[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 107 (Wednesday, June 3, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34192-34193]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-11909]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-0844; FRS 16790]


Information Collection Being Submitted for Review and Approval to 
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, 
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. Pursuant to the Small Business 
Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, the FCC seeks specific comment on how it 
can further reduce the information collection burden for small business 
concerns with fewer than 25 employees.

DATES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be submitted on or before July 6, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting 
``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using 
the search function. Your comment must be submitted into 
www.reginfo.gov per the above instructions for it to be considered. In 
addition to submitting in www.reginfo.gov also send a copy of your 
comment on the proposed information collection to Cathy Williams, FCC, 
via email to [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 Cathy Williams at (202) 418-
2918. To view a copy of this information collection request (ICR) 
submitted to OMB: (1) Go to the web page http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain, (2) look for the section of the web page 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 Title of this ICR and 
then click on the ICR Reference Number. A copy of the FCC submission to 
OMB will be displayed.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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.
    As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, as 
required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-
3520), the FCC invited the general public and other Federal Agencies to 
take this opportunity to comment on the following information 
collection. Comments are requested concerning: (a) 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; (b) the accuracy of the Commission's 
burden estimates; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 
of the information collected; and (d) 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. Pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 
2002, Public Law 107-198, see 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(4), the FCC seeks 
specific comment on how it might ``further reduce the information 
collection burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 
employees.''
    OMB Control Number: 3060-0844.
    Title: Carriage of the Transmissions of Television Broadcast 
Stations: Section 76.56(a), Carriage of qualified noncommercial 
educational stations; Section 76.57, Channel positioning; Section 
76.61(a)(1)-(2), Disputes concerning carriage; Section 76.64, 
Retransmission consent.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 4,902 respondents and 7,082 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.5 to 5 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement; Third 
party disclosure requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The 
statutory authority for this action is contained in Sections 1, 4(i) 
and (j), 325, 338, 614, 615, 631, 632, and 653 of the Communications 
Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 151, 154(i) and (j), 325, 338, 534, 
535, 551, 552, and 573.
    Total Annual Burden: 4,486 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No cost.
    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: Under Section 614 of the Communications Act and the 
implementing rules adopted by the Commission, commercial TV broadcast 
stations are entitled to assert mandatory carriage rights on cable 
systems located within the station's television market. Under Section 
325(b) of the Communications Act, commercial TV broadcast stations are 
entitled to negotiate with local cable systems for carriage of their 
signal pursuant to retransmission consent agreements in lieu of 
asserting must carry rights. This system is therefore referred to as 
``Must-Carry and Retransmission Consent.'' Under Section 615 of the 
Communications Act, noncommercial educational (NCE) stations are also 
entitled to assert mandatory carriage rights on cable systems located 
within the station's market; however, noncommercial TV broadcast 
stations are not entitled to retransmission consent.
    In 2019, the Commission adopted new rules governing the delivery 
and form of carriage election notices. Electronic Delivery of MVPD 
Communications, Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative, MB Docket 
Nos. 17-105, 17-317, Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking, FCC 19-69, 34 FCC Rcd 5922(2019) (2019 Report and Order). 
That decision modernized the carriage election notice rules by moving 
the process online for most broadcasters and multichannel video 
programming distributors (MVPDs), but the Commission sought comment on 
how to apply these updated rules to certain small broadcast stations 
and MVPDs.

[[Page 34193]]

    In 2020, the Commission adopted a Report and Order that resolved 
the remaining issues regarding carriage election notice rules for small 
broadcast stations and MVPDs. Electronic Delivery of MVPD 
Communications, Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative, MB Docket 
Nos. 17-105, 17-317, Report and Order, FCC 20-14, 2020 WL 948697 (rel. 
Feb. 25, 2020) (2020 Report and Order). Pursuant to that decision, the 
obligations of certain small broadcasters and MVPDs were slightly 
modified.
    This information collection is being revised to reflect the changes 
to 47 CFR 76.64(h) as well as other new obligations adopted in the 2020 
Report and Order, which require review and approval from the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB).
    47 CFR 76.64(h)(5) is amended to require low power television 
stations and non-commercial educational translator stations that are 
qualified under 47 CFR 76.55 and retransmitted by an MVPD to, beginning 
no later than July 31, 2020, respond as soon as is reasonably possible 
to messages or calls from MVPDs that are received via the email address 
or phone number the station provides in the Commission's Licensing and 
Management System (LMS) database.
    A qualified Low Power Television (LPTV) station that changes its 
carriage election must send an election change notice to each affected 
MVPD's carriage election-specific email address by the carriage 
election deadline. Such change notices must include, with respect to 
each station covered by the notice: The station's call sign, the 
station's community of license, the DMA where the station is located, 
the specific change being made in election status, and an email address 
and phone number for carriage-related questions. LPTV notices to cable 
operators need to identify specific cable systems for which a carriage 
election applies only if the broadcaster changes its election for some 
systems of the cable operator but not all. In addition, the broadcaster 
must carbon copy [email protected], the Commission's election 
notice verification email inbox, when sending its carriage elections to 
MVPDs.
    All qualified LPTV stations, whether being carried pursuant to must 
carry or retransmission consent, must send an email notice to all MVPDs 
that are or will be carrying the station no later than the next 
carriage election deadline of October 1, 2020. Qualified LPTVs must do 
so even if they are not changing their carriage status from the current 
election cycle. These notifications must be sent to an MVPD's carriage 
election-specific email address, must be copied to 
[email protected], and must include the same information required 
for a change notification except that the notification may simply 
confirm the existing carriage status rather than a change in status.
    All qualified NCE translator stations must provide email notice to 
all MVPDs that are or will be carrying the translator no later than the 
next carriage election deadline of October 1, 2020. Similar to 
qualified LPTVs, these notifications must be sent to an MVPD's carriage 
election-specific email address, must be copied to 
[email protected], and must include the station's call sign, the 
station's community of license, and the DMA where the station is 
located and within which it has elected to be carried.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-11909 Filed 6-2-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6712-01-P