[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 204 (Thursday, October 22, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56644-56645]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-28316]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


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

October 16, 1998.

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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 November 23, 
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, 
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: 3060-0168.
    Title: Section 43.43, Reports of Proposed Changes in Depreciation 
Rates.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business and other for-profit entities.
    Number of Respondents: 11.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 6,000 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Recordkeeping; On occasion reporting 
requirements.
    Total Annual Burden: 66,000 hours.
    Cost to Respondents: None.
    Needs and Uses: Section 220(b) of the Communications Act of 1934 
(the Act), as amended (47 U.S.C. Section 220(b)), states that the FCC 
may prescribe depreciation charges for the subject carriers. Section 
219 of the Act requires annual and other reports from the carriers. 
Section 43.43 of the Commission's Rules (47 C.F.R. Section 43.43) 
establishes the reporting requirements for depreciation prescription 
purposes. Communication common carriers with annual operating revenues 
of $112 million or more that the Commission has found to be dominant 
must file information specified in Sec. 43.43 before making any change 
in the depreciation rates applicable to their operating plant. Section 
220 also allows the Commission, in its discretion, to prescribe the 
forms of any and all accounts, records, and memoranda to be kept by 
carriers subject to the Act, including the accounts, records, and 
memoranda of the movement of traffic, as well as receipts and 
expenditures of monies.
    The Communication Act, as amended, seeks to develop efficient 
competition by opening all telecommunications markets through a pro-
competitive, deregulatory national policy framework. To that end, 
Section 11 of the Act requires the Commission, in every even-numbered 
year beginning in 1998, to review its regulations applicable to 
providers of telecommunications service to determine whether the 
regulations are no longer necessary in the public interest as a result 
of meaningful economic competition between providers of such service 
and whether such regulations should be repealed or modified.
    In the attached NPRM, the Commission proposes to reduce or 
streamline further our depreciation prescription process by permitting 
summary filings and eliminating the prescription of depreciation rates 
for incumbent LECs, provided that the carrier uses depreciation factors 
that are within the ranges adopted by the Commission, expanding the 
prescribed range for the digital switching plant account, and 
eliminating salvage from the depreciation process. We also seek comment 
on whether we should permit carriers to set their own depreciation 
rates if they are willing to waive the automatic low-end adjustment. 
These proposed modifications are designed to minimize the reporting 
burden on carriers and to provide incumbent LECs with a greater 
flexibility to adjust their depreciation rates while allowing the 
commission to maintain adequate oversight.
    If we remove net salvage from the depreciation process, we should 
create a new account 6566, Net cost of removal, to record both salvage 
receipts

[[Page 56645]]

and removal costs incurred. We also tentatively conclude that we revise 
Secs. 32.3100, Accumulated depreciation, and 32.2000, Instructions for 
telecommunications plant accounts, to eliminate the provisions that 
salvage and cost removal be recorded in the depreciation reserve 
account. We also request comment on whether we should require carriers 
to keep subsidiary record categories in Account 6566 for salvage and 
cost of removal. If adopted, these proposals may have an impact on OMB 
control number 3060-0370. However, at this time we do not believe that 
the impact will be significant.

Federal Communications Commission.
Magalie Roman Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-28316 Filed 10-21-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-10-P