Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission, Comments Requested

SUMMARY:

The Federal Communications Commission, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burden invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection(s), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13. An agency 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 Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) that does not display a valid control number. 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 estimate; (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.

DATES:

Written Paperwork Reduction (PRA) comments should be submitted on or before December 27, 2004. 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 Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) comments to Judith B. Herman, Federal Communications Commission, Room 1-C804, 445 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554 or via the Internet to Judith-B.Herman@fcc.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For additional information or copies of the information collection(s), contact Judith B. Herman at 202-418-0214 or via the Internet at Judith-B.Herman@fcc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OMB Control Number: 3060-0600.

Title: Application to Participate in an FCC Auction.

Form No.: FCC Form 175.

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit, not-for-profit institutions, and state, local or tribal government.

Number of Respondents: 500.

Estimated Time per Response: 90 minutes.

Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement.

Total Annual Burden: 750 hours.

Total Annual Cost: None.

Privacy Act Impact Assessment: Not applicable.

Needs and Uses: The information collected on FCC Form 175 will be used by the Commission to determine if the applicant is legally, technically, and financially qualified to participate in an FCC auction. In addition, if the applicant applies for status as a particular type of auction participant pursuant to the Commission's rules, the Commission will use the information to determine if the applicant is eligible for the status requested. The Commission's auction rules and requirements are designed to ensure that the competitive bidding process is limited to serious qualified applicants, to deter possible abuse of the bidding and licensing process, and to enhance the use of competitive bidding to assign Commission licenses in furtherance of the public interest. Proposed revisions to current FCC Form 175 would revise the format for collecting information and incorporate into FCC Form 175 information previously collected in attachments. The Commission also proposes integrating ownership information collected in the FCC Form 175 with ownership information collected in other forms in order to reduce the need for applicants to file duplicative information. The preceding estimated time of response reflects the incorporation of previously separate information collections and is an average that will depend in part on whether the applicant has previously submitted ownership information on other integrated forms. The Commission plans to use this form for all upcoming auctions.