[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 187 (Friday, September 26, 2014)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 57810-57811]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-22864]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 69

[WC Docket No. 05-25; RM-10593; FCC 12-153]


Special Access Proceeding; Effective Date for Data Collection

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule; announcement of effective date.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Communications Commission (Commission) has 
received approval for the information collection requirement contained 
in the Special Access Proceeding from the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 
U.S.C. 3501-3520).

DATES: On December 11, 2012, the Commission adopted a Report and Order 
and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Report and Order) regarding 
the special access data collection and stated that the information 
collection would not go into effect until OMB approved the collection 
and the Commission published a notice in the Federal Register 
announcing the effective date of the collection. FCC 12-153, 78 FR 2572 
(Jan. 11, 2013). On August 15, 2014, OMB approved the data collection 
requirement and assigned this new information collection OMB Control 
Number 3060-1197, as required by PRA. Accordingly, the information 
collection requirement contained in the Report and Order is effective 
September 26, 2014. The Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau 
(Bureau) will

[[Page 57811]]

separately announce a deadline for responding to the collection.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher Koves, Wireline 
Competition Bureau, Pricing Policy Division (202) 418-8209 or at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the Report and Order, the Commission 
required providers and purchasers of special access and certain 
entities providing ``best efforts'' service to submit data and 
information for a comprehensive evaluation of the special access 
market. The Commission delegated authority to the Bureau to implement 
the data collection. On September 18, 2013, the Bureau released an 
order implementing the data collection, including clarifying the scope 
of the collection, providing instructions on how to respond to the data 
collection questions, and providing a list of all modifications and 
amendments to the data collection questions and definitions. DA-13-
1909, 78 FR 67053 (Nov. 8, 2013). The Commission subsequently submitted 
the new information collection to OMB for review as required by PRA. 78 
FR 73861 (Dec. 9, 2013). OMB approved the collection on August 15, 2014 
subject to changes. The Bureau released an Order on Reconsideration on 
September 15, 2014, amending the collection to reflect the approval 
received from OMB. DA 14-1327 (Sept. 15, 2014).
    Pursuant to the PRA, an agency may not conduct or sponsor a 
collection of information unless it displays a currently valid control 
number. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, no person shall be 
subject to any penalty for failing to comply with the collection of 
information subject to the PRA that does not display a valid control 
number. Questions concerning this information collection, 3060-1197, 
should be directed to Leslie F. Smith, Federal Communications 
Commission at (202) 418-2991 or at [email protected].
    The total annual reporting burdens and costs for the respondents 
are as follows:
    OMB Control Number: 3060-1197.
    OMB Approval Date: August 15, 2014.
    OMB Expiration Date: August 31, 2017.
    Title: Comprehensive Market Data Collection for Interstate Special 
Access Services, FCC 12-153.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: New collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities; not-for-profit 
institutions; and state, local or tribal governments.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 4,000 respondents; 4,000 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 134 hours.
    Frequency of Response: One-time reporting requirement; 
recordkeeping.
    Obligation to Respond: Mandatory. Statutory authority for this 
information collection is contained in 47 U.S.C. 151, 154(i), 154(j), 
155, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 211, 215, 218, 219, 303(r), 332, 403, 
503, and section 706 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
    Total Annual Burden: 536,000 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: $10,000,000.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: This collection calls for the 
submission of data and information that is commercially and 
competitively sensitive. The Commission plans to issue a Protective 
Order specifically for this data collection outlining the procedures 
for handling and treating the information. The Protective Order will 
provide limited access to the competitively sensitive information for 
certain representatives of persons participating in the proceeding, 
while protecting that competitively sensitive information from improper 
disclosure, and thereby will serve the public interest.
    Needs and Uses: In the Report and Order, the Commission initiated a 
comprehensive special access data collection and specified the nature 
of the data to be collected and the scope of respondents. In 
conjunction with the market analysis proposed by the Commission in the 
accompanying Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 78 FR 2600 (Jan. 
11, 2013), the data, information, and documents acquired through this 
new collection will aid the Commission in conducting a comprehensive 
evaluation of special access competition and updating its rules for 
pricing flexibility for special access services.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-22864 Filed 9-25-14; 8:45 am]
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