Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Being Submitted for Review to the Office of Management and Budget, 55080 [E8-22447]

Agencies

• FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 186 (Wednesday, September 24, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Page 55080]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-22447]



[[Page 55080]]

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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Being Submitted for 
Review to the Office of Management and Budget

September 18, 2008.
SUMMARY: The Federal Communications Commission, as part of its 
continuing effort to reduce paperwork burden invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the 
following information collection(s), as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520. An agency may not 
conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid 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 (PRA) that does not display a valid 
control number. 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 estimate; (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.

DATES: Written Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) comments should be 
submitted on or before November 24, 2008. If you anticipate that you 
will be submitting PRA comments, but find it difficult to do so within 
the period of time allowed by this notice, you should advise the FCC 
contact listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Direct all PRA comments to Nicholas A. Fraser, Office of 
Management and Budget, 202-395-5887, or via fax at 202-395-5167 or via 
Internet at Nicholas_A._Fraser@omb.eop.gov and to Judith-
B.Herman@fcc.gov, Federal Communications Commission, or an e-mail to 
PRA@fcc.gov. To view a copy of this information collection request 
(ICR) submitted to OMB: (1) Go to the Web page https://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 (or its OMB Control Number, if there is one) and then 
click on the ICR Reference Number to view detailed information about 
this ICR.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information, contact 
Judith B. Herman at 202-418-0214 or via the Internet at Judith-
B.Herman@fcc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Control Number: 3060-0816.
    Title: Local Telephone Competition and Broadband Reporting.
    Form No.: FCC Form 477.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit; not-for-profit 
institutions, and state, local or tribal government.
    Number of Respondents: 1,610 respondents; 3,220 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 337 hours average burden.
    Frequency of Response: Semi-annual reporting requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Mandatory, as required by the Commission's 
rules implementing section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, 
47 U.S.C. 157 and the Communications Act of 1934, as amended; 47 U.S.C. 
151-155, 160, 161, 201-205, 215, 218-220, 251-271, 303(r), 332, 403, 
502 and 503.
    Total Annual Burden: 1,085,140 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: N/A.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: N/A.
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Respondents may request 
confidential treatment for competitively sensitive information by 
checking a box located on the first page of FCC Form 477. If the 
Commission receives a request for release pursuant to the Freedom of 
Information Act (FOIA), the respondent is notified and afforded an 
opportunity to show why the data should not be released under 47 CFR 
0.459(b) of the Commission's rules. Additionally, the Commission only 
releases aggregated (non-company specific) information in its published 
reports.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission will submit this information 
collection (IC) to the OMB as a revision during this comment period to 
obtain the full three-year clearance from them.
    On June 12, 2008, the Commission released two Orders in WC Docket 
No. 07-38. They are a Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking, FCC 08-89 and an Order on Reconsideration, FCC 08-148. With 
these two Orders, the Commission revises the FCC Form 477 data 
collection to improve the Commission's understanding of the extent of 
broadband deployment, facilitating the development of appropriate 
broadband policies.
    The Report and Order revises FCC Form 477 to require all broadband 
providers to report the number of broadband connections in service in 
individual Census Tracts. The Report and Order provides for additional 
methods to add to the data reported by FCC Form 477 filers, including a 
voluntary household self-reporting system, and a recommendation to the 
Census Bureau that the American Community Survey questionnaire be 
modified to gather information about broadband availability and 
subscription in households. The Report and Order adopts three 
additional changes to the FCC Form 477. First, it requires providers to 
report broadband service speed data in conjunction with subscriber 
counts according to new categories for download and upload speeds. 
These new speed tiers will better identify services that support 
advanced applications. Second, it amends reporting requirements for 
mobile wireless broadband providers to require them to report the 
number of subscribers whose data plans allow them to browse the 
Internet and access the lawful Internet content of their choice. Third, 
it requires providers of interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol 
(interconnected VoIP) service to report subscribership information on 
FCC Form 477. The Order on Reconsideration amends FCC Form 477 to 
require filers to report the percentage of broadband connections that 
are residential at the Census Tract level.
    The information is necessary to evaluate the status of local 
telephone competition and the status of broadband services deployment. 
The information assists the Commission in preparing the report mandated 
by section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and it is used by 
the Commission to evaluate the efficacy of Commission rules and 
policies adopted to implement the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E8-22447 Filed 9-23-08; 8:45 am]
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