2017-20586. Procedural Rules Governing Formal Complaint Proceedings NPRM

AGENCY:

Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION:

Notice of proposed rulemaking.

SUMMARY:

In this document, a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposes a uniform set of procedural rules for formal complaint proceedings delegated to the Enforcement Bureau and currently handled by its Market Disputes Resolution Division and Telecommunications Consumers Division. Specifically, the NPRM proposes to streamline and consolidate the procedural rules governing formal complaints filed under Section 208 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (Act); pole attachment complaints filed under Section 224 of the Act; and formal advanced communications services and equipment complaints filed under Sections 255, 716, and 718 of the Act. These separate sets of procedural rules are not congruent, and the inconsistencies have led to needless confusion.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before October 26, 2017. Reply comments are due on or before November 13, 2017.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by EB Docket No. 17-245, by any of the following methods:

• Federal Communications Commission's Web site: http://apps.fcc.gov/​ecfs/​. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail: Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and one copy of each filing. Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, by commercial overnight courier, or by first-class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail. All filings must be addressed to the Commission's Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission. All hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings for the Commission's Secretary must be delivered to FCC Headquarters at 445 12th St. SW., Room TW-A325, Washington, DC 20554. The filing hours are 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. All hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes and boxes must be disposed of before entering the building. Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743. U.S. Postal Service first-class, Express, and Priority mail must be addressed to 445 12th Street SW., Washington DC 20554.
• People with Disabilities: To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an email to [e-mail] or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (tty).

In addition to filing comments with the Secretary, a copy of any comments on the Paperwork Reduction Act information collection requirements contained herein should be submitted to the Federal Communications Commission via email to [e-mail].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Enforcement Bureau, Market Disputes Resolution Division, at [phone]. For additional information concerning the Paperwork Reduction Act information collection requirements contained in this document, send an email to [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This is a summary of the Commission's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ( NPRM) in EB Docket No. 17-245, adopted September 13, 2017 and released September 18, 2017. The full text of this document is available for public inspection during regular business hours in the FCC Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street SW., Room CY-A257, Washington, DC 20554. It is available on the Commission's Web site at https://apps.fcc.gov/​edocs_​public/​.

This document contains proposed modified information collection requirements. The Commission, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, invites the general public and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to comment on the information collection requirements contained in this document, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. In addition, pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, Public Law 107-198, we seek specific comment on how we might further reduce the information collection burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees.

Federal Communications Commission.

Marlene H. Dortch,

Secretary.