[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 228 (Monday, November 30, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62570-62571]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-28460]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


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

November 20, 2009.
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 January 29, 2010. 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), via fax at (202) 395-5167, or via the 
Internet at [email protected] and to Judith B. Herman, 
Federal Communications Commission (FCC). To submit your PRA comments by 
e-mail send them to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Judith B. Herman, OMD, 202-418-0214. 
For additional information about the information collection(s) send an 
e-mail to [email protected] or contact Judith B. Herman, 202-418-0214.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Control No: 3060-0816.
    Title: Local Telephone Competition and Broadband Reporting, Report 
and Order, WC Docket No. 07-38, FCC 08-89; Order on Reconsideration, WC 
Docket No. 07-38, FCC 08-148.
    Form No.: FCC Form 477.
    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: 1,790 respondents; 3,580 responses.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 289 hours (average).
    Frequency of Response: Semi-annual reporting requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Mandatory. Statutory authority for this 
information collection is contained in 47 U.S.C. Sections 4(i), 201, 
218-220, 251-252, 271, 303(r), 332 and 403 of the Communications Act of 
1934, as amended; 47 U.S.C. Section 1302; as well as 47 U.S.C. section 
706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
    Total Annual Burden: 1,034,620 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: N/A.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: N/A.
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: The Commission will continue 
to allow respondents to certify, on the first page of each submission, 
that some data contained in that submission are privileged or 
confidential, commercial or financial information and that disclosure 
of such information would likely cause substantial harm to the 
competitive position of the entity making the submission. If the 
Commission receives a request for, or proposes to disclose the 
information, the respondent would be required to make a full showing 
pursuant to the Commission's rules for withholding from public 
inspection information submitted to the Commission. The Commission will 
retain its current policies and procedures regarding the confidential 
treatment of submitted FCC Form 477 data, including the use of 
aggregated, non-company specific data in its published reports.
    Need and Uses: This information collection is being submitted to 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) after this 60 day comment 
period in order to obtain the full three year clearance. The Commission 
is reporting a decrease of 50,520 hours to the total annual burden. 
This adjustment decrease is due to respondents' increased familiarity 
with the new, on-line filing procedures and with the changes to their 
own systems that were necessary to comply with this information 
collection. During the first two filing windows during OMB's one year 
conditional approval of the data collection on a pilot basis, the 
Commission has been flexible with and assisted respondents who had 
difficulty in submitting information in the new format.
    This collection improves the Commission's understanding of the 
extent of broadband deployment, facilitating the development of 
appropriate broadband policies and the Commission's ability to carry 
out its obligation under section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 
1996 to ``determine whether advanced telecommunications capability is 
being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion.'' 
In addition, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 directs the Commission 
to take actions to open all participants, including new entrants. A 
central task in creating this framework is the opening of previously 
monopolized local telecommunications markets. By collecting timely and 
reliable information about the pace and extent of competition for local 
telephony service in different geographic areas, including

[[Page 62571]]

rural areas, the Commission significantly improves the ability to 
evaluate the effectiveness of actions the Commission and the states are 
taking to facilitate economic competition in those areas.
    The information is used by Commission staff to prepare reports that 
help inform consumers and policy makers at the federal and state level 
of the development of competition in the local telephone service market 
and the deployment of broadband services. The Commission will continue 
to use the information to better inform its understanding of broadband 
deployment in conjunction with its congressionally mandated section 706 
reports. The Commission also uses the data to support its analyses in a 
variety of rulemaking proceedings under the Communications Act of 1934, 
as amended. Absent this information collection, the Commission would 
lack essential data for assisting it in determining the effectiveness 
of its policies and fulfilling its statutory responsibilities in 
accordance with the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.

Federal Communications Commission.
William F. Caton,
Deputy Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Office of Managing Director.
[FR Doc. E9-28460 Filed 11-27-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE: 6712-01-S