Public Information Collections Approved by Office of Management and Budget

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

Public Information Collections Approved by Office of Management

and Budget

January 28, 1999.

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, Public Law 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.: 3060-0774.

Expiration Date: 01/31/2002.

[[Page 6079]]

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

No. 96-45, 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.); 1,785,570 total annual burden hours for all

collections.

Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.

Frequency of Response: On occasion; annually; one-time; every five

years; recordkeeping requirements; third party disclosures.

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. Obligation to respond: Mandatory.

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

Total annual

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

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

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

and Updating information to NECA.

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

exceptional circumstances for

toll-limitation grace period.

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

eligibility criteria.

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

eligibility criteria.

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

services & charges.

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

relinquishment of universal

service.

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

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)--Submission 2 100

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. 54.413(b)--Link Up 80 104,000

recordkeeping.

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

& 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--Shared 21 (avg.) 160,000

facility record-keeping.

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

of proposed rural rate.

u. 54.603(b)(1), 54.615(c)-(d) & 1 11,000

54.623(d)--Description of

services requested and

certification.

v. 54.619(d)--Submission of rural 40 40

health care report.

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

Submission of annual report &

CAM.

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

quarterly report.

y. 54.707--Submission of state .25 850

commission designation.

z. Obligation to notify 1 1,700

underlying carrier.

aa. Demonstration of reasonable 1 50

steps.

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

Total Annual Burden Hours.... ..................... 1,785,570

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

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 Control No.: 3060-0760.

Expiration Date: 12/31/2001.

Title: Access Charge Reform--CC Docket No. 96-262 (First Report and

Order), Second Order on Reconsideration and Memorandum Opinion and

Order, and Third Report and Order.

Form No.: N/A.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit.

Estimated Annual Burden: 13-14 respondents; 2-300 hours per

response (avg.); 1,796,916 total annual burden hours for all

collections.

Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $23,400

($600 filing fee).

Frequency of Response: On occasion; third party disclosure.

Description: In the First Report and Order, CC Docket No. 96-262,

Access Charge Reform and the Second Report on Reconsideration and

Memorandum Opinion and Order, the FCC adopts, that, consistent with

principles of cost-causation and economic efficiency, nontraffic

sensitive (NTS) costs associated with local switching should be

recovered on an NTS basis, through flat-rated, per month charges. a.

Showings under the Market-Based Approach: as competition develops in

the market, the FCC will gradually relax and ultimately remove existing

Part 69 Federal access rate structure requirements and Part 61 price

caps restrictions on rate level changes.

[[Page 6080]]

Regulatory reform will take place in two phases. The first phase of

regulatory reform will take place when an incumbent Local Exchange

Carrier's (LEC's) network has been opened to competition for interstate

access services. The second phase of rate structure reforms will take

place when an actual competitive presence has developed in the

marketplace. LECs may have to submit certain information to demonstrate

that they have met the standards. (No. of respondents: 13; hours per

response: 137,986 hours; total annual burden: 1,793,818 hours). b. Cost

Study of Interstate Access Service that Remain Subject to Price Cap

Regulation: To implement our backstop to market-based access charge

reform, we require each incumbent price cap LEC to file a cost study no

later than February 8, 2001, demonstrating the cost of providing those

interstate access services that remain subject to price cap regulation

because they do not face substantial competition. (No. of respondents:

13; hours per response: 8 hours; total annual burden: 104 hours). c.

Tariff Filings: The Commission requires the filing of various tariffs.

(No. of respondents: 13; hours per response: 58; total annual burden:

754 hours). d. Third-Party disclosure: In the Second Order on

Reconsideration, the Commission requires LECs to provide IXCs with

customer-specific information about how many and what types of

presubscribed interexchange carrier charges (PICCs) they are assessing

for each of the IXCs presubscribed customers. (No. of respondents: 14;

hours per response: 160 hours; total annual burden: 2240 hours). One of

the primary goals of the First Report and Order was to develop a cost-

recovery mechanism that permits carriers to recover their costs in a

manner that reflects the way in which those costs are incurred. Without

access to information that indicates whether the LEC is assessing a

primary or nonprimary residential PICC, or about how many local

business lines are presubscribed to a particular IXC, the IXCs will be

unable to develop rates that accurately reflect the underlying costs.

The information required under these orders would be used in

determining whether the incumbent LECs should receive the regulatory

relief proposed in the Orders. The information collected under the

Orders would be submitted by the LECs to the interexchange carriers

(IXCs) for use in developing the most cost-efficient rates and rate

structures. Obligation to respond: Mandatory.

OMB Control No.: 3060-0519.

Expiration Date: 12/31/2001.

Title: Rules and Regulations Implementing the Telephone Consumer

Protection Act of 1991--CC Docket No. 92-60.

Form No.: N/A.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit.

Estimated Annual Burden: 30,000 respondents; 31.2 hours per

response (avg.); 936,000 total annual burden hours for all collections.

Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.

Frequency of Response: On occasion.

Description: In CC Docket No. 92-60, the FCC implemented final

rules pursuant to the requirements of the Telephone Consumer Protection

Act of 1991, Public Law 102-243, Dec. 20, 1991 (TCPA) which added

Section 227 to the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, to restrict

the use of automatic telephone dialing systems, artificial or

prerecorded messages, facsimile machines or other devices to send

unsolicited advertisements. The rules require that telephone solicitors

maintain and use company-specific lists of residential subscribers who

request not to receive further telephone calls (company-specific do-

not-call lists), thereby affording consumers the choice of which

solicitors also are required to have a written policy for maintaining

do-not-call lists, and are responsible for informing and training their

personnel the existence and use of such lists. The rules require that

those making telephone solicitations identify themselves to called

parties, and that basis identifying information also be included in

telephone facsimile transactions. The Commission believes that these

rules are the best means of preventing unwanted telephone

solicitations.

OMB Control No.: 3060-0536.

Expiration Date: 01/31/2000.

Title: Rules and Requirements for Telecommunications Relay Services

(TRS) Interstate Cost Recovery.

Form No.: FCC Form 431.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit.

Estimated Annual Burden: 5000 respondents; 3.1 hours per response

(avg.); 15,593 total annual burden hours for all collections.

Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.

Frequency of Response: On occasion; annually; third party

disclosure.

Description: Title IV of the Americans with Disabilities Act,

Public Law 101-336, Section 401, 104 Stat. 327, 366-69 (codified at 47

U.S.C. Section 225 requires the Federal Communications Commission to

ensure that telecommunications relay services are available to persons

with hearing and speech disabilities in the United States. Among other

things, the Commission is required by 47 U.S.C. 225(d)(3) to enact and

oversee a shared-funding mechanism (TRS Fund) for recovering the costs

of providing TRS. The Commission's regulations concerning the TRS fund

are codified at 47 CFR 64.604(c)(4). Pursuant to these regulations, the

National Exchange Carrier Association (NECA) has been appointed

Administrator of the TRS Fund. The Commission's rules require all

carriers providing interstate telecommunication services to contribute

to the TRS Fund on an annual basis. Contributions are the product of

the carrier's gross interstate revenues for the previous year and a

contribution factor determined annually by the Commission. The

collected contributions are used to compensate TRS providers for the

costs of providing interstate TRS service. The Commission releases an

order each year approving the contribution factor, payment rate, and

TRS Fund Worksheet for the following year. Accordingly, on December 2,

1998, the Commission's Common Carrier Bureau, acting under delegated

authority, released an order approving the contribution factor for the

April 1999 through March 2000 contribution period and the 1999 TRS Fund

worksheet (FCC Form 431). All carriers providing interstate

telecommunications service must file this worksheet. A public notice

will be issued to announce the availability of the 1999 FCC Form 431.

(No. of respondents: 5000; hours per response: 2 hours; total annual

burden: 10,000 hours). Section 64.604(c)(2) requires that carriers

publicize the availability and use of TRS in their service areas.

Publications may be made through the carriers' directories, periodic

billing inserts, placement of TRS instructions in telephone

directories, through directory assistance services, and through

incorporation of TTY numbers in telephone directories. (No. of

respondents: 5000; hours per response: 1 hour; total annual burden:

5000 hours). c. TRS providers must provide the administrator with true

and accurate data to be used to compute payments. According to Section

64.604(c)(4)(iii)(C), the providers must submit the following: total

TRS minutes of use, total interstate TRS minutes of use, total TRS

operating expenses and total TRS investment in general accordance with

47 CFR Part 32, and other historical or projected information

reasonably requested by the administrator for purposes of computing

payments and

[[Page 6081]]

revenue requirements. (No. of respondents: 13; hours per response: 3

hours; total annual response: 39 hours). d. TRS providers, including

providers who are not interexchange carriers, local exchange carriers,

or certified state relay providers, must submit reports of interstate

TRS minutes of use to the administrator in order to receive payments.

TRS providers receiving payments shall file a form prescribed by the

administrator. (No. of respondents: 13; hours per response 4; total

annual burden: 52 hours). e. Section 64.604(c)(4)(iii)(F) lists TRS

providers who are eligible for receiving payments from the TRS Fund.

These providers must notify the administrator of their intent to

participate in the TRS Fund thirty days prior to submitting reports of

TRS interstate minutes of use in order to receive payment settlements

for interstate TRS. (No. of respondents: 13; hours per response: .166

hours; total annual burden: 2.16 hours). Section 64.604(c)(4)(iii)(H))

specifies the reporting, monitoring and filing requirements placed upon

the Administrator. (No. of respondents: 1; hours per response: 500;

total annual burden: 500 hours). Information submitted in response to

the attached rules and requirements is used to administer the TRS Fund.

Information is used to calculate a national average rate to recover the

total interstate TRS revenue requirements and to determine the

appropriate payment due to the TRS providers participating in the

shared-funding plan. Obligation to respond: Mandatory.

OMB Control No.: 3060-0391.

Expiration Date: 12/31/2001.

Title: Program to Monitor the Impacts of the Universal Service

Support Mechanisms, CC Docket Nos. 98-202 and 96-45.

Form No.: N/A.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit.

Estimated Annual Burden: 859 respondents; 2 hours per response

(avg.); 1718 total annual burden hours for all collections.

Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.

Frequency of Response: Annually.

Description: The Commission has a program to monitor the impact of

the universal service support mechanisms. Among other things, the

program requires the reporting of information on network usage and

growth. This information is generally maintained by all companies that

settle their accounts with NECA on a cost basis. This information is

collected by NECA. The data collected are: local dial equipment

minutes, intrastate toll dial equipment minutes, interstate toll dial

equipment minutes, total dial equipment minutes, interstate dial

equipment minute factors, originating premium interstate access

minutes, terminating premium interstate access minutes, total premium

interstate access minutes, originating non-premium interstate access

minutes, terminating non-premium interstate access minutes, and total

non-premium interstate access minutes. The monitoring program is

necessary for the Commission, the Joint Board, Congress, and the

general public to assess the impact of the new universal service

support mechanisms. Obligation to respond: Mandatory.

OMB Control No.: 3060-0168.

Expiration Date: 12/31/2001.

Title: Reports of Proposed Changes in Depreciation Rates--Section

43.43.

Form No.: N/A.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit.

Estimated Annual Burden: 11 respondents; 6000 hours per response

66,000 (avg.); total annual burden hours for all collections.

Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.

Frequency of Response: On occasion.

Description: Section 220(b) of the Communications Act of 1934 (the

Act), as amended, (47 U.S.C. Section 220(b)), states that the

Commission may prescribe depreciation charges for the subject carriers.

Section 219 of the Act requires annual and other reports from the

carriers. Section 43.43 of the Commission's Rules (47 CFR Section

43.43) establishes the reporting requirements for depreciation

prescription purposes. Communication common carriers with annual

operating revenues of $112 million or more that the Commission has

found to be dominant must file information specified in Section 43.43

before making any change in the depreciation rates applicable to their

operating plant. Section 220 also allows the Commission, in its

discretion, to prescribe the forms of any and all accounts, records,

and memoranda to be kept by carriers subject to the Act, including the

accounts, records and memoranda of the movement of traffic, as well as

receipts and expenditures of moneys. The Communications Act, as

amended, seeks to develop efficient competition by opening all

telecommunications markets through a pro-competitive, deregulatory

national policy framework. To that end, Section 11 of the Act requires

the Commission, in every even-numbered year beginning in 1998, to

review its regulations applicable to providers of telecommunications

service to determine whether the regulations are no longer necessary in

the public interest as a result of meaningful economic competition

between providers of such service and whether such regulations should

be repealed or modified. In the CC Docket No. 137, adopted 7/22/98;

released 10/14/98, the Commission proposes to reduce or streamline

further our depreciation prescription process by permitting, among

other things, summary filings and eliminating the prescription of

depreciation rates for incumbent LECs, provided that the carrier uses

depreciation factors that are within the ranges adopted by the

Commission, expanding the prescribed range for the digital switching

plant account, and eliminating salvage from the depreciation process.

These proposed modifications are designed to minimize the reporting

burden on carriers and to provide incumbent LECs with a greater

flexibility to adjust their depreciation rates while allowing the

Commission to maintain adequate oversight. If we remove net salvage

from the depreciation process, we should create a new account 6566, Net

cost of removal, to record both salvage receipts and removal costs

incurred. We also tentatively conclude that we should revise Sections

32.3100, Accumulated depreciation, and 32.2000, Instructions for

telecommunications plant accounts, to eliminate the provisions that

salvage and cost of removal be recorded in the depreciation reserve

account. We also requested comment on whether we should require

carriers to keep subsidiary record categories in Account 6566 for

salvage and cost of removal. The information filed will be used by the

Commission to establish proper depreciation rates to be charged by the

carriers, pursuant to Section 220(b) of the Act. The information serves

as the basis for depreciation analyses made by the Common Carrier

Bureau in establishing the aforementioned rates. Without this

information, the validity of the carriers' depreciation policies could

not be ascertained. The proposals contained in CC Docket No. 98-137

have been approved by OMB. Obligation to respond: required to obtain or

retain benefits.

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.

[[Page 6082]]

Federal Communications Commission.

Magalie Roman Salas,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 99-2862 Filed 2-5-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6712-01-P