[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 82 (Friday, April 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32427-32429]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-09024]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-0678; FR ID 216076]


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 
might ``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 May 28, 2024.

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, and (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)

[[Page 32428]]

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: 3060-0678.
    Title: Part 25 of the Federal Communications Commission's Rules 
Governing the Licensing of, and Spectrum Usage by, Commercial Earth 
Stations and Space Stations.
    Form Number: FCC Form 312 (Main Form and Schedules A, B, and S), 
FCC Form 312-R.
    Type of Review: Revision of an existing collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities, not-for-profit 
institutions.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 3,515 respondents and 3,567 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.5-80 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion, one time, and annual reporting 
requirements; third-party disclosure requirement; recordkeeping 
requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The 
Commission has statutory authority for the information collection 
requirements under 47 U.S.C. 154, 301, 302, 303, 307, 309, 310, 319, 
332, 605, and 721.
    Total Annual Burden: 27,176.
    Annual Cost Burden: $3,923,887.
    Needs and Uses: The Federal Communications Commission requests that 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approve a revision of the 
information collection titled ``Part 25 of the Federal Communications 
Commission's Rules Governing the Licensing of, and Spectrum Usage By, 
Commercial Earth Stations and Space Stations'' under OMB Control No. 
3060-0678, as a result of three recent rulemakings, as well as an 
update to the Commission's filing system for earth station and space 
station applications filed pursuant to part 25 of the Commission's 
rules.
    On September 27, 2019, the Commission released a Report and Order, 
FCC 19-93, in IB Docket No. 06-160, titled ``Amendment of the 
Commission's Policies and Rules for Processing Applications in the 
Direct Broadcast Satellite Service'' (DBS Licensing Report and Order). 
The DBS Licensing Report and Order adopted a new licensing process for 
space stations in the Direct Broadcast Satellite Service (DBS). This 
new process allows applicants for DBS space station licenses to take 
advantage of a licensing process that parallels the Commission's 
streamlined part 25 satellite licensing rules for geostationary orbit 
(GSO) space stations in the fixed-satellite service (FSS). The 
Commission limited the regulatory burdens borne by applicants, while 
promoting new opportunities for efficient use of orbital spacing and 
spectrum by DBS licensees.
    The Commission's action supports and encourages the increasing 
innovation in the DBS sector and helps to preserve U.S. leadership in 
space-based services and operations. This information collection will 
provide the Commission and the public with necessary information about 
this area of satellite operations. While this information collection 
represents an overall increase in the burden hours, the increase is due 
to an anticipated overall increase in number of applications as a 
result of additional applications being filed under the process adopted 
in the DBS Licensing Report and Order. This information collection 
serves the public interest by streamlining the collection of 
information and allowing the Commission to authorize DBS space stations 
under the new process established in the Report and Order. 
Specifically, the DBS Licensing Report and Order contains the following 
new or modified information collection requirements: space station 
applications for GSO space stations operating in the frequencies of the 
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Appendices 30 and 30A 
(incorporated by reference, see 47 CFR 25.108) must include a statement 
that the proposed operation will take into account the applicable 
requirements of these Appendices of the ITU Radio Regulations and a 
demonstration that it is compatible with other U.S. ITU filings under 
Appendices 30 and 30A or, for any affected filings, a letter signed by 
the affected operator indicating that it consents to the new 
application. The changes adopted in the DBS Licensing Report and Order 
will result in a very small net annualized increase in burden hours to 
certain applicants and licensees under part 25. A request for revisions 
to the information collection resulting from DBS Licensing Report and 
Order was previously published in the Federal Register (see 85 FR 
41980), but it has been updated and is now included in this revision 
request.
    On November 19, 2020, the Commission released a Report and Order, 
FCC 20-159, in IB Docket No. 18-314, titled ``Further Streamlining Part 
25 Rules Governing Satellite Services'' (Satellite Services Report and 
Order). The Satellite Services Report and Order streamlined the 
Commission's rules governing satellite services by creating an optional 
framework for authorizing both the blanket-licensed earth stations and 
space stations of a satellite system through a unified license. The 
Satellite Services Report and Order also permitted earth station 
applicants to certify compliance with relevant satellite licenses in 
lieu of providing duplicative or unnecessary technical demonstrations, 
aligned the build-out requirements for earth stations and space 
stations, and eliminated unnecessary reporting rules. These changes 
reduce regulatory burdens, simplify the Commission's licensing of 
satellite systems, and provide additional operational flexibility. The 
Satellite Services Report and Order affected two information 
collections: OMB Control Numbers 3060-1215 and 3060-0678. The 
Commission received OMB approval for changes under OMB Control No. 
3060-1215 on August 26, 2021, as reported in 86 FR 52102. The 
Commission seeks approval for changes under OMB Control No. 3060-0678 
through this request. The changes adopted in the Satellite Services 
Report and Order will result in a net annualized decrease in burden 
hours to applicants and licensees under part 25. This submission amends 
the previous submission to the OMB to reflect these changes.
    On August 3, 2022, the Commission released a Report and Order, FCC 
22-63, in IB Docket Nos. 20-330 and 22-273, titled ``Amendment of Parts 
2 and 25 of the Commission's Rules to Enable GSO Fixed-Satellite 
Service (Space-to-Earth) Operations in the 17.3-17.8 GHz Band, to 
Modernize Certain Rules Applicable to 17/24 GHz BSS Space Stations, and 
to Establish Off-Axis Uplink Power Limits for Extended Ka-Band FSS 
Operations'' (17 GHz Report and Order). In the 17 GHz Report and Order, 
the Commission amended its rules to permit geostationary satellite 
orbit (GSO) space stations to use the 17.3-17.7 GHz band by 
geostationary satellite orbit (GSO) space stations in the fixed-
satellite

[[Page 32429]]

service (FSS) in the space-to-Earth direction on a co-primary basis 
with incumbent services and permit limited GSO FSS (space-to-Earth) use 
of the 17.7-17.8 GHz band on an unprotected basis with respect to fixed 
service operations. Specifically, the 17 GHz Report and Order contains 
the following new or modified information collection requirements:
     Certification of frequency coordination with the operator 
of the co-frequency space station or submission of an interference 
analysis demonstrating the compatibility of the proposed system with 
the co-frequency space station;
     Information as to earth station antenna characteristics to 
ensure that antennas are properly aimed and configured and that their 
signals are not likely to interfere with other systems; and
     Information pertaining to implementation of interference 
detection and mitigation plans to prevent and resolve interference 
issues.
    The changes adopted in the 17 GHz Report and Order will result in a 
small net annualized increase in burden hours to certain applicants and 
licensees under part 25.
    Finally, the Commission has updated the International 
Communications Filing System (ICFS)--which was formerly named the 
International Bureau Filing System, see 88 FR 21424--including updates 
to the Form 312, including Schedules A, B, and S, and Form 312-R. 
Applicants will be required to submit Form 312 (including Schedules A, 
B, and S) and Form 312-R through the updated, integrated web-based 
program. The updated version of Form 312 (including Schedules A, B, and 
S) and Form 312-R will include several minor changes to the information 
collection designed to provide clarity to applicants and Commission 
staff, reduce errors, and make overall improvements to the applicants' 
experience in completing the forms. Therefore, this supporting 
statement is being revised to reflect the new requirements, which are 
include the addition of several questions designed to better convey the 
overall information being requested in the form.
    The changes will result in a very small net annualized increase in 
burden hours to certain applicants under part 25.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-09024 Filed 4-25-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P