[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 112 (Tuesday, June 11, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27114-27115]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-12310]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-1260]


Information Collection Approved by the Office of Management and 
Budget

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has received 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for public information 
collection pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. An agency 
may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it 
displays a currently valid OMB control number, and no person is 
required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid control number. Comments concerning the accuracy of the 
burden estimates and any suggestions for reducing the burden should be 
directed to the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
section below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cathy Williams, Office of the Managing 
Director, at (202) 418-2918, or email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    The total annual reporting burdens and costs for the respondents 
are as follows:
    OMB Control Number: 3060-1260.
    OMB Approval Date: April 15, 2019.
    OMB Expiration Date: April 30, 2022.
    Title: Broadcast Incubator Program.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities; not-for-profit 
institutions; Tribal Governments.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 20 respondents; 123 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 4 to 16 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement; annual 
reporting requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The 
statutory authority that covers this information collection is 47 
U.S.C. 151, 152(a), 154(i), 257, 303, 307-310, and 403.
    Total Annual Burden: 1,179 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: $326,700.
    Privacy Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: The need for confidentiality 
for this information collection is not anticipated; however, when 
submitting an incubation proposal (including the underlying contract 
and certified statements), applicants may, upon request, redact 
confidential or proprietary terms.
    Needs and Uses: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved 
the information collection titled ``Broadcast Incubator Program'' under 
OMB Control No. 3060-1260, as a result of a recent rulemaking, FCC 18-
114.
    On August 3, 2018, the Commission released a Report and Order 
(Order), Rules and Policies to Promote New Entry and Ownership 
Diversity in the Broadcasting Services, FCC 18-114, in MB Docket No. 
17-289, establishing the requirements that will govern the incubator 
program that the Commission previously decided to adopt to support the 
entry of new and diverse voices into the radio broadcast industry. The 
incubator program is designed for small businesses, struggling station 
owners, and new entrants that do not have any other means to access the 
financial assistance and operational support necessary for success in 
the broadcast industry. The goal is the pairing of these small 
aspiring, or struggling, broadcast station owners with established 
broadcasters. These incubation relationships will provide new entrants 
and struggling small broadcasters access to the financing, mentoring, 
and industry connections that are necessary for success in the 
industry, but to date have been unavailable to many. In return for 
successfully incubating a small aspiring, or struggling, broadcast 
station owner as part of the Commission's incubator program, an 
incumbent broadcaster will be eligible to receive a waiver (a reward 
waiver) of the Commission's Local Radio Ownership Rule following the 
successful conclusion of a successful qualifying incubation 
relationship. The standard term for an incubation relationship is three 
years.
    Commission staff will use the applications, certified statements, 
and contracts submitted by potential incubating and incubated entities, 
along with any responses to Commission requests for additional 
information to determine qualifications for participation in the 
incubator program.
    Commission staff will use the periodic reports to determine whether 
ongoing incubation relationships are proceeding in a manner consistent 
with the parties' initial filings and are likely to result in a 
successful incubation relationship. At the end of a successful 
incubation relationship, either the incubated entity will own and 
operate a full-service AM or FM station independently or the incubated 
station will be on a firmer footing if the station was struggling at 
the start of the relationship.
    In the event the parties seek to extend the duration of their 
incubation relationship beyond the standard three-year term, the filing 
of a request for such an extension will enable Commission staff to 
gauge the types of problems incubating parties are experiencing. 
Information provided by the parties to the Commission no later than six 
months before the contract termination

[[Page 27115]]

date will allow Commission staff to evaluate which option for station 
ownership the incubating parties plan to pursue at the conclusion of 
the relationship--i.e., whether the incubated entity plans to keep the 
incubated station or purchase a new station. Additionally, Commission 
staff will review documentation submitted to seek a reward waiver to 
assess whether the market where the reward waiver is sought is 
comparable to the market where the incubated station was located.

Federal Communications Commission.
Katura Jackson,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2019-12310 Filed 6-10-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6712-01-P