On November 10, 2014, the Federal
Communications Commission (Commission”) released a Report and Order
and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FCC 14-181) in WT Docket
No. 12-40 to reform its rules governing the 800 MHz Cellular
Radiotelephone (Cellular) Service. In the Report and Order
(Cellular R&O), the Commission changed the Cellular licensing
model from site-based to geographic-based. The revised Cellular
Service licensing model entailed eliminating several filing
requirements that had outlived their usefulness in this mature
commercial wireless service that was launched in the early 1980s;
it also streamlined application content requirements, and deleted
obsolete provisions associated with the legacy site-based regime.
Subsequently, on March 24, 2017, the Commission released a Second
Report and Order in that same proceeding (Cellular Second R&O),
together with a companion Report and Order in WT Docket No. 10-112
concerning the Wireless Radio Services (WRS), which include the
Cellular Service among others (WRS R&O) (FCC 17-27). The
Cellular Second R&O and WRS R&O revised or eliminated
certain licensing rules and modernized outdated technical rules
applicable to the Cellular Service. Specifically, in addition to
rule revisions that do not affect this information collection, in
the Cellular Second R&O, the Commission revised the Cellular
radiated power rules, giving licensees the option to comply with
effective radiated power (ERP) limits based on power spectral
density (PSD), and giving licensees the additional option to
operate at PSD limits above a specified threshold (Higher PSD
Limits) so long as certain conditions are met. One of these
conditions, set forth in a new provision of the Cellular rules, is
a requirement for written advance notification to public safety
entities within a specified radius of the cell sites to be deployed
at the Higher PSD Limits. This third-party disclosure requirement
is an important component of the Commission’s approach to
protecting public safety entities from increased potential for
unacceptable interference to their communications. Also in the
Cellular Second R&O and of relevance to this information
collection, the Commission eliminated the requirement for filings
for certain changes to cell sites in a Cellular system. In the WRS
R&O, the Commission deleted the Part 22 Cellular comparative
hearing/license renewal rules, resulting in discontinued
information collections for the following rule sections: 22.935,
22.936, 22.939, and 22.940. The Commission is now seeking approval
from the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) for a revision of
this information collection.
US Code:
47
USC 154 Name of Law: Communications Act of 1934, as amended
US Code: 47
USC 303 Name of Law: Communications Act of 1934, as amended
US Code: 47
USC 309 Name of Law: Communications Act of 1934, as amended
US Code: 47
USC 222 Name of Law: Communications Act of 1934, as amended
US Code: 47
USC 332 Name of Law: Communicaitons Act of 1934, as amended
The Commission has program
changes to the information collection to reflect the adoption of
the Cellular Second R&O in WT Docket No. 12-40, FCC 17-27,
which eliminates the need for certain Cellular applications and
adds a provision under the revised Cellular power rules to require
specified third-party disclosures under certain conditions to
protect public safety licensees in the 800 MHz band. Specifically,
these program changes decrease the estimated number of respondents
by 248, increase the estimated number of responses by 470, decrease
the estimated annual burden hours by 488 hours, and decrease the
annual cost to respondents by $306,900. There are no adjustments to
this collection.
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.