[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 173 (Friday, September 8, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62082-62083]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-19436]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-1058; FR ID 170003]


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 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.

DATES: Written PRA comments should be submitted on or before November 
7, 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: 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.
    OMB Control Number: 3060-1058.
    Title: FCC Application or Notification for Spectrum Leasing 
Arrangement or Private Commons Arrangement; Wireless Telecommunications 
Bureau; Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau.
    Form Number: FCC Form 608.
    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 and Responses: 1,116 respondents and 1,116 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.05 to 1 hour.
    Frequency of Response: Recordkeeping requirement; third party 
disclosure requirement, on occasion reporting requirement and periodic 
reporting requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for this collection of information is contained in 
47 U.S.C.

[[Page 62083]]

154, 155, 158, 161, 301, 303(r), 308, 309, 310 and 332.
    Total Annual Burden: 1,135.
    Total Annual Cost: $1,443,825.
    Needs and Uses: FCC Form 608 is a multi-purpose form. It is used to 
provide notification or request approval for any spectrum leasing 
arrangement (``Lease'') entered into between an existing licensee in 
certain Wireless and/or Public Safety Radio Services and a spectrum 
lessee. This form also is required to notify or request approval for 
any spectrum subleasing arrangement (``Sublease''). The data collected 
on the form is used by the FCC to determine whether the public interest 
would be served by the Lease or Sublease. The form is also used to 
provide notification for any Private Commons Arrangement entered into 
between a licensee, lessee, or sublessee and a class of third-party 
users (as defined in Section 1.9080 of the Commission's Rules).
    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. Specifically, 
in the ECIP Report and Order, the Commission revised its rules to allow 
any covered geographic licenses in included services to be leased to 
eligible entities through a long-term leasing arrangement.
    Specifically, in the ECIP Report and Order, the Commission revised 
its rules to allow any covered geographic licenses in included services 
to be leased to eligible entities through a long-term leasing 
arrangement, to designate a Qualifying Transaction identified in the 
application as seeking consideration under the ECIP. Two new questions 
are being added to the FCC Form 608 as a result. Respondents are 
required to indicate by yes or no answer whether the application is 
seeking consideration under ECIP. Respondents are also required to 
select the applicable ECIP prong to its Qualifying Transaction, 
pursuant to either Sec.  1.60003 or Sec.  1.60004.
    Finally, a new Schedule J is being added to FCC Form 608 and will 
be used by Spectrum Manager Lessors (i.e., the Licensee) to file either 
the Initial Operation Requirement Notifications (IORN) or the Final 
Operation Requirement Notifications (FORN), as required by 47 CFR 
1.60004, 1.60006, on behalf of the Lessee.
    The Commission now seeks approval for revisions to its currently 
approved collection of information under OMB Control Number 3060-1058 
to permit the collection of the changes requested herein. We anticipate 
that these revisions will have minimal impact on the hourly burden to 
complete FCC Form 608. The Commission therefore seeks approval for a 
revision to its currently approved information collection on FCC Form 
608 to revise FCC Form 608 accordingly.

Federal Communications Commission.
Katura Jackson,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-19436 Filed 9-7-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P