[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 5 (Friday, January 7, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1151-1153]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-337]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Being Reviewed by the 
Federal Communications Commission; Comments Requested

December 28, 1999.
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, 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, 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 March 7, 2000. 
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

[[Page 1152]]

advise the contact listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Direct all comments to Les Smith, Federal Communications 
Commission, 445 12th Street, S.W., Room 1-A804, Washington, DC 20554 or 
via the 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 the Internet at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Approval Number: 3060-0463.
    Title: Telecommunications Services for Individuals with Hearing and 
Speech Disabilities and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990--CC 
Docket No. 90-571 and Telecommunications Relay.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Extension.
    Respondents: Business or other for profit; state, local or tribal 
government; individuals or households.
    Number of Respondents: 103 respondents.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 112.6 hours per response (avg.).
    Frequency of Response: On occasion, every five years.
    Total Annual Burden: 21,557 hours.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.
    Needs and Uses: 47 CFR Part 64, Subpart F implements certain 
provisions of the ADA of 1990. 47 CFR Section 64.605 establishes the 
procedures for certifying state programs. Section 64.604 establishes 
procedures for filing complaints. Information will be used to determine 
whether a state's program is certifiable according to federal 
requirements and to determine the merits of complaints filed. The 
Commission issued a NPRM in CC Docket No. 98-76 regarding 
telecommunications relay services and speech-to-speech (STS) relay 
services for persons with hearing and speech disabilities. Rules 
proposed in the NPRM would require that common carriers providing voice 
transmission service must ensure that nationwide STS relay services are 
available to users with speech disabilities throughout their service 
area. Rules proposed in the NPRM also would amend the Commission's 
current mandatory minimum standards for TRS service to improve the 
effectiveness of those rules and their application to TRS service. 
Those affected are states seeking certification of their programs and 
any member of the public who wants to file a complaint against specific 
carriers.

    OMB Approval Number: None.
    Title: Auditor's Annual Independence and Objectivity Certification.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: New Collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for profit.
    Number of Respondents: 7 respondents.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 10 hours per response (avg.).
    Frequency of Response: On occasion; annually.
    Total Annual Burden: 70 hours.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.
    Needs and Uses: The Responsible Accounting Officer Letter (RAO) 
requires that carriers' independent auditors disclose in writing all 
relationships between the auditor and its related entities and the 
carrier and its related entities that in the auditor's professional 
judgment may reasonably be thought to bear on independence; confirm in 
writing in its professional judgment it is independent of the carrier; 
and discuss the auditor's independence. The information will be used to 
determine whether the independent auditor's are performing their audits 
independently and unbiased of the carrier they audit.

    OMB Approval Number: 3060-0774.
    Title: Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service--CC Docket 
No. 96-45, 47 CFR Part 54.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Extension.
    Respondents: Business or other for profit; state, local or tribal 
government.
    Number of Respondents: 5,565,451 respondents.
    Estimated Time Per Response: .32 hours per response (avg.).
    Frequency of Response: On occasion; quarterly; annually; 
recordkeeping.
    Total Annual Burden: 1,787,278 hours.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.
    Needs and Uses: 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 lop 
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 update specified in 47 CFR 54.307(c). For a 
competitive eligible telecommunications carrier serving 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 relieves 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. 47 CFR Section 54.309--Any 
state may file a petition for waiver to ask the Commission 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. c. 47 CFR Section 54.311--A 
state may file a petition for 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. 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). In the Sixth Order on Reconsideration in CC Docket 
No. 97-21 and the Fifteenth Order on

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Reconsideration in CC Docket No. 96-45 (released 11/1/99), the 
Commission revised its rules governing the eligibility of services that 
the universal service support mechanism will support. The Commission 
also revised its rules to allow the Administrator to calculate the 
support based upon all distance-based charges. The Commission modified 
its rules to require health care providers and consortia of health care 
providers to maintain documentation of the amount of support for which 
each member of a consortium is eligible. The Commission modified its 
rules to allow new members to be added to a consortium even after the 
rural health care provider submits its application for support.

    OMB Approval Number: 3060-0233.
    Title: Separations--Part 36.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Extension.
    Respondents: Business or other for profit.
    Number of Respondents: 1500 respondents.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 104.75 hours per response (avg.).
    Frequency of Response: On occasion; quarterly; annually; third 
party disclosures.
    Total Annual Burden: 157,125 hours.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.
    Needs and Uses: 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 U.S.C. 254, Congress instructed the 
Commission to establish specific, predictable, and sufficient 
mechanisms to preserve and advance universal service. 47 CFR 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 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. b. 47 CFR 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 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 36.721(a)(1)-(4). 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. 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. 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 47 CFR 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 47 CFR 36.721 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.

    OMB Control Number: None.
    Title: Amendment of Part 95 of the Commission's Rules to Provide 
Regulatory Flexibility in the 218-219 MHz Service.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: New collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.
    Number of Respondents: 140.
    Estimate Time Per Response: 12.6 hrs. (avg.).
    Frequency of Response: Recordkeeping; On occasion reporting 
requirements.
    Total Annual Burden: 1,766 hours.
    Total Annual Costs: None.
    Needs and Uses: The Report and Order and Memorandum Opinion and 
Order, in WT Docket No. 98-169, adopted September 7, 1999 and released 
September 10, 1999, 64 FR 59656 (November 3, 1999), as codified at 47 
CFR 1.2105(a)(2)(xi) and 95.816(b), offers various financial 
restructuring options to the 218-219 MHz licensees regarding their 
existing installment payment obligations and permits eligible licensees 
to choose (i) reamortization and resumption of installment payments on 
their licenses; (ii) an amnesty option wherein eligible licensees 
surrender any licenses they choose to the Commission for subsequent 
auction and, in return, have all of the outstanding debt on those 
licenses forgiven; or (iii) a prepayment option whereupon licensees may 
retain or return as many licenses as they desire; however, licensees 
electing the prepayment option must prepay the outstanding principal of 
any license they wish to retain. The information requested provides the 
FCC with the data to implement the restructuring option(s) chosen by 
current and former 218-219 MHz licensees. The staff will use this 
information to maintain data on current licensees, new installment 
payment terms, refunds to licensees, and spectrum returned to the FCC 
for auction. The information collection is necessary in order to enable 
the licensees to meet their financial obligations to the Commission 
that will help ensure rapid provision of 218-219 MHz service to the 
public.

Federal Communications Commission.
Magalie Roman Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00-337 Filed 1-6-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-U