[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 159 (Tuesday, August 18, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44262-44263]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-22155]


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FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.), the FTC has forwarded the Information Collection Request 
(ICR) abstracted below, involving a survey of rent-to-own customers, to 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The 
ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its expected 
cost and burden.
    The FTC published a Federal Register notice soliciting comments 
from the public concerning the information collection requirements of 
the survey and providing the information required by 5 CFR 
1320.5(a)(1)(iv). See 63 FR

[[Page 44263]]

25044 (May 6, 1998). Three organizations submitted comments that 
address concerns about the need for and the methodology of conducting 
the proposed survey. The Supporting Statement submitted to OMB 
discusses these comments in detail. The Supporting Statement and other 
documentation, including copies of the survey questionnaire, are 
available from the Bureau of Economics at the address provided below. 
This is another opportunity for the public to submit comments.

DATES: Comments on the proposed study must be submitted on or before 
September 17, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Send comments regarding the burden estimate, or any other 
aspect of the information collection, including suggestions for 
reducing the burden, to the following addresses: Edward Clarke, Senior 
Economist, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of 
Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Room 3228, 
Washington, DC 20503. Further information, comments, and requests for 
the proposed collection of information (supporting statement and 
questionnaire) should be directed to James M. Lacko, Deputy Assistant 
Director, Division of Consumer Protection, Bureau of Economics, Federal 
Trade Commission, 6th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, 
DC 20580. Telephone: (202) 326-3387. E-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FTC proposes to survey rent-to-own 
customers in order to evaluate their experiences with rent-to-own 
transactions. The FTC will use this information to gain an 
understanding of the rent-to-own industry and consumer experiences with 
the industry, to assess potential consumer protection problems in the 
industry, and to inform possible future FTC policy. The FTC will 
collect this information on a voluntary basis and the identities of 
respondents will remain confidential.
    The FTC proposes to contract with a survey firm to identify 300 to 
500 rent-to-own consumers and to obtain briefly information about their 
experience with the rent-to-own industry. A screening process will 
identify rent-to-own survey respondents from a preexisting random digit 
dialing survey. Given the low (roughly 2%) incidence rate of rent-to-
own customers within the general population, the FTC estimates that 
approximately 20,000 people will be screened in order to obtain a 
sample of 300 to 500 customers.
    The FTC will pretest the survey questionnaire on no more than 50 
respondents to ensure that all questions are easily understood. The 
pretest will take approximately 10 minutes for each respondent, for a 
total of 8 hours. The final survey will involve 300-500 respondents, 
again for approximately 10 minutes each, for a total of 83 hours. 
Because a response from an individual will take no more than 10 minutes 
and will be voluntary, the cost burden per respondent will be 
negligible.
    Pre-test questionnaire: Approximately 10 minutes  x  50 people = 8 
hours.
    Screening: One initial question within a random survey of 20,000 
people (other topics are also submitted from third party entities). 
Approximately 30 seconds  x  20,000 people = 167 hours.
    Questionnaire response: Approximately 300-500 consumers  x  10 
minutes = 83 hours.
    Total burden hours: Approximately 260.
    Cost to Respondents: Negligible.
Debra A. Valentine,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 98-22155 Filed 8-17-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6750-01-M