Information Collections Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission

AGENCY:

Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, and 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 collections. Comments are requested concerning: 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; the accuracy of the Commission's burden estimate; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; 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; and ways to further reduce the information collection burden on small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees.

The FCC may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid 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 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number.

DATES:

Written PRA comments should be submitted on or before January 6, 2020. If you anticipate that you will be submitting comments, but find it difficult to do so within the period of time allowed by this notice, you should advise the contact listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES:

Direct all PRA comments to Cathy Williams, FCC, via email PRA@fcc.gov and to Cathy.Williams@fcc.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For additional information about the information collection, contact Cathy Williams at (202) 418-2918.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OMB Control Number: 3060-0214.

Title: Sections 73.3526 and 73.3527, Local Public Inspection Files; Sections 73.1212, 76.1701 and 73.1943, Political Files.

Form Number: N/A.

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Business or other for profit entities; Not for profit institutions; State, Local or Tribal government; Individuals or households.

Number of Respondents and Responses: 23,984 respondents; 62,839 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: 1-52 hours.

Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement, Recordkeeping requirement, Third party disclosure requirement.

Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. Statutory authority for these collections is contained in Sections 151, 152, 154(i), 303, 307 and 308 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.

Total Annual Burden: 2,043,805 hours.

Total Annual Cost: None.

Privacy Impact Assessment: The Commission prepared a system of records notice (SORN), FCC/MB-2, “Broadcast Station Public Inspection Files,” that covers the PII contained in the broadcast station public inspection files located on the Commission's website. The Commission will revise appropriate privacy requirements as necessary to include any entities and information added to the online public file in this proceeding.

Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Most of the documents comprising the public file consist of materials that are not of a confidential nature. Respondents complying with the information collection requirements may request that the information they submit be withheld from disclosure. If confidentiality is requested, such requests will be processed in accordance with the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 0.459.

In addition, the Commission has adopted provisions that permit respondents subject to the information collection requirement for Shared Service Agreements to redact confidential or proprietary information from their disclosures.

Needs and Uses: In 2019, the Commission adopted new rules governing the delivery and form of carriage election notices. Electronic Delivery of MVPD Communications, Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative, MB Docket Nos. 17-105, 17-317, Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 19-69, 2019 WL 3065517 (rel. Jul. 11, 2019). Pursuant to that decision, the public file obligations of full power television broadcasters were slightly modified, although the resulting burdens will be unchanged. The modified information collection requirements are as follows:

47 CFR 73.3526(e)(15)—Must-carry or retransmission consent election. Statements of a commercial television or Class A television station's election with respect to either must-carry or re-transmission consent, as defined in §§ 76.64 and 76.1608 of this chapter. These records shall be retained for the duration of the three-year election period to which the statement applies. Commercial television stations shall, no later than July 31, 2020, provide an up-to-date email address and phone number for carriage-related questions and respond as soon as is reasonably possible to messages or calls from MVPDs. Each commercial television station is responsible for the continuing accuracy and completeness of the information furnished.

47 CFR 73.3527(e)(12)—Must-carry requests. States noncommercial television stations shall, no later than July 31, 2020, provide an up-to-date email address and phone number for carriage-related questions and respond as soon as is reasonably possible to messages or calls from MVPDs. Each noncommercial television station is responsible for the continuing accuracy and completeness of the information furnished. Any such station requesting mandatory carriage pursuant to Part 76 of this chapter shall place a copy of such request in its public file and shall retain both the request and relevant correspondence for the duration of any period to which the request applies.

OMB Control Number: 3060-0844.

Title: Carriage of the Transmissions of Television Broadcast Stations: Section 76.56(a), Carriage of qualified noncommercial educational stations; Section 76.57, Channel positioning; Section 76.61(a)(1)-(2), Disputes concerning carriage; Section 76.64, Retransmission consent.

Form Number: N/A.

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.

Number of Respondents and Responses: 4,872 respondents and 7,052 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: 0.5 to 5 hours.

Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement; Third party disclosure requirement.

Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The statutory authority for this information collection is contained in Sections 1, 4(i) and (j), 325, 336, 614 and 615 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.

Total Annual Burden: 4,471 hours.

Total Annual Cost: No cost.

Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: There is no need for confidentiality with this collection of information.

Privacy Impact Assessment: No impact(s).

Needs and Uses: In 2019, the Commission adopted new rules governing the delivery and form of carriage election notices. Electronic Delivery of MVPD Communications, Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative, MB Docket Nos. 17-105, 17-317, Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 19-69, 2019 WL 3065517 (rel. Jul. 11, 2019). Pursuant to that decision, the obligations of broadcasters and cable operators were slightly modified (see 47 CFR 76.64(h) below for the modified rule which requires review and approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)). Under 47 CFR 76.64 the information collection requirements are as follows:

○ (h)(1): On or before each must-carry/retransmission consent election deadline, each television broadcast station shall place a copy of its election statement, and copies of any election change notices applying to the upcoming carriage cycle, in the station's public file

○ (h)(2): Each cable operator shall, no later than July 31, 2020, provide an up-to-date email address for carriage election notice submissions with respect to its systems and an up-to-date phone number for carriage-related questions. Each cable operator is responsible for the continuing accuracy and completeness of the information furnished. It must respond to questions from broadcasters as soon as is reasonably possible.

○ (h)(3): A station shall send a notice of its election to a cable operator only if changing its election with respect to one or more of that operator's systems. Such notice shall be sent to the email address provided by the cable system and carbon copied to ElectionNotices@FCC.gov. A notice must include, with respect to each station referenced in the notice, the:

Call sign;

community of license;

DMA where the station is located;

specific change being made in election status;

email address for carriage-related questions;

phone number for carriage-related questions;

name of the appropriate station contact person; and,

if the station changes its election for some systems of the cable operator but not all, the specific cable systems for which a carriage election applies.

○ (h)(4): Cable operators must respond via email as soon as is reasonably possible, acknowledging receipt of a television station's election notice.

OMB Control Number: 3060-0980.

Title: Implementation of the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999: Local Broadcast Signal Carriage Issues and Retransmission Consent Issues, 47 CFR Section 76.66.

Form Number: Not applicable.

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.

Number of Respondents and Responses: 3,410 respondents; 4,388 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: 0.5 hour to 5 hours.

Frequency of Response: Third party disclosure requirement; On occasion reporting requirement; Once every three years reporting requirement; Recordkeeping requirement.

Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The statutory authority for this collection is contained in 47 U.S.C. 325, 338, 339 and 340.

Total Annual Burden: 3,576 hours.

Total Annual Cost: $24,000.

Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).

Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: There is no need for confidentiality with this collection of information.

Needs and Uses: In 2019, the Commission adopted new rules governing the delivery and form of carriage election notices. Electronic Delivery of MVPD Communications, Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative, MB Docket Nos. 17-105, 17-317, Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 19-69, 2019 WL 3065517 (rel. Jul. 11, 2019). Pursuant to that decision, the public file obligations of DBS providers, and the notice requirements of broadcasters, were slightly modified. The rule modifications were made to 47 CFR 76.66(d)(1)(ii)-(vi) and 76.66(d)(3)(ii) as indicated above. These modifications need OMB review and approval. They are as follows:

47 CFR 76.66(d)(1)(ii) requires DBS providers to place an up-to-date email address for carriage election notice submissions and an up-to-date phone number for carriage-related questions in their public file, to keep that information updated, and to respond to questions from broadcasters expeditiously.

47 CFR 76.66(d)(1)(iii) states that stations only have to send notice when changing an election, and that notices must be sent to the email address provided by the satellite carrier and carbon copied to ElectionNotices@FCC.gov.

47 CFR 76.66(d)(1)(iv) states that a television station's written notification shall include, with respect to each station referenced in the notice, the:

(A) Call sign;

(B) community of license;

(C) DMA where the station is located;

(D) specific change being made in election status;

(E) email address for carriage-related questions;

(F) phone number for carriage-related questions; and

(G) name of the appropriate station contact person.

47 CFR 76.66(d)(1)(v) states that a satellite carrier must respond via email as soon as is reasonably possible, acknowledging receipt of a television station's election notice.

47 CFR 76.66(d)(1)(vi) states that, within 30 days of receiving a television station's carriage request, a satellite carrier shall notify in writing:

(A) Those local television stations it will not carry, along with the reasons for such a decision; and

(B) those local television stations it intends to carry.

47 CFR 76.66(d)(3)(ii) states that a new television station shall make its election request, in writing, sent to the satellite carrier's email address provided by the satellite carrier and carbon copied to ElectionNotices@FCC.gov, between 60 days prior to commencing broadcasting and 30 days after commencing broadcasting. This written notification shall include the information required by paragraph (d)(1)(iv) of this section.

OMB Control Number: 3060-1065.

Title: Section 25.701 of the Commission's Rules, Direct Broadcast Satellite Public Interest Obligations.

Form Number: N/A.

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.

Number of Respondents and Responses: 2 respondents; 2 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: 1-10 hours.

Frequency of Response: Recordkeeping requirement; on occasion reporting requirement; one time reporting requirement; annual reporting requirement; Third party disclosure requirement.

Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The statutory authority which covers this information collection is contained in Section 335 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.

Total Annual Burden: 49 hours.

Total Annual Cost: None.

Privacy Impact Assessment: No impacts.

Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Although the Commission does not believe that any confidential information will need to be disclosed in order to comply with the information collection requirements, applicants are free to request that materials or information submitted to the Commission be withheld from public inspection. (See 47 CFR 0.459).

Needs and Uses: In 2019, the Commission adopted new rules governing the delivery and form of carriage election notices. Electronic Delivery of MVPD Communications, Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative, MB Docket Nos. 17-105, 17-317, Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 19-69, 2019 WL 3065517 (rel. Jul. 11, 2019). Pursuant to that decision, the public file obligations of DBS providers were slightly modified.

Therefore, the following information collection requirement needs review and approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB):

47 CFR 25.701(f)(6)(i)(D) requires that each satellite carrier shall provide an up-to-date email address for carriage election notice submissions and an up-to-date phone number for carriage-related questions. Each satellite carrier is responsible for the continuing accuracy and completeness of the information furnished. It must respond to questions from broadcasters as soon as is reasonably possible.