The subject information collection is used to determine the amount of, and eligibility for, high-cost universal service support received by incumbent and competitive eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs). The Commission is proposing edits to currently approved FCC Forms 507, 508 and 509 and its instructions to reflect newly adopted information collections.
The Federal Communications Commission (Commission) requests OMB approval to submit the information collection described herein under the âemergency processingâ provision of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (5 C.F.R. § 1320.13). The Commission is requesting clearance for a revised information collection entitled: 3060-0986, Competitive Carrier Line Count Report and Self-Certification as a Rural Carrier, which will include three revised FCC Forms 507, 508 and 509. This information collection also includes FCC Forms, 481, 505 and 525, which are not being revised in this submission. We respectfully request OMB approval for this collection by 30 days from submission.
On March 30, 2016, the Commission released an Order et al., WC Docket No. 10-90 et al., FCC 16-33 (Rate-of-Return Reform Order and Further Notice) that, among other things, adopted reforms to high-cost universal service mechanisms for rate-of-return carriers to extend support to consumer broadband-only loops. Specifically, the Commission added consumer broadband-only loop costs and revenues to the Interstate Common Line Support (ICLS) mechanism, which previously was calculated based only common line costs and revenues, and renamed the mechanism Connect America Fund-Broadband Loop Support (CAF-BLS) to reflect the expanded scope.
In order to implement CAF-BLS, the Commission must revise FCC Forms 507 (to be renamed CAF-BLS Line Count Report), 508 (to be renamed CAF-BLS Projected Annual Cost and Revenue), and 509 (to be renamed CAF-BLS Actual Cost and Revenue). The revisions narrowly expand the scope of the line count, cost and revenue data that is currently collected for ICLS to include the equivalent consumer broadband-only loop data.
This information collection requires emergency approval to enable the implementation of CAF-BLS on January 1, 2017. The collection of this information is merely one step in the process toward that goal. After the Commissionâs appointed universal service administrator collects the data, it must calculate and publish the amount of support that will be available for each carrier. Carriers that use tariffs to provide the supported consumer broadband-only service must then, either on their own or through their tariff agent, prepare and file revised tariffs incorporating the support amounts in time to be effective on January 1. In the event that these steps cannot be completed in time for January 1, implementation would need to be delayed. Because the cost and revenue data and the related tariffs are not easily developed for periods that are not consistent with the carriersâ existing accounting practices, the Commission would need to choose between a significant delay in implementation to July 1 (and thereby delay the benefits of support for consumer broadband-only loops), or significantly higher administrative burdens for carriers due to the need to track costs and revenue in a manner inconsistent with their normal account calendar. For these reasons, if the Commission were to wait 120 days to begin collecting this information, the distribution of such CAF-BLS would be significantly delayed, resulting in harm to the program and the public.
Thus, compliance with the normal clearance procedures set forth in 5 C.F.R. § 1320 would delay the implementation of these provisions of Section 254, which might result in unnecessary implementation costs and delays. Therefore, the Commission is requesting OMB emergency
approval by [[30 days after submission]] to avoid any public harm that will result from applying the normal clearance procedures to these provisions of Section 254.
US Code:
47 USC 214
Name of Law: Communications Act of 1934, as amended
US Code:
47 USC 218 - 220
Name of Law: Communications Act of 1934, as amended
US Code:
47 USC 254
Name of Law: Communications Act of 1934, as amended
US Code:
47 USC 303(r)
Name of Law: Communications Act of 1934, as amended
US Code:
47 USC 151 - 154
Name of Law: Communications Act of 1934, as amended
US Code:
47 USC 201 - 205
Name of Law: Communications Act of 1934, as amended
US Code:
47 USC 403
Name of Law: Communications Act of 1934, as amended
US Code:
47 USC 405
Name of Law: Communications Act of 1934, as amended
US Code:
47 USC 410
Name of Law: Communications Act of 1934, as amended
The Commission is reporting a program change/decreases to this information collection. Since this collection was last approved by OMB, the total number of respondents stayed the same, the total annual responses decrease from 15,333 to 14,109 (-1,224), and the total burden hours decreases from 277,089 to 274,455 (-2,634). These program changes are due to the elimination of the requirement to file lines by disaggregation zone and the inclusion of additional line count, forecasted cost and revenue, and actual cost and revenue data associated with consumer broadband-only loops necessary for the calculation of CAF-BLS.
$0
No
No
No
No
No
Uncollected
Cheryl Callahan 202 418-2320
Reginfo record details
No
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.
Form Form 481 Instructi Connect America Fund - Broadband Loop Support
3060-0986_SS_ August 2016 (Revision HC_Final).docx
3060-0986 Emergency Letter (2016).pdf
Connect America Fund - Broadband Loop Support