[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 205 (Wednesday, October 22, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62993-62994]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-25191]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


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

October 17, 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 (PRA) of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520. 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 November 21, 2008. 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 Nicholas A. Fraser, Office of 
Management and Budget, (202) 395-5887, or via fax at 202-395-5167 or 
via internet at [email protected] and to Judith-B. 
[email protected], Federal Communications Commission, or an e-mail to 
[email protected]. To view a copy of this information collection request 
(ICR) submitted to OMB: (1) Go to the Web page http://reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain, (2) look for the section of the Web page called 
``Currently Under Review'', (3) click on the downward-pointing arrow in 
the ``Select Agency'' box below the ``Currently Under Review'' heading, 
(4) select ``Federal Communications Commission'' from the list of 
agencies presented in the ``Select Agency'' box, (5) click the 
``Submit'' button to the right of the ``Select Agency'' box, and (6) 
when the list of FCC ICRs currently under review appears, look for the 
title of this ICR (or its OMB Control Number, if there is one) and then 
click on the ICR Reference Number to view detailed information about 
this ICR.

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 Judith-B.[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Control Number: 3060-0511.
    Title: ARMIS Access Report.
    Report No.: FCC Report 43-04.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 76 respondents; 76 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 153 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Annual reporting requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Mandatory. Statutory authority for this 
information collection is contained in 47 U.S.C. 161, 219(b) and 220 of 
the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
    Total Annual Burden: 11,628 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: N/A.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: N/A.
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Ordinarily, questions of a 
sensitive nature are not involved in the ARMIS 43-04 Access Report. The 
Commission contends that areas in which detailed information is 
required are fully subject to regulation and the issue of data being 
regarded as sensitive will arise on special circumstances only. In such 
circumstances, the Commission instructs the respondent on the 
appropriate procedures to follow to safeguard sensitive data. 
Respondents may request confidential treatment of their documents under 
47 CFR 0.459 of the Commission's rules.
    Needs and Uses: The Federal Communications Commission is submitting 
this information collection (IC) to the OMB as an extension during this 
comment period to obtain the full three-year clearance from them. The 
Commission is reporting a -918 burden hour reduction (adjustment). This 
adjustment is due to fewer respondents (from 82 to 76 from the last 
time this information collection was submitted to the OMB). Therefore, 
the total annual burden hours are now estimated at 11,628 hours.
    The Automated Reporting Management Information System (ARMIS), 
Report 43-04, Access Report provides jurisdictional separations and 
access charge data by Part 36 category of the Commission's rules and 
regulations. The ARMIS Report 43-04 monitors revenue requirements, 
joint cost allocations, jurisdictional separations and access charges.

    Note: The Commission in its Memorandum Opinion and Order, WC 
Docket Nos. 07-21 and 05-342, 23 FCC Rcd 7302, released April 24, 
2008, granted AT&T's petition for forbearance, finding conditionally 
that AT&T, as a price cap carrier generally not subject to rate-of-
return regulation, has demonstrated that forbearance from enforcing 
the Cost Assignment Rules satisfies the

[[Page 62994]]

standard for forbearance under section 10 of the Act. Specially, the 
Commission concluded that there is no current need to apply the Cost 
Assignment Rules to AT&T. In addition, the Commission stated that 
LECs similarly situated to AT&T are free to seek comparable 
forbearance relief. Among other things, AT&T asked for forbearance 
from four of the Commission's reporting requirements, including the 
Access Report (ARMIS 43-04.) As a condition of this forbearance, the 
Commission required AT&T to file a compliance plan, which must 
include, among other things, a description of its imputation 
methodology. AT&T must demonstrate that its access charge imputation 
methodologies remain consistent with section 272(e)(3) of the 
Communications rules and the Section 272 Sunset Order. In 
particular, AT&T's compliance plan must describe how it will account 
for imputed tariff rates given the grant of the requested 
forbearance from section 32.5280(b) and (c) of the Commission's 
rules. The Commission required that AT&T describe in detail how it 
will continue to fulfill its statutory and regulatory obligations, 
including section 254(k), and the conditions of this Order. The 
relief granted in this Order will not become effective unless and 
until AT&T's plan is approved. The compliance plan must also include 
AT&T's first annual certification that it will comply with its 
obligations under section 254(k) in the absence of the Cost 
Assignment Rules and will provide any requested cost accounting 
information necessary to prove such compliance. Also, the Commission 
required AT&T to include a proposal for how it will maintain its 
accounting procedures and data in a manner that will allow it to 
provide useable information on a timely basis if requested by the 
Commission to comply with any of the conditions of this relief and 
its commitment to the Commission. Finally, the plan must include an 
explanation of the transition process that AT&T will undertake, 
including an expected schedule, to discontinue compliance with Cost 
Assignment Rules and replace them with the procedures outlined in 
its compliance plan upon approval of the plan. The Commission 
delegated to the Chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) 
to prescribe the administrative requirements of the filing and to 
approve the plan when the Bureau is satisfied that AT&T will 
implement a method of preserving the integrity of its accounting 
system in the absence of the Cost Assignment Rules. Upon approval, 
the Bureau will release a public notice notifying the public of 
approval of the plan.

    In the Commission's Memorandum Opinion and Order and Notice of 
Proposed Rulemaking WC Docket No. 08-190, et al., FCC 08-203, released 
September 6, 2008, it noted that in this proceeding parties have raised 
the issue of the overlap between the ARMIS requirements at issue in 
this proceeding and certain cost assignment relief previously granted 
to AT&T. Because the Commission found that the reasoning of the AT&T 
Cost Assignment Forbearance Order applies to Verizon and Qwest, it took 
the opportunity, on its own motion, to extend to them the conditional 
forbearance granted in the AT&T Cost Assignment Forbearance Order, 
subject to approval of their compliance plan.
    The Commission uses an indexed revenue threshold to determine which 
carriers are required to file the ARMIS reports. The current revenue 
threshold between Class A carriers and Class B carriers is $138 million 
and the revenue threshold between larger Class A carriers and mid-sized 
carriers is $8.181 billion.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E8-25191 Filed 10-21-08; 8:45 am]
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