[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 157 (Monday, August 17, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41434-41436]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-19672]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


Notice of Public Information Collections Being Submitted for 
Review to the Office of Management and Budget, Comments Requested

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commision.
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, 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: Persons wishing to comments on this information collection 
should submit comments on September 16, 2009. 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 PRA comments to Nicholas A. Fraser, Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB), (202) 395-5887, or via fax at (202) 395-
5167, or via the Internet at [email protected] and to 
Cathy Williams, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Room 1-C823, 
445 12th Street, SW., Washington, D.C. 20554. To submit your comments 
by e-mail send them to: [email protected] and to [email protected]. To 
view a copy of this information collection request (ICR) submitted to 
OMB: (1) Go to web page: http://www.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 FCC list appears, look for 
the title of this ICR (or its OMB Control Number, if there is one) and 
then click on the ICR.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information about the 
information collection(s) send an e-mail to [email protected] or contact 
Cathy Williams on (202) 418-2918.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Control Number: 3060-1115.
    Title: DTV Consumer Education Initiative; Section 73.674; FCC Form 
388.
    Form Number: FCC Form 388.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities; Not-for-profit 
institutions; State, local or tribal governments.
    Number of Respondent and Responses: 200 respondents; 1,800 
responses.
    Estimated time per Response: 0.50 hours - 85 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement; Quarterly 
reporting requirement; Third party disclosure requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain benefits. The statutory 
authority for this collection of information is contained in Sections 
4(i), 303(r), 335, and 336 of the Communications Act of 1934, as 
amended, 47 U.S.C. Sec. Sec.  154(i), 303(r), 335, and 336.
    Total Annual Burden: 10,940 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: None.
    Confidentiality: No need for confidentiality required with this 
collection of information.
    Privacy Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Needs and Uses: After the nationwide DTV transition date of June 
12, 2009, full-power television broadcast stations must transmit only 
digital signals, and may no longer transmit analog signals, except for 
limited analog ``nightlight'' service. The DTV Delay Act directs the 
Commission to take any actions ``necessary or appropriate to implement 
the provisions, and carry out the

[[Page 41435]]

purposes'' of the DTV Delay Act, and to do so within 30 days. Congress 
extended the transition date in order to permit analog service to 
continue until consumers have had additional time to prepare. But 
Congress also directed the Commission to provide flexibility for 
stations wanting to transition prior to the new date. Stations may have 
made extensive preparations for a February 17 digital transition and 
some may have difficulty altering their commitments at this time. The 
Commission's challenge is to provide opportunities for some stations to 
end analog broadcasting early without sacrificing the goal of giving 
consumers additional time to prepare.
    Therefore, Commission is revising this information collection to 
eliminate most of the requirements after June 30, 2009; however, 
broadcasters must continue to comply with the consumer education 
information collection requirements until they have completed, and are 
operating, their final, full-authorized post-transition (DTV) facility.
    The information collection requirements that will remain in the 
collection are as follows:
    Broadcaster Education and Reporting (47 CFR 73.674).
    (a) On-air Education. Broadcasters must provide on-air DTV 
Transition consumer education information (e.g., via Public Service 
Announcements (PSAs), information crawls, snipes or tickers) to their 
viewers. Broadcasters must comply with one of three alternative sets of 
rules as provided in the Report and Order. Stations must also provide 
the following additional information: (1) geographically specific 
information detailing areas that are covered by the Grade B analog 
contour but are not predicted to receive digital service; (2) 
educational information describing areas where analog signal strength 
is generally sufficient for viewers to rely on an indoor antenna but 
where it is likely that they will need an outdoor antenna to receive 
the digital signal; (3) information to consumers about the need to 
periodically ``rescan'' when using over-the-air digital reception 
equipment, particularly through the end of the transition; (4) stations 
that are changing their broadcast frequency from VHF to UHF (or vice 
versa), information to consumers about the need for additional or 
different equipment to avoid loss of service. Stations may include this 
information to satisfy part of their existing PSA requirements. In 
addition, if applicable, stations must provide specific notice to 
analog viewers who are likely to lose over-the-air service from the 
station due to changes in the geographic coverage area or population 
served by the station during or after the transition. Broadcasters must 
continue to provide on air education to their viewers until they 
complete their transition to digital-only operations and are operating 
their final, full-authorized post-transition (DTV) facility. In most 
cases, stations will be operating at full-authorized post-transition 
(DTV) facilities no later than the June 12, 2009 nationwide transition 
deadline, but, in some cases, stations will not have completed 
construction of their final, fully-authorized DTV facility by June 12 
and, therefore, must continue to provide on-air DTV Transition consumer 
education information to their viewers.
    (b) DTV Consumer Education Quarterly Activity Report, FCC Form 388. 
Broadcasters must electronically file a report about its DTV Transition 
consumer education efforts to the Commission on a quarterly basis. 
Broadcasters must begin filing these quarterly reports no later than 
April 10, 2008. In addition, if the broadcaster has a public Web site, 
they must post these reports on that Web site. Broadcasters must 
complete these filings every quarter until they complete their 
transition to digital-only operations and are operating their final, 
full-authorized post-transition (DTV) facility.
    OMB Control Number: 3060-0386.
    Title: Special Temporary Authorization (STA) Requests; 
Notifications; and Informal Filings; Sections 1.5, 73.1615, 73.1635 and 
73.1740; CDBS Informal Forms.
    Form Number: Not applicable.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities; Not-for-profit 
institutions.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 3,070 respondents; 3,070 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.50 hours - 4 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The 
statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 
Sections 1, 4(i) and (j), 7, 301, 302, 303, 307, 308, 309, 312, 316, 
318, 319, 324, 325, 336, and 337 of the Communications Act of 1934, as 
amended.
    Confidentiality: No need for confidentiality required with this 
collection of information.
    Total Annual Burden: 3,105.
    Total Annual Costs: $1,929,410.
    Privacy Impact Assessment(s): No impact(s).
    Needs and Uses: The Commission is revising this information 
collection to eliminate the information collection requirements 
necessitated by the DTV transition. After the June 12, 2009 nationwide 
transition deadline, there will be no further need for these DTV 
transition-related collections. In addition, the Commission is revising 
this collection to update the specific Informal Application filing 
forms that may be filed electronically through the Commission's 
Consolidated Database System (``CDBS'').
    The following information collection requirements are contained in 
this collection:
    Special Temporary Authority (STA) Requests (47 CFR Sec.  73.1635). 
Broadcast stations (AM, FM, TV, Class A TV or LPTV licensees or 
permittes) may file a request for STA approval to permit a station to 
operate a broadcast facility for a limited period at a specified 
variance from the terms of the station's authorization or requirements 
of the FCC rules. Stations may file a request for STA approval for a 
variety of reasons. The request must describe the operating modes and 
facilities to be used. Types of STA requests include Engineering and 
Legal STAs.
    Change in Official Mailing Address for Broadcast Station (47 CFR 
Sec.  1.5). Broadcast stations may file this form to report any changes 
in the station's mailing address, but cannot use this form to correct 
or change the name of the licensee.
    Consummation Notice. Broadcast stations may file this form to 
notify the Commission when an assignment of license or transfer of 
control is consummated. The form also may be used by the station to 
request an extension of time to consummate.
    Silent Notifications (47 CFR Sec.  73.1740). Broadcast stations 
(AM, FM, TV or Class A TV licensees) may file this form to notify the 
Commission of the station's suspension of broadcast operations pursuant 
to 47 C.F.R. Sec.  73.1740. Broadcast stations also may use this form 
to request a silent STA or extension thereof. Types of Silent 
Notifications include Silent STA, Notification of Suspension, 
Resumption of Operations, and Extension of Silent STA Request.
     Section 73.1615 notifications (47 CFR Sec.  73.1615). Broadcast 
stations (AM, FM, TV or Class A TV licensees) must file a notification 
under 47 CFR 73.1615(c) when such a station is in the process of

[[Page 41436]]

modifying existing facilities as authorized by a construction permit 
and determines it is necessary to either discontinue operation or to 
operate with temporary facilities to continue program service for a 
period not more than 30 days. Licensees or permittees of directional or 
nondirectional FM, TV or Class A TV or nondirectional AM must file a 
notification and comply with 47 CFR 73.1615(a). Licensees or permittees 
of a directional AM station whose modification does not involve a 
change in operating frequency must file a notification and comply with 
47 CFR 73.1615(b). Licensees or permittees of a directional AM station 
whose modification does involve a change in frequency and determines it 
is necessary to discontinue operation for a period not more than 30 
days must file a notification and comply with 47 CFR 73.1615(d)(2).
    Section 73.1615 informal letter requests (47 CFR Sec.  73.1615). 
Broadcast stations (AM, FM, TV or Class A TV licensees or permittees) 
must file an informal letter request under 47 CFR 73.1615(c)(1) when 
such a station is in the process of modifying existing facilities 
pursuant to 47 CFR 73.1615(a) or (b) and determines it is necessary to 
either discontinue operation or to operate with temporary facilities to 
continue program service for a period of more than 30 days. Licensees 
or permittees that filed notifications under 47 CFR 73.1615(d)(2) but 
which determine that it is necessary to discontinue operation for a 
period more than 30 days must file an informal letter request and 
comply with 47 CFR 73.1615(d)(1) and (2).

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9-19672 Filed 8-14-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE: 6712-01-S