0292_ss_110206

3060-0292

November 2006

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

This collection is being submitted as a revision to an existing collection.

A. Justification:

1. Part 69 of the Commission’s rules and regulations establishes the rules for access charges for interstate or foreign access provided by telephone companies on or after January 1, 1984. Part 69 essentially consists of rules or the procedures for the computation of access charges which are not information collections as defined by 5 C.F.R. 1320. Any reporting or disclosure occurs in connection with particular tariff filings and other reporting requirements with the FCC, National Exchange Carrier Association (NECA), or state commissions or with records maintained in accordance to the Uniform System of Accounts (USOA). OMB approval of tariff filings and USOA records required by the FCC is contained under OMB approval numbers 3060-0298, 3060-0370 and 3060-0400. Information collections contained in Part 69 as defined by 5 CFR 1320 are as follows:

Section 69.3 requires the biennial or annual submission of access charge tariffs. The access charge tariff filing requirement is approved by OMB under OMB control numbers 3060-0400 and 3060-0298.

With this submission, the Commission is revising this collection to eliminate several rule sections under Part 69:

(a) Section 69.116(c) and 69.117(c). This required the semi-annual submission of data by the local exchange carriers to NECA. This requirement is no longer in effect.

(b) Section 69.104(k)(l). This was a one-time filing requirement which is no longer in effect.

(c) Section 69.104(1). This requirement is no longer in effect.

The only rule section under Part 69 that is now covered under this OMB control number is section 69.605 which requires carriers who are participating in the pool to report access revenues and cost data on a monthly and annual basis so that NECA may compute monthly pool revenues distributions.

As noted on the OMB Form 83i, this information collection does not affect individuals or households; thus, there are no impacts under the Privacy Act.

Statutory authority for this information collection is pursuant to sections: 4, 201, 202, 205, 218, and 403 as amended; 47 U.S.C. §§ 154, 201, 202, 203, 205, 218 and 403 unless otherwise noted.

2. The information is used to compute charges in tariffs for access service (or origination and termination) and to compute revenue pool distributions. Neither process could be implemented without the information.

3. The rules do not prescribe the information technology that is to be used. Part 69 does not contain any provision that would preclude the use of improved technology.

4. The information is not duplicated elsewhere. There is no similar information already available.

5. The burden has been minimized for all respondents as much as possible. The collections do not involved small businesses as defined by the Regulatory Flexibility Act. Because of the nature of local exchange and access services, the Commission concluded that small telephone companies are dominant in their fields of operation and therefore are not small entities as defined by the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

6. Sections 69.116(c) and 69.117(c) required the semi-annual submission of data by the local exchange carriers to NECA. This requirement is no longer in effect.

7. Part 69 does not contain any collection requirements known to be inconsistent with 5 CFR 1320. 6.

8. The Commission placed a notice in the Federal Register as required by 5 C.F.R. 1320.8 (d). See 71 FR 54072, dated September 13, 2006. No comments were received.

9. The Commission does not anticipate providing any payment or gift to respondents.

10. Not applicable.

11. Not applicable. The collections do not involve questions of a sensitive nature.

12. The following represents the estimates of hour burden of the collections of information. We note that the hour burden imposed by the requirements is very difficult to quantify. The following represents our best estimate.

Section 69.605:

1. Number of Respondents: 1,250 respondents.

2. Frequency of Response: Annual and monthly reporting requirements and third party disclosure requirement.

3. Annual burden per respondent: .75 (45 minutes). Total annual burden: 1,250 x .75 hours per response x 12 monthly reports = 11,250 hours.

4. Total estimate of annualized cost to respondents for the hour burdens for collection of information: $618,750.

5. Explanation of calculation: We multiply the estimated number of respondents by annual hour burden by hourly pay rate of $55 to obtain an estimate of annualized cost for the information collection. (1,250 x 12 filings x .75 x $55 = $618,750).

Total Annual Burden: 11,250 hours.

13. Cost to the Respondent: None.

14. Annualized cost to the Federal government is none since the collection of information will be processed by NECA.

15. Total annual burden for the requirements is now 11,250 burden hours, a program change decrease of 16,452 hours. This revision is due to more accurately reflect current information estimates, eliminate rule sections that are no longer in effect , and due to a change in the number of respondents.

16. There are no plans for publication of the results.

17. Not applicable. The Commission does not intend to seek approval not to display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection.

18. Not applicable.

B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods:

Not applicable.

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