[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 42 (Wednesday, March 4, 2015)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 11594-11595]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-04415]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 64

[WC Docket No. 13-39; FCC 13-135]


Rural Call Completion Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule; announcement of effective date.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Federal Communications Commission 
(Commission) announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
has approved, for a period of three years, the information collection 
associated with the Commission's Report and Order (Order) WC Docket No. 
13-39, FCC 13-135. This document is consistent with the Order, which 
stated that the Commission would publish a document in the Federal 
Register announcing OMB approval and the effective date of the 
requirements.

DATES: 47 CFR 64.2103, 64.2105, 64.2107, and the information collection 
in paragraph 67 of this Report and Order, which contains information 
collection requirements published at 78 FR 76218, December 17, 2013 are 
effective on March 4, 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Randy Clarke, Acting Division Chief, 
Wireline Competition Bureau, at (202) 418-1587.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This document announces that, on January 29, 
2015, OMB approved, for a period of three years, the information 
collection requirements contained in the Commission's Order, FCC 13-
135, published at 78 FR 76218, December 17, 2013. The OMB Control 
Number is 3060-1186. The Commission publishes this document as an 
announcement of the effective date of paragraphs 66 and 67, of document 
WC Docket No. 13-39, FCC 13-135. If you have any comments on the burden 
estimates listed below, or how the Commission can improve the 
collections and reduce any burdens caused thereby, please contact 
Nicole Ongele, Federal Communications Commission, Room 1-620, 445 12th 
Street SW., Washington, DC 20554, or via email at: 
[email protected]. Please include the OMB Control Number, 3060-
1186, in your correspondence. The Commission also will accept comments 
via email. Please send them to [email protected].
    To request materials in accessible formats for people with 
disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), 
send an email to [email protected] or call the Consumer and Governmental 
Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (TTY).

Synopsis

    As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3507), the FCC is notifying the public that it received OMB approval on 
January 29, 2015, for the information collection requirements contained 
in 64.2103, 64.2105, and 64.2107 of the Commission's Rules and the 
information collection in paragraph 67 of the Order.
    Under 5 CFR part 1320, an agency may not conduct or sponsor a 
collection of information unless it displays a current, 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 
that does not display a current, valid OMB Control Number. The OMB 
Control Number is 3060-1186.
    The foregoing notice is required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, Public Law 104-13, October 1, 1995, and 44 U.S.C. 3507.
    The total annual reporting burdens and costs for the respondents 
are as follows:
    OMB Control Number: 3060-1186.
    OMB Approval Date: January 29, 2015.
    OMB Expiration Date: January 31, 2018.
    Title: Rural Call Completion Recordkeeping and Reporting 
Requirements.
    Form Number: FCC Form 480.
    Respondents: Businesses or other for-profit entities.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 225 respondents; 940 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 12.5 hours (per quarter).
    Frequency of Response: Quarterly and one-time reporting 
requirements and recordkeeping requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 47 
U.S.C. 151, 154(i), 201(b), 202(a), 218, 220(a), 251(a), 403.
    Total Annual Burden: 11,280 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: $793,750.
    Privacy Impact Assessment: No impact (s).
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: An assurance of 
confidentiality is not offered because this information collection does 
not require the collection of personally identifiable information from 
individuals. If the FCC requests that respondents submit information 
which respondents believe is confidential, respondents may request 
confidential treatment of such information pursuant to Section 0.459 of 
the FCC's rules, 47 CFR 0.459.
    Needs and Uses: On October 28, 2013, the Wireline Competition 
Bureau (Bureau) of the Federal Communications Commission adopted a 
Report and Order (Order), in WC Docket No. 13-39; FCC 13-135, 78 FR 
76218, Rural Call Completion. Under the rules adopted by the Order, 
submission of Form 480 is mandatory for a ``covered provider'' as 
defined in 47 CFR 64.2101(c). A covered provider failing to file Form 
480 in a timely fashion may be subject to penalties under the 
Communications Act, including sections 502 and 503(b). In the Order the 
Commission improves its ability to monitor problems with completing 
calls to rural areas, and enforce restrictions against blocking, 
choking, reducing, or restricting calls. The Order applies the new 
rules to ``covered providers,'' meaning providers of long-distance 
voice service that make the initial long-distance call path choice for 
more than 100,000 domestic retail subscriber lines, counting the total 
of all business and residential fixed subscriber lines and mobile 
phones and aggregated over all of the providers' affiliates. In most 
cases, this is the calling party's long-distance provider. Covered 
providers include LECs, interexchange carriers (IXCs), commercial 
mobile radio service (CMRS) providers, and VoIP service providers. 
These rules do not apply to intermediate providers. Covered providers 
must file quarterly reports and retain the call detail records for at 
least six calendar months. Long-distance voice service providers that 
have more than 100,000 domestic retail subscriber lines but that, for 
reasons set forth in paragraph 67 of the Order, are not required to 
file quarterly reports are required to file a one-time letter in WC 
Docket No. 13-39 explaining that they do not make the initial long-
distance call path choice for more than 100,000 long-distance voice 
service subscriber lines and identifying the long-distance provider or 
providers to which they hand off their end-user customers' calls. The 
Order also allows qualifying providers to certify that they meet the 
conditions for a Safe Harbor that would reduce reporting and retention 
obligations. In addition, the Commission has delegated to the

[[Page 11595]]

Bureau, in consultation with the Enforcement Bureau, the authority to 
act on requests from qualified providers for waiver of these rules. The 
Order also adopts a rule prohibiting all originating and intermediate 
providers from causing audible ringing to be sent to the caller before 
the terminating provider has signaled that the called party is being 
alerted.
    In the near future, the Bureau will issue a public notice providing 
detailed instructions and announcing the deadline for the submission of 
data and providing further filing information.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-04415 Filed 3-3-15; 8:45 am]
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