2011-17891. Information Collection Being Submitted for Review and Approval to the Office of Management and Budget

AGENCY:

Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

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 (PRA) of 1995. 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, and clarity of the information collected; (d) 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 (e) ways to further reduce the information collection 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 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 currently valid OMB control number.

DATES:

Written Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) comments should be submitted on or before August 15, 2011. If you anticipate that you will be submitting PRA comments, but find it difficult to do so within the period of time allowed by this notice, you should advise the FCC contact listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES:

Direct all PRA comments to Nicholas A. Fraser, Office of Management and Budget, via fax at 202-395-5167 or via e-mail to [e-mail] and to the Federal Communications Commission via e-mail to [e-mail] and [e-mail]. To view a copy of this information collection request (ICR) submitted to OMB: (1) Go to the web page http://reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain,, (2) look for the section of the web page called “Currently Under Review”, (3) click on the downward-pointing arrow in the “Select Agency” box below the “Currently Under Review” heading, (4) select “Federal Communications Commission” from the list of agencies presented in the “Select Agency” box, (5) click the “Submit” button to the right of the “Select Agency” box, and (6) when the list of FCC ICRs currently under review appears, look for the title of this ICR (or its OMB Control Number, if there is one) and then click on the ICR Reference Number to view detailed information about this ICR.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For additional information or copies of the information collection(s), contact Cathy Williams on [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OMB Control Number: 3060-XXXX.

Title: Sections 15.713, 15.714, 15.715 and 15.717, TV White Space Broadcast Bands.

Form No.: N/A.

Type of Review: New Collection.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit.

Number of Respondents: 2,000 respondents; 2,000 responses.

Estimated Time Per Response: 2 hours.

Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement, recordkeeping requirement and third party disclosure requirement.

Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. Statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 154(i), 302, 303(c), 303(f), and 307.

Total Annual Burden: 4,000 hours.

Total Annual Cost: $100,000.

Privacy Act Impact Assessment: N/A.

Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: The Commission is not requesting respondents to submit confidential information to the Commission. Respondents may request that portions of their information remain confidential in accordance with 47 CFR 0.459 of the Commission's rules.

Needs and Uses: The Commission will submit this information collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) after this comment period in order to obtain the full three year clearance from them. The Commission is reporting a program change increase of 4,000 total annual burden hours and an increase of $100,000 in annual costs.

On November 14, 2008, the Commission adopted a Second Report and Order and Memorandum Opinion and Order, FCC 08-260, ET Docket No. 04-186 that established rules to allow new and unlicensed wireless devices to operate in the broadcast television spectrum at locations where that spectrum is not being used by licensed services (this unused TV spectrum is often termed television “white spaces”). The rules will allow for the use of unlicensed TV band devices in the unused spectrum to provide broadband data and other services for consumers and businesses.

Subsequently on September 23, 2010, the Commission adopted a Second Memorandum Opinion and Order finalizing the rules to make the unused spectrum in the TV bands available for unlicensed broadband wireless devices. This action resolved on reconsideration certain legal and technical issues in order to provide certainty concerning the rules for operation of unlicensed transmitting devices in the television broadcast frequency bands (unlicensed TV bands devices or “TVBDs”). Resolution of these issues will now allow manufacturers to begin marketing unlicensed communications devices and systems that operate on frequencies in the TV bands in areas where they are not used by licensed services (“TV white spaces”).

In the Second Report and Order the Commission decided to designate one or more database administrator from the private sector to create and operate TV band databases. The TV band database administrators will act on behalf of the FCC, but will offer a privately owned and operated service. Each database administrator will be responsible for operation of their database and coordination of the overall functioning of the database with other administrators, and will provide database access to TVBDs.

The Commission also decided that operators of venues using unlicensed wireless microphones will be required to register their sites with the Commission which will transmit the information to the database administrators. The registration request must be filed at least 30 days in advance and the requests will be made public to provide an opportunity for public comment or objections.

Federal Communications Commission.

Bulah P. Wheeler,

Deputy Manager, Office of the Secretary, Office of Managing Director.