Public Information Collections Approved by Office of Management and Budget

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

Public Information Collections Approved by Office of Management

and Budget

September 19, 1997.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has received Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) approval for the following public

information collections pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of

1995, Pub. L. 104-13. An agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person

is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it

displays a currently valid control number. For further information

contact Shoko B. Hair, Federal Communications Commission, (202) 418-

1379.

Federal Communications Commission

OMB Control No.: 3060-0292.

Expiration Date: 09/30/2000.

Title: Access Charges--Part 69.

Form No.: N/A.

Respondents: Business or other for profit.

Estimated Annual Burden: 1458 respondents; 23.19 hours per response

(avg.); 33,825 total annual burden hours for all collections.

Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.

Frequency of Response: On occasion; semi-annually; monthly; one-

time requirement.

Description: Part 69 of the Commission's rules and regulations

establishes the rules for access charges for interstate or foreign

access provided by telephone companies on or after January 1, 1984.

Part 69 essentially consists of rules or the procedures for the

computation of access charges. Section 69.3 requires the annual

submission of access charge tariffs. Section 69.116(c) and 69.117(c)

require local exchange carriers to file information with NECA semi-

annually pertaining to the number of lines in their study areas and the

interexchange carriers to which such lines are presubscribed. This

information will be used by NECA to assess revenue requirements needed

to fund the Universal Service Fund and Lifeline Assistance programs.

(No. of respondents: 1458; hours per response: 5 hrs.; total annual

hours: 14,580 hrs.). Section 69.104(k)(1) requires that a state or

local telephone company wishing to implement an end user common line

reduction or waiver for its subscribers file information with the

Commission demonstrating that its state lifeline assistance plan meets

certain criteria. This is an one-time filing requirement. (No. of

respondents: 50; hours per response: 20 hrs.; total annual burden 1000

hrs.). Section 69.104(1) requires local telephone carriers to calculate

for NECA their projected revenue requirements for the lifeline

assistance program. (No. of respondents: 1459; hours per response: 3.5

hrs; total annual burden: 5103 hrs). Section 69.605 requires carriers

who are participating in the pool to report access revenues and cost

data so that NECA may compute monthly pool revenues distributions. (No.

of respondents: 1548; hours per response: .75 hrs; total annual burden:

13,122 hrs). The information is used to compute charges in tariffs for

access service (or origination and termination) and to compute revenue

pool distributions. Neither process could be implemented without the

information. You are required to respond.

OMB Control No.: 3060-0577.

Expiration Date: 09/30/2000.

Title: Expanded Interconnection with Local Telephone Company

Facilities.

Form No.: N/A.

Respondents: Business or other for profit.

Estimated Annual Burden: 16 respondents; 15 hours per response

(avg.); 240 total annual burden hours for all collections.

Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $10,000.

Frequency of Response: On occasion.

Description: In September 1992, the Commission adopted an order

requiring Tier 1 local exchange carriers (LECs), excluding NECA pool

members, to offer expanded interconnection for special access to all

interested parties, permitting competitors and high volume users to

terminate their own transmission facilities at LEC central offices.

(Special Access Order, CC Docket No. 91-141, Expanded Interconnection

with Local Telephone Company Facilities). Under the rules adopted in

the Special Access Order, Tier 1 LECs (those with over $100 million in

annual regulated revenues for a sustained period of time), except for

NECA pool members, are required to provide physical collocation to all

interconnectors that request it, with exemptions for LEC offices that

do not have enough space for physical collocation, and, under certain

circumstances, for states with regulatory policies favoring virtual

collocation or LEC choice of the form of collocation. Interconnectors

and LECs will be free to negotiate virtual collocation arrangements if

both parties prefer such arrangements over physical collocation. In the

Second Memorandum Opinion and Order on Reconsideration in CC Docket No.

91-141 (Reconsideration Order), the Commission reconsidered some of the

particularly time-sensitive requirements of the Special Access Order.

In particular, the Reconsideration Order reconsiders de novo the fresh

look issues addressed in the Special Access Order, clarifies and

expands the Commission's requirements concerning the application of

nonrecurring charges, modifies the requirement for tariffing virtual

collocation arrangements, and specifies certain standards that must be

met for a connection charge rate structure to be considered reasonable.

In order to comply with these requirements, Tier 1 LECs will have to

make certain tariff revisions. In addition, LECs must make tariff

filings to provide public notice of the start of the ``fresh look''

period at each of their

[[Page 51110]]

offices where expanded interconnection is implemented. Sections 201,

202, 203, 204, and 205 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended,

47 U.S.C. 201, 202, 203, 204, and 205, require that common carriers

establish just and reasonable charges, practices, and regulations for

the services they provide, and prohibit any unjust or unreasonable

discrimination, preference, or advantage. The LEC schedules containing

these charges, practices, and regulations must be filed with the

Commission. The tariff filings required by the Reconsideration Order

are necessary to ensure the effectiveness of the fresh look opportunity

that the Commission adopted in order to allow eligible customers to

assess the new alternatives available in a more competitive market. The

tariff filings that will be needed to comply with the Commission's

rules on nonrecurring charges and connection charges are necessary to

ensure that the rates charged to all LEC customers are just,

reasonable, and nondiscriminatory. Without this information, the FCC

would be unable to determine whether the tariffs for these services are

just, reasonable, nondiscriminatory, and otherwise in accordance with

the law and its rules. Obligation to respond is mandatory.

Public reporting burden for the collections of information is as

noted above. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other

aspect of the collections of information, including suggestions for

reducing the burden to Performance Evaluation and Records Management,

Washington, D.C. 20554.

Federal Communications Commission.

Shirley S. Suggs,

Chief, Publications Branch.

[FR Doc. 97-25787 Filed 9-29-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6712-01-P