As part of the Public Notice to be issued by July 1, 2013, seeking comment on the impact of these rules, the Federal Communications Commission will review and take into consideration submitted comments regarding the burden placed on affected entities and where necessary, propose possible revisions to the associated information collection to reduce unnecessary burden while continuing to maximize the practical utility of the information requested from respondents.
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
06/30/2015
36 Months From Approved
10/31/2014
59,056
0
59,833
2,158,080
0
2,176,815
882,236
0
0
On October 27, 2011, the Commission adopted a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ("FNPRM") in MM Docket 00-168, FCC 11-162, In the Matter of Standardized and Enhanced Disclosure Requirements for Television Broadcast Licensee Public Interest Obligations. The FNPRM proposes to largely replace the decades-old requirement that commercial and noncommercial television stations maintain a paper public file at their main studios with a requirement to submit documents for inclusion in an online public file to be hosted by the Commission.
On April 27, 2012, the Commission adopted a Second Report and Order in MM Docket 00-168, FCC 12-44, In the Matter of Standardized and Enhanced Disclosure Requirements for Television Broadcast Licensee Public Interest Obligations. This Second Report and Order adopted the FNPRM proposal that commercial and noncommercial television stations be required to maintain a public inspection file to be located on the Commission's website instead of being maintained in the public file at the station.
The FNPRM proposed a few changes from the existing public file requirements, and the Second Report and Order adopted most but not all of those proposals. First, the FNPRM sought comment on ways to streamline the information required to be kept in the file, and proposed that letters and emails from the public should be excluded from the online posting requirement, and instead be retained at the station in a correspondence file. The Second Report and Order adopted this exemption.
The FNPRM also proposed that a few items should be added to the online public file. First, we proposed that stations will need to include their main studio location in the online public file. Second, we proposed that sponsorship identifications, now disclosed only on-air, also be disclosed in the online public file. The FNPRM also proposed to require disclosure of online of shared services agreements, some of which currently need to be included in the public file. The FNPRM noted that the increased burdens imposed by including these new items will be offset in part by reducing burdens by placing the public file online in a database to be hosted by the Commission. The Second Report and Order declined to adopt new requirements, instead limiting this proceeding to merely transferring the existing public file online.
Because more than a third of the required contents of the public file have to be filed with the Commission in our Consolidated DataBase System ("CDBS") under current rules, we proposed in the FNPRM that we would import and update any information that must already be filed with the Commission electronically in CDBS to each station's public file, which will be part of a database of all television station public files on the Commission's website. We anticipated that this would create efficiencies for broadcasters, since they must currently upload such filings to CDBS and then also ensure that the same documents are included in the public file kept at the station. Under the proposed mechanism, broadcasters would be responsible for uploading only those items not otherwise filed with the Commission or available on the Commission's website. Under the proposed rules, television stations would need to link to the public inspection file hosted on the Commission's website from the home page of its own website, if the station has a website. The Second Report and Order adopted this approach.
On November 22, 2011, the Commission submitted the FNPRM's proposed information collection requirements for collection 3060-0214 to OMB for review and approval. We now seek final approval for the information collection requirements that are contained in this collection, based on the final rules that were adopted in FCC 12-44.
The estimates have been modified to reflect comments received in response to the Federal Register seeking public comment on the information collections contained in this supporting statement (see 76 FR 72144, published November 22, 2011); the Second Report and Order as adopted; and the Commission's cost/benefit analysis.
In question 12 of the supporting statement, the total annual respondents and responses have been modified to reflect changes in station totals. The total annual burden hours have been modified to reflect the decision in the Second Report and Order not to add new retention requirements, and our review of public files for stations in Baltimore, Maryland. In particular, our review of non-commercial television files led us to substantially decrease the number of general maintenance hours for such stations. We have decreased the general maintenance burdens for other television stations as well, and may decrease them further after stations have completed their transition to the online public file. In question 13, we have revised the total annualized capital/startup costs in accordance with our review of television station public files in the Baltimore DMA.
Therefore, this collection has program changes/decreases to the annual burden hours of 18,735. Also, there are program changes/increases to the annual cost burden of 882,236 which are due to the requirements that were adopted in FCC 12-44.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Supporting Statement OMB 3060-0214 2012 (FCC 12-44).doc
Sections 73.3526 and 73.3527, Local Public Inspection File, Sections 76.1701 and 73.1943, Political Files