[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 12 (Thursday, January 17, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3251-3252]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-744]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


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

January 10, 2008.
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 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520. An agency 
may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it 
displays a current valid control number. No person shall be subject to 
any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information 
subject to the

[[Page 3252]]

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 PRA comments should be submitted on or before March 17, 
2008. 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: You may submit all PRA comments by e-mail or U.S. mail. To 
submit your comments by e-mail, send them to [email protected]. To submit 
your comments by U.S. mail, send them to Leslie F. Smith, Federal 
Communications Commission, Room 1-C216, 445 12th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20554.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information about the 
information collection(s), contact Leslie F. Smith via the Internet at 
[email protected] or call (202) 418-0217.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Control Number: 3060-0819.
    Title: Lifeline Assistance (Lifeline) Connection Assistance (Link-
Up) Reporting Worksheet and Instructions (47 CFR 54.400-54.417).
    Form Number: FCC Form 497.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Individuals or households; and business or other for-
profit.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 181,855 respondents; 181,855 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.08-18 hours.
    Obligation To Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion, monthly, annually, and one-time 
reporting requirements; recordkeeping requirement; and third party 
disclosure requirement.
    Total Annual Burden: 48,619 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: $0.00.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impacts.
    Nature of Extent of Confidentiality: The respondents may request 
confidentiality protection for the special access performance 
information. The respondents are not required to file their customers' 
monthly usage information with the Federal Communications Commission 
(FCC).
    Needs and Uses: In the Lifeline Order, WC Docket No. 03-109, FCC 
04-87, adopted and released in April 2004, the Commission adopted the 
Joint Board's recommendation to require all states, including federal 
default states, to adopt certification procedures to document income-
based eligibility for Lifeline/Link-Up enrollment. Because self-
certification of income is more difficult to confirm than is a self-
certification of program participation, the Commission agreed with the 
Joint Board that requiring presentation of documentation supporting 
income eligibility would protect against fraud and abuse. The 
Commission held similar concerns for continued enrollment in the 
Lifeline/Link-Up program and required documentation of eligibility for 
continued enrollment in the program. In conjunction with presentation 
of income eligibility documentation, all eligible telecommunications 
carriers (ETC) are required to certify that the ETC has procedures in 
place to review presented documentation or to certify that it is in 
compliance with the state requirements established to review income 
eligibility documentation. ETCs must retain records of their 
certifications. In addition, the applicant is required to certify the 
accuracy of the state household income and the number of persons in the 
household. ETCs are required to collect and retain these 
certifications. The FCC Form 497 was revised to clarify instructions, 
add new data elements to the form to clarify specific requirements and 
reformatted for ease of completing. In addition to the certification 
and verification requirements noted above, the Commission directed USAC 
to issue a voluntary survey to gather data and information about state 
Lifeline/Link-Up programs. This will enable the Commission to make more 
informed decisions in any future Commission orders.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-744 Filed 1-16-08; 8:45 am]
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