[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 126 (Tuesday, June 30, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 39076-39077]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-14078]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 54

[WC Docket Nos. 10-90, 14-58, 07-135, CC Docket No. 01-92; FCC 18-176; 
FRS 16897]


Connect America Fund, ETC Annual Reports and Certifications, 
Establishing Just and Reasonable Rates for Local Exchange Carriers, 
Developing a Unified Intercarrier Compensation Regime

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule; announcement of effective date.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Federal Communications Commission 
(Commission) announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
has approved, for a period of three years, an information collection 
associated with the rules for the Connect America Fund contained in the 
Commission's Rate-of-Return Order, FCC 18-176. This document is 
consistent with the Rate-of-Return Order, which stated that the 
Commission would publish a document in the Federal Register announcing 
the effective date of the new information collection requirements.

DATES: The amendments to Sec.  54.313(f)(5) published at 84 FR 4711, 
February 19, 2019 is effective June 30, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alexander Minard, Wireline Competition 
Bureau at (202) 418-7400 or TTY (202) 418-0484. For additional 
information concerning the Paperwork Reduction Act information 
collection requirements contact Nicole Ongele at (202) 418-2991 or via 
email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commission submitted revised information 
collection requirements for review and approval by OMB, as required by 
the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, on May 13, 2020, which were 
approved by OMB on June 22, 2020. The information collection 
requirements are contained in the Commission's Rate-of-Return Order, 
FCC 18-176 published at 84 FR 4711, February 19, 2019. The OMB Control 
Number is 3060-0233. If you have any comments on the burden estimates 
listed in the following, or how the Commission can improve the 
collections and reduce any burdens caused thereby, please contact 
Nicole Ongele, Federal Communications Commission, Room 1-A620, 445 12th 
Street SW, Washington, DC 20554. Please include the OMB Control Number, 
3060-0233, in your correspondence. The Commission will also accept your 
comments via email at [email protected].
    To request materials in accessible formats for people with 
disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), 
send an email to [email protected] or call the Consumer and Governmental 
Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (TTY).

Synopsis

    As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3507), the Commission is notifying the public that it received OMB 
approval on June 22, 2020, for the information collection requirements 
contained in 47 CFR 54.313(f)(5) published at 84 FR 4711, February 19, 
2019. Under 5 CFR part 1320, an agency may not conduct or sponsor a 
collection of information unless it displays a current, valid OMB 
Control Number.
    No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply 
with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act 
that does not display a current, valid OMB Control Number. The OMB 
Control Number is 3060-0233.
    The foregoing notice is required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, Public Law 104-13, October 1, 1995, and 44 U.S.C. 3507.
    The total annual reporting burdens and costs for the respondents 
are as follows:
    OMB Control Number: 3060-0233.
    OMB Approval Date: June 22, 2020.
    OMB Expiration Date: June 30, 2023.
    Title: Part 54--Rate-of-Return Carrier Universal Service Reporting 
Requirements.
    Form Number: FCC Form 507, FCC Form 508 and FCC Form 509.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 1,095 respondents; 4,044 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 1-22 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion and annual reporting 
requirements.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 47 
U.S.C. 151-154, 214, 218-220, 221(c), 254, and 303(r).
    Total Annual Burden: 43,638 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No Cost.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: No assurance of 
confidentiality has been given regarding the information. However, 
respondents may request materials or information submitted to the 
Commission be withheld from public inspection under 47 CFR 0.459 of the 
FCC's rules.
    Needs and Uses: In order to determine which carriers are entitled 
to universal service support, all rate-of-return regulated (rate-of-
return) incumbent local exchange carriers (LECs) must provide the 
National Exchange Carrier Association (NECA) with the loop cost and 
loop count data required by section 54.1305 for each of its study areas 
and, if applicable, for each wire center as that term is defined in 47 
CFR part 54. See 47 CFR 54.1305 and 54.5. The loop cost and loop count 
information is to be filed annually with NECA by July 31st of each 
year, and may be updated occasionally pursuant to section 54.1306. See 
47 CFR 54.1306. Pursuant to section 54.1307, the information filed on 
July 31st of each year will be used to calculate universal service 
support for each study area and is filed by NECA with the Commission on 
October 1 of each year. See 47 CFR 54.1307. An incumbent LEC is defined 
as a carrier that meets the definition of ``incumbent local exchange 
carrier'' in section 51.5 of the Commission's rules. See 47 CFR 51.5.
    In March 2016, the Commission adopted the Rate-of-Return Reform 
Order, 81 FR 24282, April 25, 2016, to continue modernizing the 
universal service support mechanisms for rate-of-return carriers. The 
Rate-of-Return Reform Order replaced the Interstate Common Line Support 
(ICLS) mechanism with the Connect America Fund--Broadband Loop Support 
(CAF-BLS) mechanism. While ICLS supported

[[Page 39077]]

only lines used to provide traditional voice service (including voice 
service bundled with broadband service), CAF-BLS also supports consumer 
broadband-only loops. In March 2016, the Commission adopted the Rate-
of-Return Reform Order to continue modernizing the universal service 
support mechanisms for rate-of-return carriers. The Rate-of-Return 
Reform Order replaced the Interstate Common Line Support (ICLS) 
mechanism with the Connect America Fund--Broadband Loop Support (CAF-
BLS) mechanism. While ICLS supported only lines used to provide 
traditional voice service (including voice service bundled with 
broadband service), CAF-BLS also supports consumer broadband-only 
loops. For the purposes of calculating and monitoring CAF-BLS, rate-of-
return carriers that receive CAF-BLS must file common line and consumer 
broadband-only loop counts on FCC Form 507, forecasted common line and 
consumer broadband-only loop costs and revenues on FCC Form 508, and 
actual common line and consumer broadband-only loop costs and revenues 
on FCC Form 509. See 47 CFR 54.903(a).
    In December 2018, the Commission adopted the December 2018 Rate-of-
Return Reform Order, 84 FR 4711, February 19, 2019, to require rate-of-
return carriers that receive Alternative Connect American Model (A-CAM) 
or Alaska Plan support to file line count data on FCC Form 507 as a 
condition of high-cost support. Historically, all rate-of-return 
carriers received CAF BLS or, prior to that, ICLS, and were required to 
file line count data on FCC Form 507 as a condition of that support. In 
recent years, some rate-of-return carriers have elected to receive A-
CAM I, A-CAM II, or Alaska Plan instead, and those carriers were not 
required to file line count data because the requirement to file 
applied only to rate-of-return carriers receiving CAF BLS. In order to 
restore a data set that the Commission relied on to evaluate the 
effectiveness of its high-cost universal service programs, the 
Commission revised its rules in that Order to require all rate-of-
return carriers to file that data. While carriers receiving CAF-BLS 
must file the line count data on March 31 for line counts as of the 
prior December 31, the A-CAM I, A-CAM II, and Alaska Plan carriers will 
be required to file on July 1 of each year to coincide with other 
existing requirements in OMB Control No. 3060-0986. Connect America 
Fund et al., WC Docket No. 10-90 et al., Report and Order, Further 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Order on Reconsideration, 33 FCC Rcd 
11893 (2018) (2018 Rate-of-Return Reform Order). See also 47 CFR 
54.313(f)(5).
    The Commission therefore revises this information collection. We 
also increased the burdens associated with existing reporting 
requirements to account for additional carriers that will be subject to 
those requirements.

Federal Communications Commission.
Cecilia Sigmund,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-14078 Filed 6-29-20; 8:45 am]
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