[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 172 (Thursday, September 5, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72399-72401]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-19911]


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

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-0233; FR ID 242032]


Information Collection Being Submitted for Review and Approval to 
Office of Management and Budget

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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

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.'' 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.

DATES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be submitted on or before October 7, 
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 Nicole Ongele, FCC, 
via email to [email protected] and to [email protected]. Include in the

[[Page 72400]]

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 Nicole Ongele at (202) 418-2991. 
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: 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: 3060-0233.
    Title: Part 54--Rate-of-Return Carrier Universal Service Reporting 
Requirements; Waiver of Local Exchange Carrier Study Area Boundary 
Changes.
    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: 1,098 respondents; 3,627 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 1-22 hours.
    Frequency of Response: 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: 34,404 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No Cost.
    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, 54.5. The loop cost and loop count 
information is to be filed annually with NECA by July 31st of each 
year. See 47 CFR 54.1305. 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 to continue modernizing the universal service support mechanisms 
for rate-of-return carriers. Connect America Fund et al., Report and 
Order et al., 31 FCC Rcd 3087 (2016) (Rate-of-Return Reform Order). 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. Id. at 3117-57, paras. 80-187. 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. Id. at 3157-62, paras. 188-204. 
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 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. 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). Historically, all rate-of-return carriers that received CAF-BLS 
or, prior to that, ICLS, were required to file line count data on FCC 
Form 507 as a condition of that support but Rate-of-return carriers 
that had elected to receive A-CAM I, A-CAM II, or Alaska Plan instead 
were not. Id. at 11937, para. 148. 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. See id. 
at 11937, para. 51. 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. 47 CFR 54.903(a)(1), 54.313(f)(5).
    On October 20, 2023, the Commission made changes to rate-of-return 
reporting rules by eliminating optional unseparated loop cost data 
quarterly updates. Connect America Fund et al., WC Docket No. 10-90 et 
al. WT Docket No. 10-208, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Report and 
Order, FCC 23-87 at 79-80, paras. 181-82 (Oct. 20, 2023). In addition, 
the Commission amended section 36.4 of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 
36.4, to require local exchange carriers seeking a change in study area 
boundaries to submit a petition for waiver of these boundary changes 
notwithstanding any prior exemptions from such waiver requests 
including, but not limited to, when a company is combining previously 
unserved territory with one of its study areas or a holding company is 
consolidating existing study areas within the same state. See id. at 
176-180, paras. 77-79. The Commission therefore proposes to revise this 
information collection.


[[Page 72401]]


Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-19911 Filed 9-4-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P