[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 69 (Thursday, April 10, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19908-19909]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-08047]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


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

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice; 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 (FCC) invites the 
general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to 
comment on the following information collection(s). Comments are 
requested concerning: 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; the accuracy of the Commission's burden estimate; ways to 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; 
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 further ways to 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 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 Control Number.

DATES: Written Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) comments should be 
submitted on or before June 9, 2014. 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

[[Page 19909]]

advise the FCC contact listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Submit your PRA comments to Leslie F. Smith, Office of 
Managing Director (OMD), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), via 
the Internet at [email protected]. To submit your PRA comments by 
email, send them to [email protected].

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Control Number: 3060-1046.
    Title: Implementation of the Pay Telephone Reclassification and 
Compensation Provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, CC 
Docket No. 96-128, Order on Reconsideration, FCC 04-251.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 469 respondents; 3,801 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.50 hours-200 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion, annual and quarterly reporting 
requirements, third party disclosure requirements, and recordkeeping 
requirement.
    Obligation To Respond: Mandatory. Statutory authority for this 
information collection is contained in 47 U.S.C. 151, 154 and 276.
    Total Annual Burden: 73,494 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No cost.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: The Commission is not 
requesting respondents to submit confidential information. Respondents 
may request confidential treatment of their information that they 
believe to be confidential pursuant to 47 CFR 0.459 of the Commission's 
rules.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission will submit this expiring 
information collection (IC) to the OMB during this comment period. The 
Commission is seeking OMB approval for an extension of this information 
collection. There is no change in the reporting, recordkeeping and/or 
third party disclosure requirements. The Commission is reducing its 
previous burden estimates by 86,690 hours. In the Order on 
Reconsideration (FCC 04-251), the Commission considered four petitions 
for reconsideration of our Report and Order. The Report and Order (FCC 
03-235) established detailed rules (Payphone Compensation Rules) 
ensuring that payphone service providers or PSPs are ``fairly 
compensated'' for each and every completed payphone-originated call 
pursuant to section 276 of the Communications Act, as amended (the 
Act). The Payphone Compensation Rules satisfy section 276 by 
identifying the party liable for compensation and establishing a 
mechanism for PSPs to be paid. The Payphone Compensation Rules: (1) 
Place liability to compensate PSPs for payphone-originated calls on the 
facilities-based long distance carriers or switch-based resellers 
(SBRs) from whose switches such calls are completed; (2) define these 
responsible carriers as ``Completing Carriers'' and require them to 
develop their own system of tracking calls to completion, the accuracy 
of which must be confirmed and attested to by a third-party auditor; 
(3) require Completing Carriers to file with PSPs a quarterly report 
and also submit an attestation by the chief financial officer (CFO) 
that the payment amount for that quarter is accurate and is based on 
100% of all completed calls; (4) require quarterly reporting 
obligations for other facilities-based long distance carriers in the 
call path, if any, and define these carriers as ``Intermediate 
Carriers;'' (5) give parties flexibility to agree to alternative 
compensation arrangements (ACA) so that small Completing Carriers may 
avoid the expense of instituting a tracking system and undergoing an 
audit. The Order on Reconsideration did not change this compensation 
framework, but rather refined and built upon its approach. While the 
Commission increased the time carriers must retain certain data and 
added burden in that regard, the Commission also removed potentially 
burdensome paperwork requirements by encouraging carriers to comply 
with the reporting requirements through electronic means. We believe 
that the clarifications adopted in the Order on Reconsideration 
significantly decrease the paperwork burden on carriers. Specifically, 
the Commission did the following: (1) Clarified alternative 
arrangements for small businesses requiring a Completing Carrier to 
give the PSP adequate notice of an ACA prior to its effective date with 
sufficient time for the PSP to object to an ACA, and also prior to the 
termination of an ACA; (2) clarified any paperwork burdens imposed on 
carriers allowing Completing Carriers the ability to give PSPs adequate 
notice of payphone compensation requirements by placing notice on a 
clearinghouse Web site or through electronic methods; (3) required 
Completing Carriers and Intermediate Carriers to report only completed 
calls in their quarterly reports; and (4) extended the time period from 
18 to 27 months for Completing Carriers and Intermediate Carriers to 
retain certain payphone records.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Office of Managing Director.
[FR Doc. 2014-08047 Filed 4-9-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P