[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 221 (Wednesday, November 17, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67356-67357]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-25519]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


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

November 9, 2004.
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 (PRA) of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13. An agency may not conduct 
or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently 
valid control

[[Page 67357]]

number. No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply 
with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act 
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 Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) comments should be 
submitted on or before January 18, 2005. 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 Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) comments to Cathy 
Williams, Federal Communications Commission, Room 1-C823, 445 12th 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554 or via the Internet to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or copies 
of the information collection(s), contact Cathy Williams at (202) 418-
2918 or via the Internet at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Control Number: 3060-0652.
    Title: Section 76.309, Customer Service Obligations; Section 
76.1602, Customer Service--General Information; Section 76.1603, 
Customer Service--Rate and Service Changes--General Information, and 
Section, 76, 1619, Information on Subscriber Bills.
    Form Number: Not applicable.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities; State, Local or 
Tribal Government.
    Number of Respondents: 10,410.
    Estimated Time per Response: 10 minutes to 1.0 hour.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement; Third 
party disclosure requirement.
    Total Annual Burden: 32,527 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: None.
    Privacy Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Needs and Uses: 47 CFR Section 76.1602 states that franchise 
authorities must provide affected operators 90 days written notice of 
its intent to enforce customer service standards. 47 CFR Sections 
76.1603 and 76.309 set forth various customer service obligations and 
notification requirements for changes in rates, programming services 
and channel positions. In addition, Sections 76.1603 states that cable 
operators shall provide written information on each of the following 
areas at the time of installation of service, at least annually to all 
subscribers, and at any time upon request: (1) Products and services 
offered; (2) Prices and options for programming services and conditions 
of subscription to programming and other services; (3) Installation and 
service maintenance policies; (4) Instructions on how to use the cable 
service; (5) Channel positions programming carried on the system; and 
(6) Billing complaint procedures, including the address and telephone 
number of the local franchise authority's cable office. Section 76.1603 
states that customers will be notified of any changes in rates, 
programming services or channel positions as soon as possible in 
writing. Notice must be given to subscribers a minimum of thirty (30) 
days in advance of such changes if the change is within the control of 
the cable operator. In addition, the cable operator shall notify 
subscribers 30 days in advance of any significant changes in the other 
information required by section 76.1603. Section 76.1603 states that in 
addition to the requirements regarding advanced notification to 
customers of any changes in rates, programming services or channel 
positions, cable systems shall give 30 days written notice to both 
subscribers and local franchising authorities before implementing any 
rate or service change. Such notice shall state the precise amount of 
any rate change and briefly explain in readily understandable fashion 
the cause of the rate change (e.g. inflation, changes in external costs 
or the addition/deletion of channels). When the change involves the 
addition or deletion of channels, each channel added or deleted must be 
separately identified. Notices to subscribers shall inform them of 
their right to file complaints about changes in cable programming 
service tier rates and services, shall state that the subscriber may 
file the complaint within 90 days of the effective date of the rate 
change, and shall provide the address and phone number of the local 
franchising authority. 47 CFR 76.1619 states that in case of a billing 
dispute, the cable operator must respond to a written complaint from a 
subscriber within 30 days. The Commission requires the various 
disclosure and notifications contained in this collection as a means of 
consumer protection to ensure that subscribers and franchising 
authorities are knowledgeable of cable operators' business practices, 
current rates, rate changes for programming service and equipment, and 
channel line-up changes.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 04-25519 Filed 11-16-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-10-P