[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 92 (Wednesday, May 13, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26593-26595]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-12666]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Submitted to OMB for 
Review and Approval

May 7, 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

[[Page 26594]]

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 June 12, 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 Les Smith, Federal Communications 
Commission, Room 234, 1919 M St., NW., Washington, DC 20554 or via 
internet to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or copies 
of the information collection(s), contact Les Smith at 202-418-0217 or 
via internet at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
OMB Control No.: 3060-0211.
    Title: Section 73. 1493 Political File.
    Form No.: N/A.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business 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).
    Frequency of Response: On occasion.
    Cost to Respondents: N/A.
    Total Annual Burden:  98,856 hours.
    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 are used by the public to assess money expended and time 
allocated to a political candidate and to ensure that equal access was 
afforded to other qualified candidates.
OMB Control No.: 3060-0454.
    Title: CC Docket No. 90-337, Regulation of International Accounting 
Rates.
    Form No.: N/A.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 12.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 1 hour.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion.
    Cost to Respondents: $5,850. Carriers are expected to contract for 
5% of the burden hours to outside law firms to prepare submissions to 
the FCC, especially in their first submission. It is estimated that 
Respondents would pay the law firm approximately $150 per hour to file 
the data as the collection of the data will be handled in-house. This 
figure is based on a small survey of local firms in the D.C. area and 
is considered a conservative estimate.
Total Annual Burden:  780 hours.
    Needs and Uses:  The FCC requests this collection of information as 
a method to monitor the international accounting rates to insure that 
the public interest is being served and also to enforce Commission 
policies. By requiring a U.S. carrier to make an equivalency showing 
and to file other documents for end users interconnected international 
private lines, the FCC will be able to preclude one-way bypass and 
safeguard its international settlements policy. The data collected is 
required by Section 43.51 (d) of the FCC's rules.
OMB Control No.: 3060-0502.
    Title: Section 73. 1942 Candidate Rates.
    Form No.: N/A.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 11,518.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 0.5 hours per disclosure (each station 
is estimated to make 25 disclosures of the lowest unit charge to 
candidates annually).
    Frequency of Response: On occasion.
    Cost to Respondents: N/A.
    Total Annual Burden:  650,767 hours.
    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 day 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 73.1942 also requires licensees to calculate the lowest unit 
charge. Furthermore, stations are 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 Control No.: 3060-0788.
    Title: DTV Showings/Interference Agreements
    Form No.: FCC 301/FCC 340
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit; Not-for-profit 
institutions.
    Number of Respondents: 20.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 55 hours (5 hours per applicant; 50 
hours for advisory committee).
    Frequency of Response: On occasion; Third Party Disclosure.
    Cost to Respondents: Undetermined.
    Total Annual Burden:  100 hours.
    Needs and Uses:  Section V-D of the FCC 301/340 Forms 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 can not 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

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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 
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 determination: 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.

Federal Communications Commission.
Magalie Roman Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-12666 Filed 5-12-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-F