Public Information Collections Approved by Office of Management and Budget

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

Public Information Collections Approved by Office of Management

and Budget

August 28, 1998.

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.: 3060-0842.

Expiration Date: 02/28/99.

Title: Revenue Benchmark Data Request.

Form No.: N/A.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit.

Estimated Annual Burden: 16 respondents; 250 hours per response

(avg.); 4000 total annual burden hours for all collections.

Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.

Frequency of Response: One-time requirement.

Description: Pursuant to Congress's directive in the

Telecommunications Act of 1996 that the Commission establish support

mechanisms to ensure the delivery of affordable telecommunication

service to all Americans, the Commission determined on May 8, 1997 that

universal service support for rural, insular, and high cost areas

should be based on forward-looking economic costs. As part of the

forward-looking economic cost methodology, the Commission determined

that it would select two revenue benchmarks to calculate the amount of

federal universal service support that eligible non-rural carriers

should receive. The data request solicits information from non-rural

local exchange carriers to calculate the revenue benchmarks that will

determine the level of universal service support. The data request

solicits information on annual data for 1996 through first Quarter

1998; interstate switched access revenues for July 1998; Intrastate

Switched Access Revenues for July 1998; Residential, single-Line

business, and Multi-Line Business Local Service Revenues for July 1998;

and Residential, Single-Line Business, and Multi-Line Business Local

Service and IntraLATA Toll Revenues for July 1998. The data request was

issued in CC Dockets 96-45 and 97-160; DA 98-1576. The data request

will be used to assist the Commission in implementing the forward-

looking economic cost methodology used to estimate the amount of

universal service support that will be provided to eligible non-rural

carriers beginning July 1, 1999. Obligation to respond: Mandatory.

OMB Control No.: 3060-0843.

Expiration Date: 2/28/99.

Title: Carrier Identification Codes Blocking Data Request.

Form No.: N/A.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit.

Estimated Annual Burden: 6 respondents; 8 hours per response

(avg.); 48 total annual burden hours.

Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.

Frequency of Response: One-time requirement.

Description: The five regional Bell Operating Companies and GTE are

required to submit reports to the Common Carrier Bureau describing

their progress in phasing out three-digit Carrier Identification Codes

(CICs). This data is critical to the general and specific

implementation and oversight responsibilities that the Commission bears

under the Communications Act to evaluate the status and development of

competition in the provision of local exchange telecommunications

services. The data request will be used to evaluate the status of

developing competition in the long distance telecommunications markets.

The information will be used by the Commission to determine whether the

phase-out of three-digit CICs is being implement. Statutory authority

for information collection from carriers and other entities is set out

in the following sections of the Communications Act: Sections 4(i),

215, and 218. Obligation to respond: Mandatory.

OMB Control No.: 3060-0816.

Expiration Date: 02/28/99.

Title: Local Competition in the Local Exchange Telecommunications

Services Report.

Form No.: N/A.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit.

Estimated Annual Burden: 20 respondents; 900 hours per response

(avg.); 18,000 total annual burden hours for all collections.

Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.

Frequency of Response: On occasion; quarterly.

Description: The Telecommunications Act of 1996 (1996 Act) directed

the Commission to undertake various initiatives to implement new

statutory directives concerning the development of local exchange

competition. Central to these directives are new Section 251, governing

incumbent local exchange carrier (LEC) provision of interconnection to

competitors, and new Section 271 which provides a means whereby Bell

Operating Companies (BOCs)--long prohibited from entering various

telecommunications market--may now do so upon submission of qualifying

applications. Pursuant to its new statutory obligations and in its

general capacity as chief federal regulatory agency tasked with

implementing the 1996 Communications Act amendments, the Commission

must evaluate the status and development--nationwide--of local

competition, i.e., competition in the provision of local exchange

telecommunications services. Approximately twenty telecommunications

companies including Bell Operating Companies are asked to voluntarily

submit information to the Commission to evaluate the status and

development of developing competition in the local exchange

telecommunications markets. The request is limited to technical queries

about the nature and extent of carrier-provided access facilities;

switch ports and non-switched service lines; number of customers

purchasing specific services; state operations data; total carrier-

handled switched local, intrastate toll, and interstate toll minutes;

and number of local telephone numbers ported as of end-of-year 1997.

The information will be used by Commission economists and carrier

analysts to advise the Commission about the efficacy of Commission

rules and policies adopted to implement the Telecommunications Act of

1996. Obligation to respond: Voluntary.

OMB Control No.: 3060-0774.

Expiration Date: 11/30/98.

Title: Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service--CC Docket

No. 96-

[[Page 48507]]

45, 47 CFR 36.611-36.612 and 47 CFR Part 54.

Form No.: N/A.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit, individuals or

households; not-for-profit institutions; state, local or tribal

government.

Estimated Annual Burden: 5,565,451 respondents; .32 hours per

response (avg.); 1,801,570 total annual burden hours for all

collections.

Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.

Frequency of Response: On occasion, annually, one-time

requirements.

Description: Congress directed the Commission to implement a new

set of universal service support mechanisms that are explicit and

sufficient to advance the universal service principles enumerated in

Section 254 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and such other

principles as the Commission believes are necessary and appropriate for

the protection of the public interest, convenience and necessity, and

are consistent with the Act. In the various Orders issued in CC Docket

No. 96-45, the Commission adopted rules that are designed to implement

the universal service provisions of section 254. Specifically, the

Orders address: (1) universal service principles; (2) services eligible

for support; (3) affordability; (4) carriers eligible for universal

service support; (5) support mechanisms for rural, insular, and high

cost areas; (6) support for low-income consumers; (7) support for

schools, libraries, and health care providers; (8) interstate

subscriber for schools, libraries, and health care providers; (8)

interstate subscriber line charge and common line cost recovery; and

(9) administration of support mechanisms. The reporting and

recordkeeping requirements contained in CC Docket No. 96-45 are

designed to implement Section 254. The requirements are necessary to

ensure the integrity of the program. All the collections are necessary

to implement the congressional mandate for universal service. The

reporting and recordkeeping requirements are necessary to verify that

the carriers and other respondents are eligible to receive universal

service support. OMB extended approval for the collections. Obligation

to respond: Mandatory.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total annual

Rule section/title (47 CFR) Hours per response burden

------------------------------------------------------------------------

a. 36.611(a) & 36.612-- 20........................ 26,800

Submission and Updating

information to NECA.

b. 54.101(c)--Demonstration 50........................ 100

of exceptional

circumstances for toll-

limitation grace period.

c. 54.201(a)(2)--Submission 4......................... 400

of eligibility criteria.

d. 54.201(b)(c)--Submission 1......................... 3,400

of eligibility criteria.

e. 54.201(d)(2)-- 50........................ 65,000

Advertisement of services &

charges.

f. 54.205(a)--Advance notice .5........................ 50

of relinquishment of

universal service.

g. 54.207(c)(1)--Submission 125....................... 6,250

of proposal for redefining

a rural service area.

h. 54.307(b)--Reporting of 2.5 (avg.)................ 4,100

expenses & number of lines

served.

i. 54.401(b)(1)-(2)-- 2......................... 100

Submission of disconnection

waiver request.

j. 54.401(d)--Lifeline 1......................... 1,300

certification to the

Administrator.

k. 54.407(c)--Lifeline 80........................ 104,000

recordkeeping.

l. 54.409(a)-(b)--Consumer 5 min..................... 440,000

qualification for Lifeline.

m. 54.409(b)--Consumer 5 min..................... 44,000

notification of Lifeline

discontinuance.

n. 54.418(b)--Link Up 80........................ 104,000

recordkeeping.

o. 54.501(d)(4) & 54.516-- 41 (avg.)................. 372,000

Schools & Libraries

recordkeeping.

p. 54.504(b)-(c), 54.507(d) 2......................... 100,000

& 54.509(a)--Description of

services requested &

certification.

q. 54.519--State 4......................... 200

telecommunications networks.

r. 54.601(b)(4) & 54.609(b)-- 100....................... 340,000

Calculating support for

health care providers.

s. 54.601(b)(3) & 54.619-- 21 (avg.)................. 160,000

Shared facility record-

keeping.

t. 54.607(b)(1)-(2)-- 3......................... 150

Submission of proposed

rural rate.

u. 54.603--Streamlined 1......................... 16,000

application process for

schools and libraries and

for rural health care

providers.

v. 54.603(b)(1), 54.615(c)- 1......................... 11,000

(d) & 54.623(d)--

Description of services

requested and certification.

w. 54.619(d)--Submission of 40........................ 40

rural health care report.

x. 54.701(f)(1) & (f)(2)-- 40........................ 40

Submission of annual report

& CAM.

y. 54.701(g)--Submission of 10........................ 40

quarterly report.

z. 54.707--Submission of .25....................... 850

state commission

designation.

aa. Obligation to notify 1......................... 1,700

underlying carrier.

bb. Demonstration of 4......................... 200

reasonable steps.

---------------

Total Annual Burden .......................... 1,801,570

Hours.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

All the collections are necessary to implement the congressional

mandate for universal service. The reporting and recordkeeping

requirements are necessary to verify that the carriers and other

respondents are eligible to receive universal service support.

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, DC 20554.

Federal Communications Commission.

Magalie Roman Salas,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 98-24195 Filed 9-9-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6712-01-P