[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 5 (Monday, January 9, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1069-1071]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-74]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal 
Communications Commission

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burden 
and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3501-3520), the Federal Communications Commission invites the general 
public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment 
on the following information collection(s). 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; (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; and (e) 
ways to further reduce the information burden for small business 
concerns with fewer than 25 employees.
    The FCC may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information 
unless it

[[Page 1070]]

displays a currently valid OMB 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 OMB control number.

DATES: Written Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) comments should be 
submitted on or before March 9, 2012. 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: Submit your PRA comments to Nicholas A. Fraser, Office of 
Management and Budget, via fax at (202) 395-5167 or via Internet at 
[email protected] and to Judith B. Herman, Federal 
Communications Commission, via the Internet at [email protected]. 
To submit your PRA comments by email send them to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Judith B. Herman, Office of Managing 
Director, (202) 418-0214.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    OMB Control Number: 3060-0400.
    Title: Part 61, Tariff Review Plan (TRP).
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.
    Number of Respondents: 2,840 respondents; 8,554 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: .5 hours to 53 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion, annual biennial, and one time 
reporting requirements.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 47 
U.S.C. 201, 202, 203, and 251(b)(5) of the Communications Act of 1934, 
as amended.
    Total Annual Burden: 121,656 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: N/A.
    Privacy Impact Assessment: N/A.
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Respondents are not being 
asked to submit confidential information to the Commission. If the 
Commission requests respondents to submit information which respondents 
believe are confidential, respondents may request confidential 
treatment of such information under 47 CFR 0.459 of the Commission's 
rules.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission will submit this revised information 
collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) after this 60 
day comment period to obtain the full three year approval from them. 
The hourly burden has increased by 117,056 hours which is due to an 
Order that was adopted and released requiring or permitting incumbent 
and competitive local exchange carriers, as part of transitioning 
regulation of interstate and intrastate switched access rates and 
reciprocal compensation rates to bill-and-keep under section 251(b)(5), 
to file tariffs with state commissions and the FCC. This transition 
affects different switched access rates at specified timeframes and 
establishes an Access Recovery Charge by which carriers will be able to 
assess end users a monthly charge to recover some or all of the 
revenues they are permitted to recover resulting from reductions in 
intercarrier compensation rates. Price cap LECs must remove the rate 
elements in the traffic-sensitive and trunking baskets from price cap 
regulation on July 1, 2012. There interstate tariff filings will 
require cost support that generally is encompassed in the existing 
support burdens and, in many cases, may be satisfied through the data 
collection encompassed by a new information collection entitled 
``Intercarrier Compensation and Universal Service Compliance and 
Monitoring'' which will also be submitted to the OMB for approval and 
assigned an OMB control number (see description of new information 
collection below). The intrastate tariff filings may, depending on 
state requirements, require supporting materials to be filed that may 
also largely be satisfied by submitting the new information collection 
referenced above.
    As of November 2010, there are 92 total incumbent LECs that file 
interstate tariffs. Of them, there are 39 ILECs that file pursuant to 
price cap regulation under Sections 61.41-61.49 of the Commission's 
rules. Outside of the National Exchange Carrier Association (NECA), 
there are 12 ILECs filing their own tariffs pursuant to rate-of-return 
regulation under Section 61.38 of the Commission's rules. The remaining 
40 ILECs file their own tariffs pursuant to section 61.39 of the 
Commission's rules. NECA files one Tariff Review Plan for approximately 
1,000 Sections 61.38 and 61.39 ILECs. Therefore, we estimate 51 + 40 + 
1 (NECA) = 92 filing entities.
    We also estimate that 330 competitive and incumbent LECs will have 
to make a one-time interstate tariff filing to permit them to assess 
access charges on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls. We 
estimate that 2,840 competitive and incumbent LECs will have to file 
intrastate tariffs annually which may require supporting materials to 
be filed. We also estimate that 2,840 competitive and incumbent LECs 
will have to make a one-time intrastate tariff filing to establish VoIP 
rates at interstate rate levels that may require supporting materials 
to be filed. Finally, we estimate that 1,340 incumbent LECs annually 
will certify, as part of their tariff filings to the Commission and to 
the relevant state commission, that they are not seeking duplicative 
recovery in the state jurisdiction for an Eligible Recovery subject to 
the recovery mechanism.
    For those services still requiring cost support, TRPs assist the 
Commission in determining whether ILEC access charges are just and 
reasonable as required under the Communications Act of 1934, as 
amended.
    OMB Control Number: 3060-XXXX.
    Title: Intercarrier Compensation and Universal Service Compliance 
and Monitoring.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: New collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.
    Number of Respondents: 1,340 respondents; 5,360 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 1 hour to 15 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Annual reporting requirements and third 
party disclosure requirements.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 47 
U.S.C. 201 through 205 and 251 through 254 of the Communications Act of 
1934, as amended.
    Total Annual Burden: 61,640 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: N/A.
    Privacy Impact Assessment: N/A.
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Respondents are not being 
asked to submit confidential information to the Commission. If the 
Commission requests respondents to submit information which respondents 
believe are confidential, respondents may request confidential 
treatment of such information under 47 CFR 0.459 of the Commission's 
rules.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission will submit this new information 
collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval 
and assignment of an OMB control number after this comment period to 
obtain the full three year approval. The Commission estimates a program 
change increase of 61,640 total annual burden hours for this new 
information collection.
    The USF/ICC Transformation Order, FCC 11-161, requires or permits 
incumbent and competitive local

[[Page 1071]]

exchange carriers (LECs) as part of transitioning regulation of 
interstate and intrastate switched access and reciprocal compensation 
rate regulation to bill-and-keep under section 251(b)(5) to file 
tariffs with state commissions and the FCC. This transition affects 
different interstate and intrastate switched access rates at specified 
timeframes and establishes an Access Recovery Charge by which incumbent 
LECs will be able to assess end users a monthly charge to recover some 
or all of the revenues they are permitted to recover from reductions in 
intercarrier compensation rates. To permit the Commission and state 
commissions to monitor compliance with the revised intercarrier 
compensation rules and for incumbent LECs to receive CAF ICC support 
must also certify with its 2012 annual access tariff filing and on 
April 1st of each subsequent year that it has complied with the 
procedures for calculating its eligible recovery, the calculation of 
the appropriate access recovery charge, and that it is eligible to 
receive the CAF ICC support requested.
    The Commission estimates that 1,340 incumbent LECs annually will 
have to file the required data with the FCC, the relevant station 
commissions, and USAC. We also estimate that those incumbent LECs will 
have to make the above new certification annually.
    The information collected through these data collections will be 
used by the Commission and state commissions to determine whether the 
revised intercarrier compensation rules are being complied with and the 
services offered are just and reasonable as the Act requires. The data 
will also provide the Commission with the information to develop 
procedures to transition remaining intercarrier switched access rates 
to bill-and-keep. USAC will use the data to ensure that the CAF ICC 
payments it makes are appropriate under the revised rules. The 
certification is a further step in the compliance and monitoring 
process.

    Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Office of Managing Director.
[FR Doc. 2012-74 Filed 1-6-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P