1050_ss_0928707

3060-1050

October 2007

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

A. Justification:

History:

1. On April 29, 2003, the Office of Engineering and Technology adopted a Report and Order in Amendment of Parts 2 and 97 of the Commission’s Rules to Create a Low Frequency Allocation for the Amateur Radio Service, in ET Docket No. 02-98, FCC 03-105. The amateur radio service, governed by 47 CFR Part 97 of the Commission’s Rules, provides spectrum for amateur radio service licensees to participate in a voluntary noncommercial communication service which provides emergency communications and allows experimentation with various radio techniques and technologies to further the understanding of radio use and the development of new technologies. The Report and Order provides access to 5 channels in or near the 5250-5400 kHz on a secondary basis for the amateur service, and upgrades the existing secondary amateur service allocation to primary status in the 2400-2402 MHz band. Those changes to the Rules have enhanced the ability of amateur operators to communicate at 5000 kHz when propagation conditions do not permit communication at 3500 or 7000 kHz, and provide additional protection for the amateur operators now using the 2400-2402 MHz band.

Information Collection Requirement:

The Report and Order has established a recordkeeping procedure that amateur operator licensees using other antennas must maintain in their station records either manufacturer data on the antenna gain or calculations of the antenna gain.

This collection is authorized under Sections 1, 4, 301, 302(a), and 303(c) and (f), of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. Sections 151, 154, 301, 302(a) and 303(c) and (f).

2. The information collection is used to establish a record of amateur operations, so that if interference to critical power line carrier systems occurs, the Commission can respond quickly to locate the source.

3. Amateur operators are not required to file any information with the Commission. Amateur operators are required to retain the records, and they may use any available media, including electronic media, for storage of manufacturer data or compliance information. The FCC has no requirement on how the information collections are conducted.

4. No other federal agency is believed to require or possess the subject information. No similar information is available.

5. The Commission has made an effort to minimize the burden on all respondents (amateur operator). This collection of information is only required if the amateur licensees are operating on channels other than channels 5332 kHz, 5348 kHz, 5368 kHz, 5373 kHz, and 5404 kHz, under the following limitations: (1) a maximum effective radiated power (e.r.p.) of 50 W; and (2) a single sideband suppressed carrier modulation (emission designator 2K8J3E), upper sideband voice transmissions only. In the event of interference, potential causes can be identified from the record of amateur operators.

6. Failure of parties to maintain records could hinder interference resolution between the amateur licensees and Federal Government, mobile, and fixed services. The collection of information is necessary to ensure that the amateur licensees comply with the Commission’s rules.

7. The frequency of the filings will be determined by the amateur licensees, and will be done on an as-needed basis, consistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR Section 1320.6.

8. The Commission published a 60 day notice in the Federal Register on August 30, 2007 (72 FR 50108). We received no comments following publication. A copy of the notice is attached.

9. There will be no payment or gift to respondents.

10. No information is requested that would require assurance of confidentiality.

11. There are no issues of a sensitive nature involved in this collection.

12. We estimate, based on informal evidence of the amount of interest in the bands that between 1,000 and 5,000 persons will use the frequencies. Because antenna gain information is readily available in manufacturer materials and popular amateur radio reference guides, it will take each respondent twenty minutes (approximately 0.3 hours) to locate and document this information. This information will only need to be documented once:

Total Number of Respondents: 5,000.

Total Annual Responses: 5,000.

Total Annual Hourly Burden: 5000 respondents x 0.3 hours = 1,500 hours.

Record keepers can be expected to integrate this information into the logs and other station records that they routinely keep as part of the activity of amateur radio operations. Therefore, the cost will be negligible. We estimate that the total recordkeeping cost to maintain these station records at $0.02 annually:

Total Annual “In-House” Costs: 5,000 respondents x $0.02/annually = $100.00

13. (a) Total annualized capital/start-up costs: None.

(b) Total annual costs (O&M): None.

(c) Total annualized cost requested: None.

14. The Federal Government will not maintain this information. The Federal Government can be expected to review the recordkeeping only during the course of specific enforcement investigations. In an instance where interference problems may arise, the affected party may contact the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau or the Enforcement Bureau by letter or email to request that the Commission take the appropriate action to resolve the situation. There are no formal procedures established for the Commission’s response.

15. There is no change in burden.

16. The data will not be published for statistical use.

17. The expiration date for OMB approval will be displayed.

18. There are no exceptions to the Certification Statement in Item 19.

B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods:

This collection of information does not employ statistical methods.

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