounts 
of data it needs to administer its rules. All the reports have been 
updated to reflect the new expiration date. Copies of the updated 
reports may be obtained from Barbara Van Hagen of the Accounting and 
Audits Division at 2000 L Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., Room 812. 
Call 202-418-0849.

    OMB Control No.: 3060-0439.
    Expiration Date: 03/31/2001.
    Title: Regulations Concerning Indecent Communications By Telephone.
    Form No.: N/A.
    Respondents: Business or other for profit entities.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 10,200 respondents; .16 hours per response 
(avg). 1,632 total annual burden hours.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion.
    Description: Section 223 of the Communications Act of 1934, as 
amended, 47 U.S.C. Section 223, as amended by the Appropriations Act of 
1990, Public Law 101-166, Sections 521, 103 Stat. 1192 (November 21, 
1989), imposes fines and penalties on those who knowingly use the 
telephone to make obscene or indecent communications for commercial 
purposes. The fines and penalties are applicable to those who use the 
telephone, or permit their telephone to be used, for obscene 
communications to any person and to those who use the telephone for 
indecent communications to persons under 18 years of age or to adults 
without their consent. Section 223 requires telephone companies, to the 
extent technically feasible, to prohibit access to indecent 
communications from the telephone of a subscriber who has not 
previously requested access. 47 C.F.R. 64.201 implements the statute. 
The rules and regulations establish defenses to prosecution where the 
defendant restricts access to the prohibited indecent communications to 
persons 18 years of age or older by complying with the Commission's 
procedures. Section 64.201 contains several information collection 
requirements including: (1) A requirement that certain common carriers 
block access to indecent messages unless the subscriber seeks access 
from the common carrier (telephone company) in writing (no. of 
respondents: 10,000; hours per response: 10 minutes; total annual 
burden: 1600 hours); (2) a requirement that adult message service 
providers notify their carriers of the nature of their programming (no. 
of respondents: 100; hours per response: 10 minutes; total annual 
burden: 16, hours); and (3) a requirement that a provider of adult 
message services request that their carriers identify it as such in 
bills to its subscribers (no. of respondents: 100; hours per response: 
10 minutes; total annual burden: 16 hours). The information 
requirements are imposed on carriers, adult message service providers 
and those who solicit their services to ensure that minors are denied 
access to material deemed indecent. If the information collections were 
not imposed the Commission would not be able to carry out its 
responsibilities as mandated in Section 223 of the Act. Obligation to 
respond: required.
    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 Performance Evaluation and Records Management, 
Washington, D.C. 20554.

Federal Communications Commission.
Magalie Roman Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-8153 Filed 3-26-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-U