[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 84 (Wednesday, May 1, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18536-18537]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-08758]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-0289]


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 burdens, 
and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the 
Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) invites the 
general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to 
comment on the following information collections. 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 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 July 1, 
2019. 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 contact listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Direct all PRA comments to Cathy Williams, FCC, via email 
[email protected] and to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information about the 
information collection, contact Cathy Williams at (202) 418-2918.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    OMB Control Number: 3060-0289.
    Title: Section 76.76.601, Performance Tests; Section 76.1704, Proof 
of Performance Test Data; 76.1717, Compliance with Technical Standards.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities; State, local or 
Tribal Government.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 1,455 respondents; 1,505 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 1-70 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Recordkeeping requirement, Semi-annual and 
Triennial reporting requirements; Third party disclosure requirement.
    Total Annual Burden: 101,900 hours.
    Total Annual Costs: None.
    Obligation To Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The 
statutory authority for this collection of information is contained in 
Sections 4(i) and 624(e) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: There is no need for 
confidentiality with this collection of information.
    Privacy Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Needs and Uses: The Commission adopted a Report and Order on April 
12, 2019, In the Matter of Channel Requirements, Sections 76.1705 and 
76.1700(a)(4), Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative, MB Docket 
No. 18-92, MB Docket No. 17-105, FCC 19-33. In this Report and Order, 
the information collection requirement contained in 47 CFR 76.105 was 
eliminated. The Commission felt that it was an unnecessary requirement 
which pertains to cable operators' channel lineups. Section 76.1705, 
which requires cable operators to maintain at their local office a 
current listing of the cable television channels that each cable system 
delivers to its subscribers. This requirement is unnecessary as channel 
lineups are readily available to consumers through a variety of other 
means. In FCC 19-33, the Commission continue our efforts to modernize 
our regulations and reduce unnecessary requirements that can impede 
competition and innovation in the media marketplace.
    The information collection requirements approved under this 
collection remain the same and are as follows:

[[Page 18537]]

    47 CFR 76.601(b) requires the operator of each cable television 
system shall conduct complete performance tests of that system at least 
twice each calendar year (at intervals not to exceed seven months), 
unless otherwise noted below. The performance tests shall be directed 
at determining the extent to which the system complies with all the 
technical standards set forth in Sec.  76.605(a) and shall be as 
follows:
    (1) For cable television systems with 1,000 or more subscribers but 
with 12,500 or fewer subscribers, proof-of-performance tests conducted 
pursuant to this section shall include measurements taken at six (6) 
widely separated points. However, within each cable system, one 
additional test point shall be added for every additional 12,500 
subscribers or fraction thereof (e.g., 7 test points if 12,501 to 
25,000 subscribers; 8 test points if 25,001 to 37,500 subscribers, 
etc.). In addition, for technically integrated portions of cable 
systems that are not mechanically continuous (i.e., employing microwave 
connections), at least one test point will be required for each portion 
of the cable system served by a technically integrated microwave hub. 
The proof-of-performance test points chosen shall be balanced to 
represent all geographic areas served by the cable system. At least 
one-third of the test points shall be representative of subscriber 
terminals most distant from the system input and from each microwave 
receiver (if microwave transmissions are employed), in terms of cable 
length. The measurements may be taken at convenient monitoring points 
in the cable network: Provided, that data shall be included to relate 
the measured performance of the system as would be viewed from a nearby 
subscriber terminal. An identification of the instruments, including 
the makes, model numbers, and the most recent date of calibration, a 
description of the procedures utilized, and a statement of the 
qualifications of the person performing the tests shall also be 
included.
    (2) Proof-of-performance tests to determine the extent to which a 
cable television system complies with the standards set forth in Sec.  
76.605(a)(3), (4), and (5) shall be made on each of the NTSC or similar 
video channels of that system. Unless otherwise as noted, proof-of-
performance tests for all other standards in Sec.  76.605(a) shall be 
made on a minimum of four (4) channels plus one additional channel for 
every 100 MHz, or fraction thereof, of cable distribution system upper 
frequency limit (e.g., 5 channels for cable television systems with a 
cable distribution system upper frequency limit of 101 to 216 MHz; 6 
channels for cable television systems with a cable distribution system 
upper frequency limit of 217-300 MHz; 7 channels for cable television 
systems with a cable distribution upper frequency limit to 300 to 400 
MHz, etc.). The channels selected for testing must be representative of 
all the channels within the cable television system.
    (3) The operator of each cable television system shall conduct 
semi-annual proof-of-performance tests of that system, to determine the 
extent to which the system complies with the technical standards set 
forth in Sec.  76.605(a)(4) as follows. The visual signal level on each 
channel shall be measured and recorded, along with the date and time of 
the measurement, once every six hours (at intervals of not less than 
five hours or no more than seven hours after the previous measurement), 
to include the warmest and the coldest times, during a 24-hour period 
in January or February and in July or August.
    (4) The operator of each cable television system shall conduct 
triennial proof-of-performance tests of its system to determine the 
extent to which the system complies with the technical standards set 
forth in Sec.  76.605(a)(11).
    Note 1 to 47 CFR 76.601 states prior to additional testing pursuant 
to Section 76.601(c), the local franchising authority shall notify the 
cable operator, who will then be allowed thirty days to come into 
compliance with any perceived signal quality problems which need to be 
corrected.
    47 CFR 76.1704 requires that proof of performance test required by 
47 CFR 76.601 shall be maintained on file at the operator's local 
business office for at least five years. The test data shall be made 
available for inspection by the Commission or the local franchiser, 
upon request. If a signal leakage log is being used to meet proof of 
performance test recordkeeping requirement in accordance with Section 
76.601, such a log must be retained for the period specified in 47 CFR 
76.601(d).
    47 CFR 76.1717 states that an operator shall be prepared to show, 
on request by an authorized representative of the Commission or the 
local franchising authority, that the system does, in fact, comply with 
the technical standards rules in part 76, subpart K.


Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-08758 Filed 4-30-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6712-01-P