2012-26698. Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission

AGENCY:

Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995. 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 ways to further reduce the information collection burden on 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 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 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number.

DATES:

Written PRA comments should be submitted on or before December 31, 2012. 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 advise the contact listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES:

Direct all PRA comments to the Federal Communications Commission via email to [e-mail] and [e-mail].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For additional information about the information collection, contact Cathy Williams at [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OMB Control No.: 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 No.: FCC Form 312; Schedule S.

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved information collection.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit.

Number of Respondents: 1,248 respondents; 1,248 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: 0.25-22 hours per response.

Frequency of Response: On occasion and annual reporting requirements; third-party disclosure requirement; recordkeeping requirement.

Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The statutory authority for this collection is contained in 47 U.S.C. 154, 301, 302, 303, 307, 309, 332 and 705 unless otherwise noted.

Total Annual Burden: 9,765 hours.

Annual Cost Burden: $22,375,860.

Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).

Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: In general, there is no need for confidentiality with this collection of information.

Needs and Uses: On September 28, 2012, the Federal Communications Commission (“Commission”) released a Report and Order (R&O) titled, “In the Matter of 2006 Biennial Regulatory Review—Revision of Part 25,” FCC 12-116. With two exceptions, the amendments are non-substantive; that is, they neither impose new requirements nor eliminate or alter existing requirements. The two substantive amendments adopted in the R&O do not increase paperwork burdens. Therefore, the number of respondents, number of responses, annual burden hours and annual costs have not been amended from the previous submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on September 2, 2010.

In this Report and Order, the Commission amended various provisions of Part 25 of its rules pertaining to licensing and operation of satellite service radio stations. Among other things, the Commission added definitions for several technical terms that appear in Part 25 but are not defined there, and it deleted definitions of terms that are not used in Part 25. The Commission also eliminated redundant text from several rule sections, revised the wording of other provisions that were ambiguous or unduly confusing, updated cross-references to Commission rules or recommendations of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and corrected grammatical, spelling, and typographical errors. The two substantive amendments the Commission adopted in this Report and Order amended the rules in minor ways by: (1) Eliminating requirements to identify a radio service and station location in correspondence in 47 CFR 25.110 and (2) codifying an established practice of allowing applicants to cross-reference, rather than re-submit, previously filed information regarding non-U.S.-licensed satellites in 47 CFR 25.137. Collectively, the changes adopted in this Report and Order will facilitate preparation of earth and space station applications, promote compliance with the Commission's operating rules, and ease administrative burdens for applicants, licensees, and the Commission.

The information collection requirements accounted for in this collection are necessary to determine the technical and legal qualifications of applicants or licensees to operate a station and to determine whether the authorization is in the public interest, convenience and necessity. Without such information, the Commission could not determine whether to permit respondents to provide telecommunications services in the United States. Therefore, the Commission would not be able to fulfill its statutory responsibilities in accordance with the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, and the obligations imposed on parties to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Basic Telecom Agreement.

Federal Communications Commission.

Gloria J. Miles,

Federal Register Liaison, Office of the Secretary, Office of Managing Director.