Information Collections Being Submitted for Review and Approval to Office of Management and Budget
| Citation | 85 FR 21432 |
| Record Number | 2020-08094 |
| Published date | 17 April 2020 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Federal Communications Commission |
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 75 (Friday, April 17, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 75 (Friday, April 17, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21432-21435]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-08094]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
[OMB 3060-0798 and OMB 3060-0800; FRS 16667]
Information Collections Being Submitted for Review and Approval
to Office of Management and Budget
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens,
as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC or the Commission) invites the general
public and other Federal Agencies to take this opportunity to comment
on the following information collection. Pursuant to the Small Business
Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, the FCC seeks specific comment on how it
might ``further reduce the information collection burden for small
business concerns with fewer than 25 employees.'' The Commission may
not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a
currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number.
No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a
collection of information subject to the PRA that does not display a
valid OMB control number.
DATES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be submitted on or before May 18, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting
``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using
the search function. Your comment must be submitted into
www.reginfo.gov per the above instructions for it to be considered. In
addition to submitting in www.reginfo.gov also send a copy of your
comment on the proposed information collection to Cathy Williams, FCC,
via email to [email protected] and to [email protected]. Include in the
comments the OMB control number as shown in the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or copies
of the information collection, contact Cathy Williams at (202) 418-
2918. To view a copy of this information collection request (ICR)
submitted to OMB: (1) Go to the web page http://www.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, (6) when the list of FCC
ICRs currently under review appears, look for the Title of this ICR and
then click on the ICR Reference Number. A copy of the FCC submission to
OMB will be displayed.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As part of its continuing effort to reduce
paperwork burdens, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), the FCC invited the general public and
other Federal Agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the
following information collection. 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 estimates; (c) ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and 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 collection techniques or
other forms of information technology. Pursuant to the Small Business
Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, Public Law 107-198, see 44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(4), the FCC seeks specific comment on how it might ``further
reduce the information collection burden for small business concerns
with fewer than 25 employees.''
OMB Control Number: 3060-0798.
Title: FCC Application for Radio Service Authorization; Wireless
Telecommunications Bureau; Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau.
Form Number: FCC Form 601.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Respondents: Individuals and households; Business or other for-
profit entities; Not-for-profit institutions; and State, local or
tribal governments.
[[Page 21433]]
Number of Respondents and Responses: 255,452 respondents and
255,452 responses.
Estimated Time per Response: 0.5-1.25 hours.
Frequency of Response: Recordkeeping requirement, third party
disclosure requirement, on occasion reporting requirement and periodic
reporting requirement.
Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The
statutory authority for this collection of information is contained in
47 U.S.C., 151, 152, 154, 154(i), 155(c), 157, 201, 202, 208, 214, 301,
302a, 303, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 314, 316, 319, 324, 331, 332, 333,
336, 534, 535 and 554.
Total Annual Burden: 223,921 hours.
Total Annual Cost: $71,906,000.
Privacy Impact Assessment: Yes.
Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: In general, there is no need
for confidentiality with this collection of information.
Needs and Uses: FCC Form 601 is a consolidated, multi-part
application form that is used for market-based and site-based licensing
for wireless telecommunications services, including public safety
licenses, which are filed through the Commission's Universal Licensing
System (ULS). FCC Form 601 is composed of a main form that contains
administrative information and a series of schedules used for filing
technical and other information. This form is used to apply for a new
license, to amend or withdraw a pending application, to modify or renew
an existing license, cancel a license, request a duplicate license,
submit required notifications, request an extension of time to satisfy
construction requirements, or request an administrative update to an
existing license (such as mailing address change), request a Special
Temporary Authority or Developmental License. Respondents are
encouraged to submit FCC Form 601 electronically and are required to do
so when submitting FCC Form 601 to apply for an authorization for which
the applicant was the winning bidder in a spectrum auction.
The data collected on FCC Form 601 includes the FCC Registration
Number (FRN), which serves as a ``common link'' for all filings an
entity has with the FCC. The Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996
requires entities filing with the Commission to use an FRN.
On August 3, 2017, the Commission released the WRS Reform Second
Report and Order in which it consolidated the hodgepodge of service-
specific renewal and permanent discontinuance rules into consolidated
Part 1 rules, 1.949 and 1.953, respectively (See Amendment of Parts 1,
22, 24, 27, 74, 80, 90, 95, and 101 To Establish Uniform License
Renewal, Discontinuance of Operation, and Geographic Partitioning and
Spectrum Disaggregation Rules and Policies for Certain Wireless Radio
Services, Second Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking, FCC 17-105, (WRS Reform Second Report and Order)). Of
relevance to the information collection at issue here, the Commission
established a consistent standard for renewing wireless licenses and
set forth safe harbors providing expedited renewal for licensees that
meet their initial term construction requirement and remain operating
at or above that level. In addition, the Commission adopted consistent
service continuity rules, which provide for automatic termination of
any license on which a licensee permanently discontinues service or
operation.
The Commission now seeks approval for revisions to its currently
approved collection of information under OMB Control Number 3060-0798
to permit (1) the collection of renewal-related information for
Wireless Radio Service (WRS) licenses, and (2) the filing of requests
to extend a permanent discontinuance period for good cause. Regarding
renewal of WRS licenses, Sec. 1.949(d) of the Commission's rules
requires an applicant for renewal of certain WRS licenses to meet the
Renewal Standard, i.e., the applicant must demonstrate that over the
course of the license term, the licensee provided and continues to
provide service to the public, or operated and continues to operate the
license to meet the licensee(s)' private, internal communications
needs. A renewal applicant can meet the Renewal Standard by certifying
compliance with one of the safe harbors enumerated in Sec. 1.949(e) of
the Commission's rules, or, if the applicant cannot satisfy the
requirements of one of the safe harbors, the applicant must make a
Renewal Showing consistent with Sec. 1.949(f). In addition, a renewal
applicant must make a Regulatory Compliance Certification certifying
that it has substantially complied with all applicable FCC rules,
policies, and the Communications Act of 1934, as amended. If an
applicant is unable to make this substantial compliance certification,
it will need to provide an explanation of the circumstances preventing
such a certification and why renewal of the subject license should
still be granted.
We do not anticipate that these revisions will have any impact on
the burden to complete FCC Form 601. The renewal process remains
virtually unchanged for site-based licensees, which will continue to
have streamlined processes for renewal under the safe harbors adopted
in the WRS Reform Second Report and Order. For licensees which had to
make renewal showings under the Commissions' prior, service-specific
renewal rules, including 700 MHz Commercial Services, 600 MHz Service,
H-Block Service, AWS-3, AWS-4, and 218-219 MHz Service, the rules now
provide for streamlined renewal processes under the safe harbor
provisions in Sec. 1.949(e), which minimize the burdens on such
licensees. The Commission expects that most licensees will be able to
avail themselves of the streamlined safe harbor process. Although some
licensees will be required to make a renewal showing, on balance, we
believe there will be no increase in the overall annual burden to
complete the form. Further, the Commission's experience with requests
to extend the discontinuance period for licensees in the cellular
service leads us to anticipate few, if any, such requests will be filed
under our new rules. Specifically, we are unaware of any requests to
extend a cellular discontinuance period. Thus, we believe there will be
a negligible, if any, impact on the annual burden to complete the form.
The Commission therefore seeks approval for a revision to its
currently approved information collection on FCC Form 601 to revise FCC
Form 601 accordingly.
In addition, on August 10, 2015, the Commission released a Report
and Order in Amendment of Sections 90.20(d) and 90.265 of the
Commission's Rules to Facilitate the Use of Vehicular Repeater Units,
FCC 15-103, in which it decided to adopt certain changes to the rules
governing six remote control and telemetry channels in the VHF band.
The Commission decided to allow the licensing and operation of
vehicular repeater systems (VRS) and other mobile repeaters on these
channels. In addition, the Commission revises and updated the technical
rules for these channels to allow greater use of VRS systems while
providing protection for incumbent telemetry users who rely on these
frequencies for control of critical infrastructure systems. Of
significance for this collection, the Commission also decided that the
only way to accommodate both telemetry and VRS on these frequencies is
through frequency coordination to both ensure geographic separation as
well as minimizing the risk of commingling
[[Page 21434]]
voice and data operations. In particular, the Commission adopted new
section 90.175(b)(4), which prescribes the obligations of frequency
coordinators and the ability of applicants to submit written
concurrences from potentially affected incumbent licensees as part of
the Form 601 filing. On December 11, 2015, the Commission adopted a
Clarification Order in this docket, but that order made two changes to
the requirements of section 90.175(b)(4).
Sections 90.35, 90.20, and 90.175(b)(4) require third party
disclosures by applicants proposing to operate vehicular repeater units
on designated frequencies. They are required to obtain written
concurrence of a frequency coordinator. This information will be used
by Commission personnel in evaluating the applicant's need for such
frequencies and to minimize the interference potential to other
stations operating on the proposed frequencies.
OMB Control Number: 3060-0800.
Title: FCC Application for Assignments of Authorization and
Transfers of Control: Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and Public
Safety and Homeland Security Bureau.
Form Number: FCC Form 603.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities, Individuals or
households, not-for-profit institutions, and State, Local or Tribal
Governments.
Number of Respondents and Responses: 2,547 respondents; 2,547
responses.
Estimated Time per Response: 0.5 hours-1.75 hours.
Frequency of Response: Recordkeeping requirement, on occasion
reporting requirement and periodic reporting requirement.
Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The
statutory authority for this collection is contained in 47 U.S.C. 154,
155, 158, 161, 301, 303(r), 308, 309, 310 and 332.
Total Annual Burden: 2,872 hours.
Annual Cost Burden: $381,975.
Privacy Act Impact Assessment: Yes.
Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: In general, there is no need
for confidentiality with this collection of information.
Needs and Uses: FCC Form 603 is a multi-purpose form that is used
by radio services in Wireless Services within the Universal Licensing
System (ULS). FCC 603 is composed of a main form that contains the
administrative information and a series of schedules used for filing
technical information. These schedules are required when applying for
Auctioned Services, Partitioning and Disaggregation, Undefined
Geographical Area Partitioning, and Notification of Consummation or
Request for Extension of Time for Consummation. Applicants/licensees in
the Public Mobile Services, Personal Communications Services, Private
Land Mobile Radio Services, Broadband Radio Service, Educational
Broadband Service, Maritime Services (excluding Ship), and Aviation
Services (excluding Aircraft) use FCC Form 603 to apply for an
assignment or transfer, to establish their parties' basic eligibility
and qualifications, to classify the filing, and/or to determine the
nature of the proposed service. This form is also used to notify the
FCC of consummated assignments and transfers of wireless licenses to
which the Commission has previously consented or for which notification
but not prior consent is required. Respondents are encouraged to submit
FCC 603 electronically.
The data collected on FCC 603 include the FCC Registration Number
(FRN), which serves as a ``common link'' for all filings an entity has
with the FCC. The Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 required that
those filing with the Commission to use an FRN, effective December 3,
2001.
Records may include information about individuals or households,
e.g., personally identifiable information or PII, and the use(s) and
disclosure of this information are governed by the requirements of a
system of records notice or `SORN', FCC/WTB-1, ``Wireless Services
Licensing Records.'' There are no additional impacts under the Privacy
Act.
On August 3, 2017, the Commission released the WRS Reform Second
Report and Order in which it consolidated the hodgepodge of service-
specific geographic partitioning and spectrum disaggregation rules into
a consolidated Part 1 rule, 1.950 (See Amendment of Parts 1, 22, 24,
27, 74, 80, 90, 95, and 101 To Establish Uniform License Renewal,
Discontinuance of Operation, and Geographic Partitioning and Spectrum
Disaggregation Rules and Policies for Certain Wireless Radio Services,
Second Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC
17-105, (WRS Reform Second Report and Order)). Of relevance to the
information collection at issue here, the Commission required that when
portions of geographic licenses are sold, both parties to the
transaction have a clear construction obligation and penalty in the
event of failure.
Specifically, Sec. 1.950(c) requires parties seeking approval for
geographic partitioning, spectrum disaggregation, or a combination of
both must apply for a partial assignment of authorization by filing FCC
Form 603 pursuant to Sec. 1.948 of the Commission's rules. Each
request for geographic partitioning must include an attachment defining
the perimeter of the partitioned area by geographic coordinates to the
nearest second of latitude and longitude, based upon the 1983 North
American Datum (NAD83). Alternatively, applicants may specify an FCC-
recognized service area (e.g., Basic Trading Area, Economic Area, Major
Trading Area, Metropolitan Service Area, or Rural Service Area),
county, or county equivalent, in which case, applicants need only list
the specific FCC-recognized service area, county, or county equivalent
names comprising the partitioned area. Additionally, applicants have
the option to submit geographic data associated with applications to
partition and/or disaggregate their license using a shapefile, KML or
Geojson file format.
In addition, Sec. 1.950(d) requires applicants for geographic
partitioning, spectrum disaggregation, or a combination of both, to
include, if applicable, a certification with their partial assignment
of authorization application stating which party will meet any
incumbent relocation requirements, except as otherwise stated in
service-specific rules. Further, Sec. 1.950(g) provides parties to
geographic partitioning, spectrum disaggregation, or a combination of
both, with two options to satisfy service-specific performance
requirements (i.e., construction and operation requirements). Under the
first option, each party may certify that it will individually satisfy
any service- specific requirements and, upon failure, must individually
face any service-specific performance penalties. Under the second
option, both parties may agree to share responsibility for any service-
specific requirements. Upon failure to meet their shared service-
specific performance requirements, both parties will be subject to any
service-specific penalties. The Commission seeks approval for revisions
to its currently approved collection of information under OMB Control
Number 3060-0800 to permit the collection of the additional information
in connection with partial assignments of authorizations for geographic
partitioning, spectrum disaggregation, or a combination of both,
pursuant to the rules and information collection requirements adopted
by the Commission in the WRS Reform Second Report and Order. We do not
anticipate that these revisions will impact the collection filing
burden.
[[Page 21435]]
Federal Communications Commission.
Cecilia Sigmund,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-08094 Filed 4-16-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
