Notice2024-09024
Information Collection Being Submitted for Review and Approval to Office of Management and Budget
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
April 26, 2024
Issuing agencies
Federal Communications Commission
Abstract
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."
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 82 (Friday, April 26, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 82 (Friday, April 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32427-32429]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-09024]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
[OMB 3060-0678; FR ID 216076]
Information Collection 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.''
DATES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be submitted on or before May 28, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. 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
<a href="http://www.reginfo.gov">www.reginfo.gov</a> per the above instructions for it to be considered. In
addition to submitting in <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov">www.reginfo.gov</a> also send a copy of your
comment on the proposed information collection to Cathy Williams, FCC,
via email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#8fdfddcecfe9ececa1e8e0f9"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="28787a69684e4b4b064f475e">[email protected]</span></a> and to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#eaa98b9e8293c4bd838686838b8799aa8c8989c48d859c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ca89abbea2b3e49da3a6a6a3aba7b98aaca9a9e4ada5bc">[email protected]</span></a>. 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 <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>, (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 and
then click on the ICR Reference Number. A copy of the FCC submission to
OMB will be displayed.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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.
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)
[[Page 32428]]
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: 3060-0678.
Title: Part 25 of the Federal Communications Commission's Rules
Governing the Licensing of, and Spectrum Usage by, Commercial Earth
Stations and Space Stations.
Form Number: FCC Form 312 (Main Form and Schedules A, B, and S),
FCC Form 312-R.
Type of Review: Revision of an existing collection.
Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities, not-for-profit
institutions.
Number of Respondents and Responses: 3,515 respondents and 3,567
responses.
Estimated Time per Response: 0.5-80 hours.
Frequency of Response: On occasion, one time, and annual reporting
requirements; third-party disclosure requirement; recordkeeping
requirement.
Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The
Commission has statutory authority for the information collection
requirements under 47 U.S.C. 154, 301, 302, 303, 307, 309, 310, 319,
332, 605, and 721.
Total Annual Burden: 27,176.
Annual Cost Burden: $3,923,887.
Needs and Uses: The Federal Communications Commission requests that
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approve a revision of the
information collection titled ``Part 25 of the Federal Communications
Commission's Rules Governing the Licensing of, and Spectrum Usage By,
Commercial Earth Stations and Space Stations'' under OMB Control No.
3060-0678, as a result of three recent rulemakings, as well as an
update to the Commission's filing system for earth station and space
station applications filed pursuant to part 25 of the Commission's
rules.
On September 27, 2019, the Commission released a Report and Order,
FCC 19-93, in IB Docket No. 06-160, titled ``Amendment of the
Commission's Policies and Rules for Processing Applications in the
Direct Broadcast Satellite Service'' (DBS Licensing Report and Order).
The DBS Licensing Report and Order adopted a new licensing process for
space stations in the Direct Broadcast Satellite Service (DBS). This
new process allows applicants for DBS space station licenses to take
advantage of a licensing process that parallels the Commission's
streamlined part 25 satellite licensing rules for geostationary orbit
(GSO) space stations in the fixed-satellite service (FSS). The
Commission limited the regulatory burdens borne by applicants, while
promoting new opportunities for efficient use of orbital spacing and
spectrum by DBS licensees.
The Commission's action supports and encourages the increasing
innovation in the DBS sector and helps to preserve U.S. leadership in
space-based services and operations. This information collection will
provide the Commission and the public with necessary information about
this area of satellite operations. While this information collection
represents an overall increase in the burden hours, the increase is due
to an anticipated overall increase in number of applications as a
result of additional applications being filed under the process adopted
in the DBS Licensing Report and Order. This information collection
serves the public interest by streamlining the collection of
information and allowing the Commission to authorize DBS space stations
under the new process established in the Report and Order.
Specifically, the DBS Licensing Report and Order contains the following
new or modified information collection requirements: space station
applications for GSO space stations operating in the frequencies of the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Appendices 30 and 30A
(incorporated by reference, see 47 CFR 25.108) must include a statement
that the proposed operation will take into account the applicable
requirements of these Appendices of the ITU Radio Regulations and a
demonstration that it is compatible with other U.S. ITU filings under
Appendices 30 and 30A or, for any affected filings, a letter signed by
the affected operator indicating that it consents to the new
application. The changes adopted in the DBS Licensing Report and Order
will result in a very small net annualized increase in burden hours to
certain applicants and licensees under part 25. A request for revisions
to the information collection resulting from DBS Licensing Report and
Order was previously published in the Federal Register (see 85 FR
41980), but it has been updated and is now included in this revision
request.
On November 19, 2020, the Commission released a Report and Order,
FCC 20-159, in IB Docket No. 18-314, titled ``Further Streamlining Part
25 Rules Governing Satellite Services'' (Satellite Services Report and
Order). The Satellite Services Report and Order streamlined the
Commission's rules governing satellite services by creating an optional
framework for authorizing both the blanket-licensed earth stations and
space stations of a satellite system through a unified license. The
Satellite Services Report and Order also permitted earth station
applicants to certify compliance with relevant satellite licenses in
lieu of providing duplicative or unnecessary technical demonstrations,
aligned the build-out requirements for earth stations and space
stations, and eliminated unnecessary reporting rules. These changes
reduce regulatory burdens, simplify the Commission's licensing of
satellite systems, and provide additional operational flexibility. The
Satellite Services Report and Order affected two information
collections: OMB Control Numbers 3060-1215 and 3060-0678. The
Commission received OMB approval for changes under OMB Control No.
3060-1215 on August 26, 2021, as reported in 86 FR 52102. The
Commission seeks approval for changes under OMB Control No. 3060-0678
through this request. The changes adopted in the Satellite Services
Report and Order will result in a net annualized decrease in burden
hours to applicants and licensees under part 25. This submission amends
the previous submission to the OMB to reflect these changes.
On August 3, 2022, the Commission released a Report and Order, FCC
22-63, in IB Docket Nos. 20-330 and 22-273, titled ``Amendment of Parts
2 and 25 of the Commission's Rules to Enable GSO Fixed-Satellite
Service (Space-to-Earth) Operations in the 17.3-17.8 GHz Band, to
Modernize Certain Rules Applicable to 17/24 GHz BSS Space Stations, and
to Establish Off-Axis Uplink Power Limits for Extended Ka-Band FSS
Operations'' (17 GHz Report and Order). In the 17 GHz Report and Order,
the Commission amended its rules to permit geostationary satellite
orbit (GSO) space stations to use the 17.3-17.7 GHz band by
geostationary satellite orbit (GSO) space stations in the fixed-
satellite
[[Page 32429]]
service (FSS) in the space-to-Earth direction on a co-primary basis
with incumbent services and permit limited GSO FSS (space-to-Earth) use
of the 17.7-17.8 GHz band on an unprotected basis with respect to fixed
service operations. Specifically, the 17 GHz Report and Order contains
the following new or modified information collection requirements:
<bullet> Certification of frequency coordination with the operator
of the co-frequency space station or submission of an interference
analysis demonstrating the compatibility of the proposed system with
the co-frequency space station;
<bullet> Information as to earth station antenna characteristics to
ensure that antennas are properly aimed and configured and that their
signals are not likely to interfere with other systems; and
<bullet> Information pertaining to implementation of interference
detection and mitigation plans to prevent and resolve interference
issues.
The changes adopted in the 17 GHz Report and Order will result in a
small net annualized increase in burden hours to certain applicants and
licensees under part 25.
Finally, the Commission has updated the International
Communications Filing System (ICFS)--which was formerly named the
International Bureau Filing System, see 88 FR 21424--including updates
to the Form 312, including Schedules A, B, and S, and Form 312-R.
Applicants will be required to submit Form 312 (including Schedules A,
B, and S) and Form 312-R through the updated, integrated web-based
program. The updated version of Form 312 (including Schedules A, B, and
S) and Form 312-R will include several minor changes to the information
collection designed to provide clarity to applicants and Commission
staff, reduce errors, and make overall improvements to the applicants'
experience in completing the forms. Therefore, this supporting
statement is being revised to reflect the new requirements, which are
include the addition of several questions designed to better convey the
overall information being requested in the form.
The changes will result in a very small net annualized increase in
burden hours to certain applicants under part 25.
Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-09024 Filed 4-25-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
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