Section 214 of the Communications Act
of 1934, as amended, requires that the FCC review the
establishment, acquisition, operation, and extension of lines, and
the discontinuance of service by interstate common carriers. This
OMB collection pertains primarily to section 63.71 and other
related sections of the Commission's rules, which govern the
application process for receiving authority for discontinuance,
impairment or reduction in service. The discontinuance obligations
that apply to domestic non-dominant telecommunications carriers
have been extended to providers of interconnected VoIP service. In
July, 2016, the Commission revised its discontinuance procedures
such that technology transition discontinuance applicants seeking
streamlined treatment will be required to submit with their
application either a certification or a showing as to whether an
“adequate replacement” exists in the service area. Voice technology
transition discontinuance applicants that decline to pursue this
path are not eligible for streamlined treatment and will have their
applications evaluated on a non-streamlined basis under the
traditional five factor test. The Commission concluded that an
applicant for a technology transition discontinuance may
demonstrate that a service is an adequate replacement for a legacy
voice service by certifying or showing that one or more replacement
service(s) offers all of the following: (i) substantially similar
levels of network infrastructure and service quality as the
applicant service; (ii) compliance with existing federal and/or
industry standards required to ensure that critical applications
such as 911, network security, and applications for individuals
with disabilities remain available; and (iii) interoperability and
compatibility with an enumerated list of applications and
functionalities determined to be key to consumers and competitors.
One replacement service must satisfy all the criteria to retain
eligibility for automatic grant. To reduce burdens on carriers, the
Commission adopted a more streamlined approach for discontinuances
involving services that are substantially similar to those for
which a Section 214 discontinuance has previously been approved.
The Commission determined that information about the price of the
legacy service and the proposed replacement service should be
provided as part of the application.
US Code:
47
USC 571 Name of Law: Communications Act of 1934, as amended
US Code: 47
USC 151 Name of Law: Communications Act of 1934, as amended
US Code:
47 USC 154(i) and 154(j) Name of Law: Communications Act of
1934, as amended
US Code: 47
USC 218 Name of Law: Communications Act of 1934, as amended
US Code: 47
USC 160 Name of Law: Communications Act of 1934, as amended
US Code: 47
USC 161 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 214 Name of Law: Communications Act of 1934, as amended
US Code: 47
USC 403 Name of Law: Communications Act of 1934, as amended
The Commission is reporting
program changes/increases to the number of respondents, responses
and burden hours with this revised collection. The total number of
respondents increased from 58 to 63 (3), and the total number of
responses increased from 58 to 83 (25) and the total annual burden
hours increased from 348 to 1,923 (1,575). Additionally, the total
annual cost burden increased from $0 to $27,900. These program
changes/increases are due to the Commission adopting the 2016
Technology Transitions Order.
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.
3060-0149 SS for ART_FINAL VERSION 05.17.18.doc
Part 63, Application and Supplemental Information Requirement Technology, Transitions, GN Docket No. 13-5, et al.