[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 199 (Monday, October 15, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51944-51946]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-22387]



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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-0149, OMB 3060-0741]


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

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, 
and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the 
Federal Communications Commission (FCC or the Commission) 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 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 ways to further reduce the 
information collection burden on small business concerns with fewer 
than 25 employees.
    The Commission may not conduct or sponsor a collection of 
information unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management 
and Budget (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 comments should be submitted on or before November 14, 
2018. 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 contacts listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Direct all PRA comments to Nicholas A. Fraser, OMB, via 
email [email protected]; and to Nicole Ongele, FCC, via 
email [email protected] and to [email protected]. Include in the comments 
the OMB control number as shown in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or copies 
of the information collection, contact Nicole Ongele at (202) 418-2991. 
To view a copy of this information collection request (ICR) submitted 
to OMB: (1) Go to the webpage <http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain>, (2) look for the section of the webpage called ``Currently 
Under Review,'' (3) click on the downward-pointing arrow in the 
``Select Agency'' box below the ``Currently Under Review'' heading, (4) 
select ``Federal Communications Commission'' from the list of agencies 
presented in the ``Select Agency'' box, (5) click the ``Submit'' button 
to the right of the ``Select Agency'' box, (6) when the list of FCC 
ICRs currently under review appears, look for the OMB control number of 
this ICR and then click on the ICR Reference Number. A copy of the FCC 
submission to OMB will be displayed.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As part of its continuing effort to reduce 
paperwork burdens, and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) 
of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), the Federal Communications Commission 
(FCC or the Commission) 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 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 ways to further reduce the information collection 
burden on small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees.
    OMB Control Number: 3060-0149.
    Title: Part 63, Accelerating Wireline Broadband Deployment by 
Removing Barriers to Infrastructure Investment, WC Docket No. 17-84, 
FCC 18-74.
    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: 80 respondents; 88 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 6-62 hours per response.
    Frequency of Response: One-time reporting requirement and third-
party disclosure requirements.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for this collection of information is contained in 
47 U.S.C. 214 and 402 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
    Total Annual Burden: 1,086 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: $27,900.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Information filed in section 
214 applications has generally been non-confidential. Requests from 
parties seeking confidential treatment are considered by Commission 
staff pursuant to 47 CFR 0.459 of the Commission's rules.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission is seeking Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) approval for a revision of a currently approved collection 
to OMB. The Commission will submit this information collection to OMB 
after this 60-day comment period. Section 214 of the Communications Act 
of 1934, as amended, requires that a carrier must first obtain FCC 
authorization either to (1) construct, operate, or engage in 
transmission over a line of communications; or (2) discontinue, reduce 
or impair service over a line of communications. Part 63 of Title 47 of 
the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) implements Section 214. Part 63 
also implements provisions of the Cable Communications Policy Act of 
1984 pertaining to video which was approved under this OMB Control 
Number 3060-0149. In 2009, the Commission modified Part 63 to extend to 
providers of interconnected Voice of internet Protocol (VoIP) service 
the discontinuance obligations that apply to domestic non-dominant 
telecommunications carriers under Section 214 of the Communications Act 
of 1934, as amended. In 2014, the Commission adopted improved 
administrative filing procedures for domestic transfers of control, 
domestic discontinuances and notices of network changes, and among 
other adjustments, modified Part 63 to require electronic filing for 
applications for authorization to discontinue, reduce, or impair 
service under section 214(a) of the Act. In July 2016, the Commission 
concluded that applicants seeking to discontinue a legacy time division 
multiplexing (TDM)-based voice service as part of a transition to a new 
technology, whether internet Protocol (IP), wireless, or another type 
(technology transition discontinuance application) must demonstrate 
that an adequate replacement for the legacy service exists in order to 
be eligible for streamlined treatment and revised part 63 accordingly. 
The Commission concluded that an applicant for a

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technology transition discontinuance may demonstrate that a service is 
an adequate replacement for a legacy voice service by certifying or 
showing that one or more replacement service(s) offers all of the 
following: (i) Substantially similar levels of network infrastructure 
and service quality as the applicant service; (ii) compliance with 
existing federal and/or industry standards required to ensure that 
critical applications such as 911, network security, and applications 
for individuals with disabilities remain available; and (iii) 
interoperability and compatibility with an enumerated list of 
applications and functionalities determined to be key to consumers and 
competitors (the ``adequate replacement test'').
    In June 2018, the Commission further modified the rules applicable 
to section 214(a) discontinuance applications. First, all carriers, 
whether dominant or non-dominant, that seek approval to grandfather 
data services below speeds of 25 Mbps download speed and 3 Mbps upload 
speed are now subject to a uniform reduced public comment period of 10 
days and an automatic grant period of 25 days. Second, all carriers, 
whether dominant or non-dominant, seeking authorization to discontinue 
data services below speeds of 25 Mbps download speed and 3 Mbps upload 
speed that have previously been grandfathered for a period of at least 
180 days are subject to a uniform reduced public comment period of 10 
days and an automatic grant period of 31 days, provided they submit a 
statement as part of their discontinuance application that they have 
received Commission authority to grandfather the services at issue at 
least 180 days prior to the filing of the discontinuance application. 
This statement must reference the file number of the prior Commission 
authorization to grandfather the services the carrier now seeks to 
permanently discontinue. Third, carriers are no longer required to file 
an application to discontinue, reduce, or impair any service for which 
it has had no customers and no request for service for at least a 30-
day period immediately preceding the discontinuance. Fourth, all 
carriers, whether dominant or non-dominant, that seek approval to 
discontinue legacy voice service can obtain further streamlined 
processing with a public comment period of 15 days and an automatic 
grant period of 31 days, provided (1) they offer a stand-alone 
interconnected VoIP service throughout the service area, and (2) at 
least one alternative stand-alone, facilities-based voice service is 
available from an unaffiliated provider throughout the affected service 
area (the ``alternative options test''). Finally, all carriers, whether 
dominant or non-dominant, that seek approval to grandfather legacy 
voice service are now subject to a uniform reduced public comment 
period of 10 days and an automatic grant period of 25 days. The 
Commission estimates that it will receive three fewer section 214(a) 
discontinuance applications annually in light of the Commission's 
forbearance from applying its section 214(a) discontinuance 
requirements to services for which the carrier has had no customers and 
no reasonable requests for service during the preceding 30-day period. 
The Commission also anticipates that the number of respondents and 
responses under the adequate replacement test will likely decrease from 
5 and 25, respectively, to 2 and 10, respectively. The remaining 15 
responses previously attributable to the adequate replacement test will 
likely proceed pursuant to the less rigorous alternative options test. 
The Commission estimates that the total annual burden of the entire 
collection, as revised, is reduced from 1,923 hours to 1,086 hours.
    OMB Control Number: 3060-0741.
    Title: Accelerating Wireline Broadband Deployment by Removing 
Barriers to Infrastructure Investment, GN Docket No. 17-84.
    Form Number(s): N/A.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 5,357 respondents; 573,928 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.5-4.5 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirements; 
recordkeeping 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. 222 and 251.
    Total Annual Burden: 575,448 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No cost.
    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: Section 251 of the Communications Act of 1934, as 
amended, 47 U.S.C. 251, is designed to accelerate private sector 
development and deployment of telecommunications technologies and 
services by spurring competition. Section 222(e) is also designed to 
spur competition by prescribing requirements for the sharing of 
subscriber list information. These information collection requirements 
are designed to help implement certain provisions of sections 222(e) 
and 251, and to eliminate operational barriers to competition in the 
telecommunications services market. Specifically, these information 
collection requirements will be used to implement (1) local exchange 
carriers' (``LECs'') obligations to provide their competitors with 
dialing parity and non-discriminatory access to certain services and 
functionalities; (2) incumbent local exchange carriers' (``ILECs'') 
duty to make network information disclosures; and (3) numbering 
administration. The revisions to this collection relate to changes in 
one of many components of the currently approved collection--
specifically, certain reporting, recordkeeping and/or third-party 
disclosure requirements under section 251(c)(5). In November 2017, the 
Commission adopted new rules concerning certain information collection 
requirements implemented under section 251(c)(5) of the Act, pertaining 
to network change disclosures. Most of the changes to those rules 
applied specifically to a certain subset of network change disclosures, 
namely notices of planned copper retirements. In addition, the changes 
removed a rule that prohibits incumbent LECs from engaging in useful 
advanced coordination with entities affected by network changes. In 
June 2018, the Commission revised its network change disclosure rules 
to (1) revise the types of network changes that trigger an incumbent 
LEC's public notice obligation, and (2) extend the force majeure 
provisions applicable to copper retirements to all types of network 
changes. The changes are aimed at removing unnecessary regulatory 
barriers to the deployment of high-speed broadband networks. The 
Commission estimates that these revisions do not result in any change 
to the total annual burden hours or any additional outlays of funds for 
hiring outside contractors or procuring equipment as the changes 
eliminate notices that are subsumed by notice obligations that remain 
in force or simply codify procedures available to a small number of 
incumbent LECs by waiver orders.


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Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-22387 Filed 10-12-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P