[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 189 (Wednesday, September 30, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52268-52269]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-26148]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
Notice of Public Information Collection(s) submitted to OMB for
Review and Approval
September 23, 1998.
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 of 1995, Public Law 104-13. 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, 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 information techniques or other forms of information
technology.
DATES: Written comments should be submitted on or before October 30,
1998. If you anticipate that you will be submitting comments, but find
it difficult to do so within the period of
[[Page 52269]]
time allowed by this notice, you should advise the contact listed below
as soon as possible.
ADDRESSES: Direct all comments to Les Smith, Federal Communications,
Room 234, 1919 M St., N.W., Washington, DC 20554 or via internet to
lesmith@fcc.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or copies
of the information collections contact Les Smith at 202-418-0217 or via
internet at lesmith@fcc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
OMB Approval Number: 3060-0823.
Title: Pay Telephone Reclassification Memorandum Opinion and Order,
CC Docket No. 96-28.
Form Number: N/A.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Respondents: Business and other for-profit entities.
Number of Respondents: 400.
Estimated Time Per Response: 2-35 hours/request.
Frequency of Response: Recordkeeping. Annual, quarterly, monthly,
one time, and on occasion reporting requirements; Third party
disclosure.
Total Annual Burden: 44,700 hours.
Cost to Respondents: $480,000 ($600 filing fee/submission).
Needs and Uses: In the Payphone Orders, the FCC adopted new rules
and policies governing the payphone industry to implement Section 276
of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Those rules and policies in part
established a plan to ensure fair compensation for ``each and every
completed intrastate and interstate call using [a] payphone.''
Specifically, the Commission established a plan to ensure that payphone
service providers (PSPs) were compensated for certain noncoin calls
originated from their payphones. As part of this plan, the Commission
required that by October 7, 1997, LECs provide payphone-specific coding
digits to PSPs, and that PSPs provide those digits from their payphones
to IXCs. The provision of payphone-specific coding digits is a
prerequisite to payphone per-call compensation payments to IXCs to PSPs
for subscriber 800 and access code calls. The Common Carrier Bureau, on
its own motion, subsequently provided a waiver until March 9, 1998, for
those payphones for which the necessary coding digits were not provided
to identify calls. In a Memorandum Opinion and Order (MO&O) (released
March 9, 1998), we clarify the requirements established in the Payphone
Orders for the provision for payphone-specific coding digits and for
tariffs that LECs must file pursuant to the Payphone Orders. We also
grant a waiver of Part 69 of the Commission's rules so that local
exchange carriers (LECs) can establish rate elements to recover the
costs of implementing FLEX-ANI to provide payphone-specific coding
digits for per-call compensation. The Commission in the Memorandum
Opinion and Order, therefore, is effecting the following collections of
information made in regard to information disclosures required in the
Payphone Orders to implement Section 276 of the Act. The collection
requirements are as follows: (a) LEC Tariff to provide FLEX ANI to
IXCs: The MO&O requires that LECs implement FLEX ANI to comply with the
requirements set forth in the Payphone Orders. LECs must provide to
IXCs through their interstate tariffs, FLEX ANI service so that IXCs
can identify which calls come from a payphone. LECs (and PSPs) must
provide FLEX ANI to IXCs without charge for the limited purpose of per-
call compensation, and accordingly, LECs providing FLEX ANI must revise
their interstate tariffs to reflect FLEX ANI as a nonchargeable option
to IXCs no later than March 30, 1998, to be effective no later than
April 15, 1998, in those areas that it is available. (b) LEC Tariff to
recover costs: LECs must file a tariff to establish a rate element in
their interstate tariffs to recover their costs from PSPs for providing
payphone-specific coding digits to IXCs. This tariff must reflect the
costs of implementing FLEX ANI to provide payphone-specific coding
digits for payphone compensation, and provide for recovery of such
costs over a reasonable time period through a monthly recurring flat-
rate charge. LECs must provide cost support information for the rate
elements they propose. The Bureau will review these LEC rate element
tariff filings, the reasonableness of the costs, and the recovery
period. LECs will recover their costs over an amortization period of no
more than ten years. The rate element charges will discontinue when the
LEC has recovered its cost. (c) LECs must provide IXCs information on
payphones that provide payphone-specific coding digits for smart and
dumb payphones: LECs must provide IXCs information on the number and
location of smart and dumb payphones providing payphone-specific coding
digits, as well as the number of those that are not. (d) LECs must
provide IXCs and PSPs information on where FLEX ANI is available now
and when it is scheduled in the future: Within 30 days of the release
of the MO&O, LECs should be prepared to provide IXCs, upon request,
information regarding their plans to implement FLEX ANI by end office.
LECs must provide IXCs and PSPs information on payphones that provide
payphone-specific coding digits on end offices where FLEX ANI is
available, and where it is not, on a monthly basis. Pursuant to the
waivers in this order, LECs must also inform IXCs and PSPs proposed
dates for its availability. (e) For a waiver granted to small or
midsize LECs, a cost analysis must be provided, upon request: In the
MO&O, the Bureau grants a waiver to midsize and small LECs that will be
unable to recover the costs of implementing FLEX ANI in a reasonable
time period. LECs must make this evaluation within 30 days of the
release of the MO&O. The LEC must then notify IXCs that they will not
be implementing FLEX ANI pursuant to this waiver, and provide the
number of dumb payphones providing the ``27'' coding digit and the
number of smart phones for which payphone-specific coding digits are
unavailable. A LEC delaying the implementation of FLEX ANI pursuant to
this waiver provision, must be prepared to provide its analysis, if
requested by the Commission. The information disclosure rules and
policies governing the payphone industry to implement Section 276 of
the Act will ensure the payment of the per-call compensation by
implementing a method for LECs to provide information to IXCs to
identify calls, for each and every call made from a payphone.
Federal Communications Commission.
Magalie Roman Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-26148 Filed 9-29-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-10-P
