[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 90 (Friday, May 9, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26756-26757]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-10674]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


Information Collection Being Submitted for Review and Approval to 
the Office of Management and Budget

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

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. 
3502-3520), the FCC invites the general public and other Federal 
agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following 
information collection. 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 estimates; 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 ways to further reduce the information collection 
burden on 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 PRA that does not display a valid OMB 
Control Number.

DATES: Written PRA comments should be submitted on or before June 9, 
2014. 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 (OMB), via fax at 202-395-5167, or via the 
Internet at [email protected] and 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, please send them to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Leslie F. Smith, Office of Managing 
Director (OMD), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), at 202-418-
0217, or via the Internet at: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Control Number: 3060-0972.
    Title: Multi-Association Group (MAG) Plan Order, Parts 54 and 69 
Filing Requirements for Regulation of Interstate Services of Non-Price 
Cap Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers and Interexchange Carriers.
    Form Number(s): N/A.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 202 respondents; 69 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 20 to 90 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion and three year reporting 
requirements.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits.

[[Page 26757]]

    Total Annual Burden: 1,512 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: $50,700.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: The Commission is not 
requesting that the respondents submit confidential information to the 
FCC. Respondents may, however, request confidential treatment for 
information they believe to be confidential under 47 CFR 0.459 of the 
Commission's rules.
    Needs and Uses: Following the passage of the Telecommunications Act 
of 1996 (``1996 Act''), the Commission adopted interstate access charge 
and universal service support reforms. These reforms were designed to 
establish a ``pro-competitive, deregulatory national policy framework'' 
for the United States telecommunications industry. Specifically, the 
Commission aligned the interstate access rate structure more closely 
with the manner in which costs are incurred, and created a universal 
service support mechanism for rate-of-return carriers (Interstate 
Common Line Support (ICLS)) to replace implicit support in interstate 
access charges with explicit support that is portable to all eligible 
telecommunications carriers. To administer the ICLS mechanism, the 
Universal Service Administrative Company required, among other things, 
that rate-of-return carriers collect projected cost and revenue data. 
In addition, carriers were required to submit tariff data, including 
certain cost studies, to ensure that their rates are just and 
reasonable.
    Pursuant to the November 18, 2011 USF/ICC Transformation Order (FCC 
11-161), the Commission no longer requires rate-of-return carriers to 
conduct line port cost studies or cost studies to establish rates for 
certain optional switched access rate elements. Only two information 
collection requirements were retained:
    GSF Allocation: Rate-of-return carriers that use general purpose 
computers to provide non-regulated billing and collection services are 
required to allocate a portion of their general purpose computer costs 
to the billing and collection category, which will require them to 
determine general purpose computer investment. Carriers may use the 
general purpose computer investment amount they develop for a period of 
three years. The USF/ICC Transformation Order does not affect the 
requirement that carriers allocate these costs as part of the rate 
development process for common line and special access services.
    Transport and Special Access Deaveraging: Rate-of-return carriers 
may modify their access tariffs to offer transport and special access 
services at deaveraged rates. The carriers must have a tariffed cross-
connect element and define their applicable zones. Rate-of-return 
carriers do not have to file for approval of their zone plans before 
making a tariff filing. The USF/ICC Transformation Order capped rate-
of-return carriers' switched access rates. Thus, rate-of-return 
carriers should no longer incur the costs of studies otherwise needed 
to establish deaveraged switched access transport rates. These 
carriers, however, still are able to deaverage special access rates 
because the USF/ICC Transformation Order does not affect these rates.

Federal Communications Commission.
Gloria J. Miles,
Federal Register Liaison, Office of the Secretary, Office of Managing 
Director.
[FR Doc. 2014-10674 Filed 5-8-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P