[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 69 (Thursday, April 10, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19908-19909]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-08047]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Being Reviewed by the
Federal Communications Commission, Comments Requested
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burden
and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C.
3501-3520), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) invites the
general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to
comment on the following information collection(s). 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 further ways to reduce the
information burden for 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 OMB 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.
DATES: Written Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) comments should be
submitted on or before June 9, 2014. 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
[[Page 19909]]
advise the FCC contact listed below as soon as possible.
ADDRESSES: Submit your PRA comments to Leslie F. Smith, Office of
Managing Director (OMD), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), via
the Internet at [email protected]. To submit your PRA comments by
email, send them to [email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information, contact
Leslie F. Smith at (202) 418-0217, or via the Internet at [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
OMB Control Number: 3060-1046.
Title: Implementation of the Pay Telephone Reclassification and
Compensation Provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, CC
Docket No. 96-128, Order on Reconsideration, FCC 04-251.
Form Number: N/A.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
Number of Respondents: 469 respondents; 3,801 responses.
Estimated Time per Response: 0.50 hours-200 hours.
Frequency of Response: On occasion, annual and quarterly reporting
requirements, third party disclosure requirements, and recordkeeping
requirement.
Obligation To Respond: Mandatory. Statutory authority for this
information collection is contained in 47 U.S.C. 151, 154 and 276.
Total Annual Burden: 73,494 hours.
Total Annual Cost: No cost.
Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: The Commission is not
requesting respondents to submit confidential information. Respondents
may request confidential treatment of their information that they
believe to be confidential pursuant to 47 CFR 0.459 of the Commission's
rules.
Needs and Uses: The Commission will submit this expiring
information collection (IC) to the OMB during this comment period. The
Commission is seeking OMB approval for an extension of this information
collection. There is no change in the reporting, recordkeeping and/or
third party disclosure requirements. The Commission is reducing its
previous burden estimates by 86,690 hours. In the Order on
Reconsideration (FCC 04-251), the Commission considered four petitions
for reconsideration of our Report and Order. The Report and Order (FCC
03-235) established detailed rules (Payphone Compensation Rules)
ensuring that payphone service providers or PSPs are ``fairly
compensated'' for each and every completed payphone-originated call
pursuant to section 276 of the Communications Act, as amended (the
Act). The Payphone Compensation Rules satisfy section 276 by
identifying the party liable for compensation and establishing a
mechanism for PSPs to be paid. The Payphone Compensation Rules: (1)
Place liability to compensate PSPs for payphone-originated calls on the
facilities-based long distance carriers or switch-based resellers
(SBRs) from whose switches such calls are completed; (2) define these
responsible carriers as ``Completing Carriers'' and require them to
develop their own system of tracking calls to completion, the accuracy
of which must be confirmed and attested to by a third-party auditor;
(3) require Completing Carriers to file with PSPs a quarterly report
and also submit an attestation by the chief financial officer (CFO)
that the payment amount for that quarter is accurate and is based on
100% of all completed calls; (4) require quarterly reporting
obligations for other facilities-based long distance carriers in the
call path, if any, and define these carriers as ``Intermediate
Carriers;'' (5) give parties flexibility to agree to alternative
compensation arrangements (ACA) so that small Completing Carriers may
avoid the expense of instituting a tracking system and undergoing an
audit. The Order on Reconsideration did not change this compensation
framework, but rather refined and built upon its approach. While the
Commission increased the time carriers must retain certain data and
added burden in that regard, the Commission also removed potentially
burdensome paperwork requirements by encouraging carriers to comply
with the reporting requirements through electronic means. We believe
that the clarifications adopted in the Order on Reconsideration
significantly decrease the paperwork burden on carriers. Specifically,
the Commission did the following: (1) Clarified alternative
arrangements for small businesses requiring a Completing Carrier to
give the PSP adequate notice of an ACA prior to its effective date with
sufficient time for the PSP to object to an ACA, and also prior to the
termination of an ACA; (2) clarified any paperwork burdens imposed on
carriers allowing Completing Carriers the ability to give PSPs adequate
notice of payphone compensation requirements by placing notice on a
clearinghouse Web site or through electronic methods; (3) required
Completing Carriers and Intermediate Carriers to report only completed
calls in their quarterly reports; and (4) extended the time period from
18 to 27 months for Completing Carriers and Intermediate Carriers to
retain certain payphone records.
Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Office of Managing Director.
[FR Doc. 2014-08047 Filed 4-9-14; 8:45 am]
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