[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 99 (Wednesday, May 23, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28973-28974]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-9918]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Being Submitted for 
Review to the Office of Management and Budget

May 14, 2007.
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, 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 Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) comments should be 
submitted on or before July 23, 2007. If you anticipate that you will 
be submitting PRA comments, but find it difficult to do so within the 
period of time allowed by this notice, you should advise the FCC 
contact listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Direct all PRA comments to Jasmeet K. Seehra, Office of 
Management and Budget, Room 10236 NEOB, Washington, DC 20503, (202) 
395-3123, or via fax at 202-395-5167 or via internet at [email protected] and to [email protected], Federal 
Communications Commission, Room 1-B441, 445 12th Street, SW, DC 20554 
or an e-mail to [email protected]. If you would like to obtain or view a copy 
of this information collection after the 60 day comment period, you may 
do so by visiting the FCC PRA Web page at: http://www.fcc.gov/omd/pra.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or copies 
of the information collection(s), contact Judith B. Herman at 202-418-
0214 or via the Internet at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Control Number: 3060-0950.
    Title: Bidding Credits for Tribal Lands.
    Form No.: N/A.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit, not-for-profit 
institutions, and state, local or tribal government.
    Number of Respondents: 3 respondents; 3 responses.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 10-180 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting and recordkeeping 
requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
    Total Annual Burden: 600 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: $114,600.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: N/A.
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: No need for confidentiality.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission will submit this collection as an 
extension (no change in reporting or recordkeeping requirements) to the 
OMB after this 60 day comment period to obtain the full three-year 
clearance from them.
    The Commission adopted bidding credits for use by winning bidders 
who pledge facilities and provide service to federally-recognized 
tribal areas that have a telephone service penetration rate at or below 
70 percent. In setting out the bidding credit, the Commission noted 
that communities on tribal lands have had less access to 
telecommunications services than any other segment of the U.S. 
population. For information collection purposes, a winning bidder 
credit to serve a qualifying tribal and within a particular market must 
indicate on the long-form application (FCC Form 601) that it intends to 
serve a qualifying tribal land within that market; within 180 days 
after the filing deadline for the long-form application, amend its 
long-form application to identify the tribal lands it intends to serve 
and attach a certification from the tribal government stating that: (1) 
The tribal government authorizes the winning bidder to site facilities 
and provide service on its tribal land; (2) the tribal area to be 
served by the winning bidder constitutes qualifying tribal land; (3) 
the tribal government has not and will not enter into an exclusive 
contract with the applicant precluding entry by other carriers, and 
will not unreasonably discriminate among wireless carriers seeking to 
provide on the qualifying tribal land; and (4) provide certification of 
the telephone penetration rates demonstrating that the tribal land has 
a penetration level at or below 70 percent.
    Also, each winning bidder must within 180 after the filing deadline 
for the FCC Form 601, certify by endorsing the Schedule B of the FCC 
Form 601, that it will comply with the build-out requirements and 
consult with the tribal government regarding the location of the 
facilities and deployment of service on the tribal land; within 15 days 
of the third anniversary of the initial grant of its license, file a 
notification (Schedule K of the FCC Form 601) that it has constructed 
and is operating a system capable of serving 75 percent of the 
population of the qualifying tribal land for which the credit was 
awarded; and repay within 30 days of the third anniversary of the 
initial grant of its license, the bidding credit amount in its 
entirety, plus interest, if it fails to provide the post-construction 
notification (Schedule K of the FCC Form 601) required by 47 CFR 
1.2110(f)(3)(vi).
    In addition, a winning bidder seeking a credit in excess of the 
amount calculated under the Commission's bidding credit formula must: 
(1) Submit a waiver request demonstrating that the infrastructure costs 
exceed the amount of the standard bidding credit; and (2) include a 
certification by an independent auditor that the estimated costs are 
reasonable. A winning bidder receiving a higher credit must within 15 
days of the third anniversary of the initial license grant, file a 
certification that the credit amount was spent on infrastructure to 
provide wireless coverage to qualifying tribal lands, which also 
includes a final report prepared by an independent auditor verifying 
that the infrastructure costs are

[[Page 28974]]

reasonable to comply with the Commission's build-out requirements.
    The Commission believes that the lack of telecommunications 
services puts affected tribal communities at a social and economic 
disadvantage. This information will be used to ensure that tribal 
communities within federally-recognized tribal areas have access to 
wireless telecommunications services equivalent to that of the nation.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7-9918 Filed 5-22-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P