[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 101 (Thursday, May 25, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33882-33883]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-11126]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-0798; FR ID 141653]


Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal 
Communications Commission

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, 
and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 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 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 PRA comments should be submitted on or before July 24, 
2023. 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 to 
[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: 3060-0798.
    Title: FCC Authorization for Radio Service Authorization; Wireless 
Telecommunications Bureau; Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau.
    Form Number: FCC Form 601.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Individual and households, Business or other for-
profit entities, state, local, or tribal government, and not for profit 
institutions.
    Number of Respondents: 255,552 respondents; 255,552 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.5 to 1.25 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Recordkeeping requirement; third party 
disclosure requirement, on occasion

[[Page 33883]]

reporting requirement and periodic reporting requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for these collections are contained in 47 U.S.C. 
151, 152, 154, 154(i), 155(c), 157, 201, 202, 208, 214, 301, 302a, 303, 
307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 314, 316, 319, 324, 331, 332, 333, 336, 534, 
535, and 554 of the Communications Act of 1934.
    Total Annual Burden: 225,808 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: $72,474,000.
    Needs and Uses: FCC Form 601 is a consolidated, multi-part 
application form that is used for market- based and site-based 
licensing for wireless telecommunications services, including public 
safety, which are filed through the Commission's Universal Licensing 
System (ULS) or any other electronic filing interface the Commission 
develops. FCC Form 601 is composed of a main form that contains 
administrative information and a series of schedules used for filing 
technical and other information. This form is used to apply for a new 
license, to amend or withdraw a pending application, to modify or renew 
an existing license, cancel a license, submit required notifications, 
request an extension of time to satisfy construction requirements, 
request an administrative update to an existing license (such as 
mailing address change), or request a Special Temporary Authority 
License. Respondents are required to submit FCC Form 601 
electronically.
    On January 18, 2023, the Commission adopted the 4.9 GHz Seventh 
Report and Order (FCC 23-3) where it concluded that collecting 
additional technical data on public safety operations in the 4.94-4.99 
GHz band (4.9 GHz band) will improve interference protection and give 
public safety licensees more confidence in the band without adding a 
significant burden on licensees or applicants. The Commission also 
established a Band Manager to coordinate operations in the 4.9 GHz 
band. The Band Manager will use the more granular technical data 
collected on public safety operations in ULS via the FCC Form 601 to 
perform frequency coordination and will be empowered to work with 
public safety licensees to ensure efficient use of this spectrum and 
enable new, non-commercial operations on a secondary, preemptable 
basis.
    The Commission is creating two new radio service codes and 
directing applicants seeking to license 4.9 GHz band base/mobile, 
mobile-only or temporary fixed stations (new radio service code PB) to 
submit with their applications on FCC Form 601: coordinates (base), 
antenna height above average terrain (base), center frequency, emission 
designator, effective radiated power, number of units (mobile and 
temporary fixed), and area of operation (mobile and temporary fixed). 
Similarly, the Commission is directing applicants seeking to license 
4.9 GHz band permanent fixed point-to-point, point-to-multi-point and 
fixed receiver stations (new radio service code PF) to submit with 
their applications on FCC Form 601: transmitter and receiver antenna 
coordinates, frequencies, polarizations, tolerance, effective isotropic 
radiated power, emission designator, type of modulation, antenna model, 
gain, antenna center line height(s) above ground level and ground 
elevation above mean sea level, and path azimuth and distance.
    The current FCC Form 601 already collects the information detailed 
above on Schedules D, H and I, but existing 4.9 GHz band operations 
under radio service code PA are not currently required to utilize these 
schedules. The changes proposed herein will modify the instructions of 
the FCC Form 601 to include the two new radio service codes and to 
duplicate certain questions from Schedule D onto Schedule I regarding 
eligibility, extended implementation and associated call sign.
    On July 18, 2022, the Commission released a Report and Order and 
Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Partitioning, 
Disaggregation, and Leasing of Spectrum, WT Docket No. 19-38, FCC 22-
53, in which the Commission established the Enhanced Competition 
Incentive Program (ECIP) to establish incentives for wireless radio 
service licensees to make underutilized spectrum available to small 
carriers, Tribal Nations, and entities serving rural areas (ECIP Report 
and Order in WT Docket No. 19-38, FCC 22-53). In the Report and Order, 
the Commission adopted a program under which any covered geographic 
area licensee may offer spectrum to an unaffiliated eligible entity 
through a partition and/or disaggregation, and any covered geographic 
area licensee eligible to lease in an included service may offer 
spectrum to an unaffiliated eligible entity through a long-term leasing 
arrangement. If the FCC finds that approval of an ECIP eligible 
assignment or lease is in the public interest, the agency will consent 
to the transaction and confer benefits, including five-year license 
term extensions, one year construction extensions, and substituted 
alternative construction requirements for rural-focused transactions. 
The Commission also established rules to permit reaggregation of 
geographic licenses.
    In establishing the ECIP, the Commission requires applicants 
seeking to participate in the program to submit certain information 
that shows the transaction qualifies for ECIP inclusion. The Commission 
found that the ECIP builds on Congressional goals in the MOBILE NOW Act 
to incentivize beneficial transactions in the public interest that will 
promote greater competition in the provision of wireless services, 
facilitate increased availability of advanced wireless services in 
rural areas, facilitate new opportunities for small carriers and Tribal 
Nations to increase access to spectrum, and bring more advanced 
wireless service including 5G to underserved communities.
    The ECIP related change created a new Schedule O, similar to 
schedule K, that will be used by certain ECIP Licensees to file either 
their Initial Operation Requirement Notifications (IORN) or their Final 
Operation Requirement Notifications (FORN), as required by 47 CFR 
1.60004, 1.60006
    The Commission now seeks approval for revisions to its currently 
approved collection of information under OMB Control Number 3060-0798 
to permit the collection of the two changes. We anticipate that these 
revisions will have no impact on the hourly burden to complete FCC Form 
601, as the existing burden already provides the appropriate estimate. 
The Commission therefore seeks approval for a revision to its currently 
approved information collection on FCC Form 601 to revise FCC Form 601 
accordingly.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-11126 Filed 5-24-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P