[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 189 (Wednesday, September 30, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52268-52269]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-26148]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


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

September 23, 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, 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 information techniques or other forms of information 
technology.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted on or before October 30, 
1998. If you anticipate that you will be submitting comments, but find 
it difficult to do so within the period of

[[Page 52269]]

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, 
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 collections contact Les Smith at 202-418-0217 or via 
internet at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Approval Number: 3060-0823.
    Title: Pay Telephone Reclassification Memorandum Opinion and Order, 
CC Docket No. 96-28.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business and other for-profit entities.
    Number of Respondents: 400.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 2-35 hours/request.
    Frequency of Response: Recordkeeping. Annual, quarterly, monthly, 
one time, and on occasion reporting requirements; Third party 
disclosure.
    Total Annual Burden: 44,700 hours.
    Cost to Respondents: $480,000 ($600 filing fee/submission).
    Needs and Uses: In the Payphone Orders, the FCC 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 
established 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 to 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 local 
exchange carriers (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 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. (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. (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. (d) LECs must 
provide IXCs and PSPs information on where FLEX ANI is available now 
and when it is 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 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. (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. The information disclosure rules and 
policies governing the payphone industry to implement Section 276 of 
the Act will ensure the payment of the 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.

Federal Communications Commission.
Magalie Roman Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-26148 Filed 9-29-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-10-P