[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 240 (Wednesday, December 15, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70025-70028]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-32408]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


Public Information Collections Approved by Office of Management 
and Budget

December 6, 1999.
    The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has received Office

[[Page 70026]]

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.: 3060-0894.
    Expiration Date: 05/31/2000.
    Title: Certification Letter Account for Receipt of Federal 
Support--CC Docket Nos. 96-45 and 96-262.
    Form No.: N/A.
    Respondents: State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 51 respondents; 3 hours per response 
(avg.); 153 total annual burden hours for all collections.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion; Annually.
    Description: States that desire non-rural incumbent local exchange 
carriers (LECs) and/or eligible telecommunications carriers serving 
lines in the service area of a non-rural incumbent LEC within their 
jurisdiction to receive support pursuant to 47 CFR sections 54.309 and/
or 54.311 must file an annual certification with the Administrator and 
the Commission stating that all federal high-cost support provided to 
such carriers within that state will be used only for the provision, 
maintenance, and upgrading of facilities and services for which the 
support is intended. A certification may be filed in the form of a 
letter and must be filed with both the Office of Secretary of the 
Commission and with the Administrator on or before the deadlines set 
forth in 47 CFR 54.313(c)(1)-(3). The annual certification must 
identify which carriers in the State are eligible to receive federal 
support during the applicable 12 month period and must certify that 
those carriers will only use the support for the provision, 
maintenance, and upgrading of facilities and services for which the 
support is intended. A state may file a supplemental certification for 
carriers not subject to the State's annual certification. See 47 CFR 
section 54.313. This information will be used to show that federal 
high-cost support is being provided to the carrier to assist in keeping 
rates affordable in those subscribers' area. Further, the collection of 
information will be used to verify that the carries have accounted for 
its receipt of federal support in its rates or otherwise used the 
support for the ``provision, maintenance, and upgrading of facilities 
and services for which the support is intended'' in accordance with 
section 254(e). Obligation to respond: required to obtain or retain 
benefits.

    OMB Control No.: 3060-0233.
    Expiration Date: 05/31/2000.
    Title: Separations--Part 36.
    Form No.: N/A.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 1500 respondents; 104.75 hours per 
response (avg.); 157,125 total annual burden hours for all collections.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion; quarterly; annually; third 
party disclosures.
    Description: Telephone companies are required to identify 
investment, expenses and revenues attributable to intrastate and 
interstate operations pursuant to a court decision. These procedures 
are found in 47 CFR Part 36. In the Communications Act of 1934, as 
amended by the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Congress codified the 
Commission's historical policy of promoting universal service to ensure 
that consumers in all regions of the nation have access to 
telecommunications service. In 47 USC section 254, Congress instructed 
the Commission to establish specific, predictable, and sufficient 
mechanisms to preserve and advance universal service. 47 CFR Sections 
36.601-36.741 contain the following procedures and collections for the 
Universal Service Fund Program. a. 47 CFR Sections 36.611 and 36.612--
In order to allow determination of the study areas that are entitled to 
an expense adjustment, and the wire centers that are entitled to 
support pursuant to 47 CFR Part 54, each incumbent local exchange 
carrier must provide the National Exchange Carrier Association (NECA) 
with the information required by 47 CFR section 36.611 for each of its 
study areas, with the exception of the information listed in subsection 
(h), which must be provided for each study area and, if applicable, for 
each wire center as that term is defined in 47 CFR Part 54. This 
information is to be filed with NECA by July 31st of each year, and 
must be updated pursuant to 47 CFR section 36.612. The information 
filed on July 31st of each year will be used in the jurisdictional 
allocations underlying the cost support data for the access charge 
tariffs to be filed the following October. (No. of respondents: 1431; 
hours per response: 22 total annual burden: 125,928). b. 47 CFR 
sections 36.701-36.741--State or local carriers must submit copies of 
their lifeline plans to demonstrate that their plans meet certain 
minimum federal guidelines to qualify for federal assistance. 47 CFR 
section 36.721 requires state or local telephone companies who want to 
participate in the ``Link-Up America'' Program to file data with the 
Commission demonstrating eligibility pursuant to the criteria contained 
in 47 CFR section 36.721(a)(1)-(4). (No. of respondents: 50; hours per 
response: 20 hours; total annual burden: 1000 hours). c. 47 CFR section 
36.731 requires local telephone companies participating in the lifeline 
programs to file information with NECA for each of their study areas, 
on a yearly basis, on June 30th. Information to be filed with NECA 
includes: estimate of the number of eligible households which will 
receive assistance under both parts of the ``Link-Up America'' 
programs; estimate of the average discount on service commencement to 
be provided to each subscriber; and estimate of the average deferred 
interest cost for each subscriber. Carriers must submit the foregoing 
information to the Commission, as well as to NECA for those study areas 
in which the additional interstate expense allocation is to be in 
effect for less than a full calendar year. See also 47 CFR section 
36.741. (No. of respondents: 1500; hours per response: 20 hours; total 
annual burden: 30,000 hours). d. In a NPRM issued in CC Docket No. 80-
286, released 10/7/97, the Commission sought comment on a proposed rule 
allowing incumbent LECs to separate joint and common costs on an 
individual basis should be contingent upon an ILECs showing that 
competition exists in the local markets for which they seek relaxed 
separations rules. (No. of respondents: 100; hours per response: 2 
hours; total annual burden: 200 hours). The requirements contained 
herein are necessary to implement the congressional mandate for 
universal service. The reporting requirements are necessary to verify 
that non-rural local exchange carriers are eligible to receive 
universal service support. Information filed with NECA pursuant to 
section 36.611 is used in the jurisdictional allocations underlying the 
cost support data for the access charge tariffs every April. Without 
this information, NECA would not be able to prepare and file the 
necessary tariffs. Information submitted to the Commission pursuant to 
Section 36.721

[[Page 70027]]

is required to maintain the integrity of the Federal Lifeline 
Assistance programs. Certification is necessary to ensure that the 
targeted group is the beneficiary of the program. The authorities for 
imposing the collections of information are found at: 47 USC Sections 
151, 154(i) and (j), 221(c) and 410(c). Obligation to respond: 
Mandatory.

    OMB Control No.: 3060-0774.
    Expiration Date: 05/31/2000.
    Title: Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service--CC Docket 
No. 96-45, 47 CFR Part 54.
    Form No.: N/A.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit; State, Local or Tribal 
government.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 5,565,451 respondents; .32 hours per 
response (avg.); 1,787,278 total annual burden hours for all 
collections.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion; quarterly; annually; 
recordkeeping.
    Description: In the Ninth Report and Order and Eighteenth Order on 
Reconsideration in CC Docket No. 96-45, released November 2, 1999, the 
Commission modified 47 CFR Part 54 by adopting several amendments to 
the current data reporting requirements to ensure that cost and loop 
count data submitted by non-rural carriers under 47 CFR Part 36 
conforms with loop count data submitted under Part 54 for forwarding 
looking support. The amended sections containing information 
collections are as follows. a. 47 CFR Section 54.307--In order to 
receive support, a competitive eligible telecommunications carrier must 
report to the Administrator on July 31 of each year the number of 
working loops it serves in a service area as of December 31 of the 
preceding year, subject to updates specified in 47 CFR 54.307(c). For a 
competitive eligible telecommunications carrier service loops in the 
service area of a rural telephone company, the carrier must report the 
number of working loops it serves in the service area. For a 
competitive eligible telecommunications carrier serving loops in the 
service area of a non-rural telephone company, the carrier must report 
the number of working loops it serves in the service area and the 
number of working loops it serves in each wire center in the service 
area. A competitive eligible telecommunications carrier serving loops 
in the service area of a non-rural carrier telephone company, the 
carrier must update the information submitted to the Administrator 
pursuant to 47 CFR 54.307(c)(1)-(3). Because the interim hold-harmless 
provision provides support based on the existing 47 CFR Part 36 support 
mechanism, which relies on book costs, non-rural incumbent LECs will be 
required to file cost data, in addition to loop-count data, in order to 
receive interim hold-harmless support. (No. of respondents: 1300; 4.1 
hours per response: total annual burden: 5400 hours). 47 CFR Section 
54.309--Any state may file a petition for a waiver to ask the 
Commission to distribute support calculated to a geographic area 
different than the wire center. Such petition must contain a 
description of the particular geographic level to which the state 
desires support to be distributed, and an explanation of how waiver 
will further the preservation and advancement of universal service 
within the state. (No. of respondents: 51; hours per response: 4 hours; 
total annual burden: 204 hours). c. 47 CFR Section 54.311--A state may 
file a petition for a waiver asking the Commission to distribute 
interim hold-harmless support to a geographic area different than the 
wire center. Such petition must contain a description of the particular 
geographic level to which the State desires interim hold-harmless 
support to be distributed, and an explanation of how waiver will 
further the preservation and advancement of universal service within 
the state. (No. of respondents: 51; hours per response: 4; total annual 
burden: 204 hours). The information will be used to show that federal 
high-cost support is being provided to the carrier to assist in keeping 
rates affordable in those subscribers' area. Further, the collection of 
information will be used to verify that the carriers have accounted for 
its receipt of federal support in its rates or otherwise used the 
support for the ``provision, maintenance, and upgrading of facilities 
and services for which the support is intended'' in accordance with 47 
USC Section 254(e). Obligation to respond: Mandatory.

    OMB Control No.: 3060-0874.
    Expiration Date:
    Title: Consumer Complaint Forms.
    Form No.: FCC Forms 475 and 476.
    Respondents: Individuals or households; Business or other for-
profit; Not-for-profit institutions; Federal Government.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 80,000 respondents; .50 hours per response 
(avg.); 40,000 total annual burden hours for all collections.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion.
    Description: Pursuant to 47 USC Section 208 and 47 CFR Sections 
1.711 and 1.716, consumers may file complaints against common carriers 
with the Commission. Section 208(a) authorizes complaints by any person 
``complaining of anything done or omitted to be done by any common 
carrier'' subject to the provisions of the Act. Section 208(a) 
specifically states that ``it shall be the duty of the Commission to 
investigate the matters complained of in such manner and by such means 
as it shall deem proper.'' Once an informal complaint is determined to 
involve a dispute within the Commission's jurisdiction, it is forwarded 
to the carrier(s) involved. The data provided by consumers not only 
assists the carriers to adequately address consumers' issues, but also 
provides the commission with baseline data required to monitor and 
assess the practices of common carriers. This assessment facilitates 
enforcement of the Communications Act and Commission rules; and helps 
to identify where rulemakings are required to further protect the 
interests of consumers. The Complaint Form, FCC Form 475, will provide 
consumers a concise structured approach to communicate critical 
information required by the Commission to facilitate complaint 
resolution and enhance the collection of data related to unjust and 
unreasonable practices of common carriers. (No. of respondents: 40,000; 
hours per response: .50 hours; total annual burden: 40,000. The Give Us 
the Scoop form, FCC Form 476, will provide consumers a concise 
structured approach to communicate information required by the 
Commission to monitor the practices of common carriers. In many 
instances, consumers who have experienced problems with carriers are 
able to resolve their problem directly with the carriers. As a result, 
they do not understand that there is still a need to report the 
incident to the regulating agency or agencies. In such cases, the 
Commission has lost access to critical data that can be used to 
identify unlawful or unethical carrier practices. To address specific 
issues before they become a significant problem, the Commission has to 
collect data that leads to proactive enforcement and rulemaking. (No. 
of respondents; 40,000; hours per response: .50 hours; total annual 
burden; 40,000 hours). Consumers can currently use FCC Forms 475 and 
476 via the Internet (www.fcc.gov) or through the FCC's toll-free 
number to file a complaint or provide information. However, since a 
large number of consumers may not

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have access to the Internet or be able to call the toll-free number 
during the workday, a consumer form has been developed which can be 
mailed or faxed to consumers upon request. The information will be used 
by Commission staff to assist in the resolution of complaints and as a 
part of the investigation work done by Federal and state law 
enforcement agencies to monitor carrier practices. The data ultimately 
becomes the foundation for enforcement actions. (Obligation to respond: 
Voluntary).
    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. 99-32408 Filed 12-14-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P