[Federal Register: July 18, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 139)]
[Notices]
[Page 41353-41355]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18jy08-79]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Being Reviewed by the
Federal Communications Commission, Comments Requested
July 10, 2008.
SUMMARY: The Federal Communications Commission, as part of its
continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, invites the general
public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment
on the following information collection, as required by the Paperwork
Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Public Law No. 104-13. An agency may not
conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a
currently valid control number. Pursuant to the PRA, no person shall be
subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of
information 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 Act (PRA) comments should be
submitted on or before September 16, 2008. 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: Interested parties may submit all PRA comments by e-mail or
U.S. mail. To submit your comments by e-mail, send them to PRA@fcc.gov.
To submit your comments by U.S. mail, mark them to the attention of
Cathy Williams, Federal Communications Commission, Room 1-C823, 445
12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information about the
information collection, send an e-mail to PRA@fcc.gov or contact Cathy
Williams at 202-418-2918.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
OMB Control Number: 3060-0466.
Title: Sections 73.1201, 74.783 and 74.1283, Station
Identification.
Form Number: Not applicable.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities; Not-for-profit
institutions; State, Local and Tribal Government.
Number of Respondents and Responses: 20,000 respondents; 20,100
responses.
Estimated Time per Response: 10 minutes to 1.33 hours.
Frequency of Response: Recordkeeping requirement; Third-party
disclosure requirement; On occasion reporting requirement.
Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain benefits--Statutory
authority for this collection of information is contained in Sections
154(i), 303 and 308 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
Total Annual Burden: 44,603 hours.
Total Annual Costs: None.
Confidentiality: No need for confidentiality required.
Privacy Impact Assessment(s): No impact(s).
Needs and Uses: Congress has mandated that after February 17, 2009,
full-power television broadcast stations must transmit only in digital
signals, and may no longer transmit analog signals. On December 22,
2007, the Commission adopted a Report and Order, In the matter of the
Third Periodic Review of the Commission's Rules and Policies Affecting
the Conversion to Digital Television, MB Docket No. 07-91, FCC 07-228
(``Third DTV Periodic Report and Order'') to establish the rules,
policies and procedures necessary to complete the nation's transition
to DTV.
As a result of the Third DTV Periodic Report and Order, the station
identification rules will require a DTV station that chooses to
identify a licensee that it is transmitting on one of its multicast
streams to follow a specific
[[Page 41354]]
format for making such a station identification announcement.
Specifically, 47 CFR 73.1201(b)(1) is revised to require that a DTV
station that is devoting one of its multicast streams to transmit the
programming of another television licensee must identify itself and may
also identify the licensee that it is transmitting. If a DTV station in
this situation chooses to identify the station that is the source of
the programming it is transmitting, it must use the following format:
Station WYYY-DT, community of license (call sign and community of
license of the station whose multicast stream is transmitting the
programming), bringing you WXXX, community of license (call sign and
community of license of the licensee providing the programming). The
transmitting station may insert between its call letters and its
community of license the following information: the frequency of the
transmitting station, the channel number of the transmitting station,
the name of the licensee of the transmitting station and the licensee
providing the programming, and/or the name of the network of either
station. Where a multicast station is carrying the programming of
another station and is identifying that station as the source of the
programming, using the format described above, the identification may
not include the frequency or channel number of the program source. This
new requirement in 47 CFR 73.1201(b)(1) may cause DTV station
respondents that choose to multicast to make additional station
identifications (responses) for multicast streams.
47 CFR 73.1201(a) requires television broadcast licensees to make
broadcast station identification announcements at the beginning and
ending of each time of operation, and hourly, as close to the hour as
feasible, at a natural break in program offerings. Television and Class
A television broadcast stations may make these announcements visually
or aurally.
47 CFR 73.1201(b)(1) requires that the official station
identification consist of the station's call letters immediately
followed by the community or communities specified in its license as
the station's location; provided that the name of the licensee, the
station's frequency, the station's channel number, as stated on the
station's license, and/or the station's network affiliation may be
inserted between the call letters and station location. DTV stations,
or DAB Stations, choosing to include the station's channel number in
the station identification must use the station's major channel number
and may distinguish multicast program streams. For example, a DTV
station with major channel number 26 may use 26.1 to identify an HDTV
program service and 26.2 to identify an SDTV program service. A radio
station operating in DAB hybrid mode or extended hybrid mode shall
identify its digital signal, including any free multicast audio
programming streams, in a manner that appropriately alerts its audience
to the fact that it is listening to a digital audio broadcast. No other
insertion between the station's call letters and the community or
communities specified in its license is permissible.
47 CFR 73.1201(b)(2) provides that a station may include in its
official station identification the name of any additional community or
communities, but the community to which the station is licensed must be
named first.
47 CFR 73.1201(b)(3) requires that twice daily, the station
identification for television stations must include a notice of the
existence, location and accessibility of the station's public file. The
notice must state that the station's public file is available for
inspection and that consumers can view it at the station's main studio
and on its Web site. At least one of the announcements must occur
between the hours of 6 p.m. and midnight.
47 CFR 74.783(b) requires licensees of television translators whose
station identification is made by the television station whose signals
are being rebroadcast by the translator, must secure agreement with
this television licensee to keep in its file, and available to FCC
personnel, the translator's call letters and location, giving the name,
address and telephone number of the licensee or service representative
to be contacted in the event of malfunction of the translator.
47 CFR 74.783(e) permits any low-power television (LPTV) station to
request a four-letter call sign after receiving its construction
permit. All initial LPTV construction permits will continue to be
issued with a five-character LPTV call sign. LPTV respondents are
required to use the online electronic system. To enable these
respondents to use this online system, the Commission eliminated the
requirement that holders of LPTV construction permits submit with their
call sign requests a certification that the station has been
constructed, that physical construction is underway at the transmitter
site, or that a firm equipment order has been placed.
47 CFR 74.1283(c)(1) requires FM translator stations whose station
identification is made by the primary station to furnish current
information on the translator's call letters and location. This
information is kept in the primary station's files. This information is
used to contact the translator licensee in the event of malfunction of
the translator.
OMB Control Number: 3060-0906.
Title: Annual DTV Report, FCC Form 317; 47 CFR Sec. 73.624(g).
Form Number: FCC Form 317.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities; Not-for-profit
institutions.
Number of Respondent and Responses: 1,815 respondents, 3,630
responses.
Frequency of Response: Recordkeeping requirement; Annual reporting
requirement.
Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain benefits--Statutory
authority for this collection of information is contained in Sections
154(i), 303, 336 and 403 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
Estimated Time per Response: 2-4 hours.
Total Annual Burden: 10,890 hours.
Total Annual Costs: $181,500.
Confidentiality: No need for confidentiality required.
Privacy Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
Needs and Uses: Congress has mandated that after February 17, 2009,
full-power television broadcast stations must transmit only in digital
signals, and may no longer transmit analog signals. On December 22,
2007, the Commission adopted a Report and Order In the matter of the
Third Periodic Review of the Commission's Rules and Policies Affecting
the Conversion to Digital Television, MB Docket No. 07-91, FCC 07-228
(``Third DTV Periodic Report and Order'') to establish the rules,
policies and procedures necessary to complete the nation's transition
to DTV. As a result of the Third DTV Periodic Report and Order, DTV
stations that are permittees must now comply with the requirements for
feeable ancillary or supplementary services in Section 73.624(g) (using
FCC Form 317). This new requirement in 47 CFR 73.624(g) adds a new
group of respondents to this collection (namely, ``DTV permittees'').
The Commission has also revised FCC Form 317 and its instructions to
indicate that DTV permittees are required to file the form and report
their ancillary and supplementary services.
Each commercial and noncommercial educational (NCE) digital
television (DTV) broadcast station licensee and permittee is required
to file FCC Form 317 annually. The licensees/permittees
[[Page 41355]]
report whether they provided ancillary or supplementary services at any
time during the reporting cycle. The report indicates which services
were provided, fee related services, gross revenues received from all
feeable ancillary and supplementary services, and the amount of
bitstream used to provide ancillary or supplementary service.
Concurrent with the submission of FCC Form 317, each commercial and
noncommercial educational DTV licensee and permittee is required to
remit to the Commission a payment, FCC Form 159 (3060-0589), in the
amount of 5% of the gross revenues derived from the provision of its
ancillary or supplementary services.
Each licensee and permittee is required to retain the records
supporting the calculation of the fees due for three years from the
date of remittance of fees. Noncommercial DTV licensees/permittees must
also retain for eight years documentation sufficient to show that their
entire bitstream was used ``primarily'' for noncommercial education
broadcast services on a weekly basis.
Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-16539 Filed 7-17-08; 8:45 am]
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