Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 246 / Wednesday, December 26, 2018 / Rules and Regulations 66147 

Estimated Time per Response: 0.5–4.5 

hours. 

Frequency of Response: On occasion 

reporting requirements; recordkeeping; 

third party disclosure requirements. 

Obligation to Respond: Required to 

obtain or retain benefits. Statutory 

authority is contained in 47 U.S.C. 222 

and 251. 

Total Annual Burden: 575,448 hours. 

Total Annual Cost: No cost(s). 

Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No 

impact(s). 

Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: 

The Commission is not requesting that 

the respondents submit confidential 

information to the FCC. Respondents 

may, however, request confidential 

treatment for information they believe to 

be confidential under 47 CFR 0.459 of 

the Commission’s rules. 

Needs and Uses: The Commission is 

not requesting that the respondents 

submit confidential information to the 

FCC. Respondents may, however, 

request confidential treatment for 

information they believe to be 

confidential under 47 CFR 0.459 of the 

Commission’s rules. 

Needs and Uses: Section 251 of the 

Communications Act of 1934, as 

amended, 47 U.S.C. 251, is designed to 

accelerate private sector development 

and deployment of telecommunications 

technologies and services by spurring 

competition. Section 222(e) is also 

designed to spur competition by 

prescribing requirements for the sharing 

of subscriber list information. These 

information collection requirements are 

designed to help implement certain 

provisions of sections 222(e) and 251, 

and to eliminate operational barriers to 

competition in the telecommunications 

services market. Specifically, these 

information collection requirements 

will be used to implement (1) local 

exchange carriers’ (‘‘LECs’’) obligations 

to provide their competitors with 

dialing parity and non-discriminatory 

access to certain services and 

functionalities; (2) incumbent local 

exchange carriers’ (‘‘ILECs’’) duty to 

make network information disclosures; 

and (3) numbering administration. The 

revisions to this collection relate to 

changes in one of many components of 

the currently approved collection— 

specifically, certain reporting, 

recordkeeping and/or third-party 

disclosure requirements under section 

251(c)(5). In November 2017, the 

Commission adopted new rules 

concerning certain information 

collection requirements implemented 

under section 251(c)(5) of the Act, 

pertaining to network change 

disclosures. Most of the changes to 

those rules applied specifically to a 

certain subset of network change 

disclosures, namely notices of planned 

copper retirements. In addition, the 

changes removed a rule that prohibits 

incumbent LECs from engaging in useful 

advanced coordination with entities 

affected by network changes. In June 

2018, the Commission revised its 

network change disclosure rules to (1) 

revise the types of network changes that 

trigger an incumbent LEC’s public 

notice obligation, and (2) extend the 

force majeure provisions applicable to 

copper retirements to all types of 

network changes. The changes are 

aimed at removing unnecessary 

regulatory barriers to the deployment of 

high-speed broadband networks. The 

Commission estimates that these 

revisions do not result in any change to 

the total annual burden hours or any 

additional outlays of funds for hiring 

outside contractors or procuring 

equipment as the changes eliminate 

notices that are subsumed by notice 

obligations that remain in force or 

simply codify procedures available to a 

small number of incumbent LECs by 

waiver orders. 

Federal Communications Commission. 

Marlene Dortch, 

Secretary, Office of the Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2018–27834 Filed 12–21–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P 

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS 

COMMISSION 

47 CFR Part 63 

[WC Docket No. 17–84; FCC 18–74] 

Accelerating Wireline Broadband 

Deployment by Removing Barriers to 

Infrastructure Investment 

AGENCY: Federal Communications 

Commission. 

ACTION: Final rule; announcement of 

effective date. 

SUMMARY: In this document, the 

Commission announces that the Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB) has 

approved, for a period of three years, the 

information collection associated with 

the Commission’s discontinuance rules. 

This document is consistent with the 

Accelerating Wireline Broadband 

Deployment by Removing Barriers to 

Infrastructure Investment Second Report 

and Order, FCC 18–74, which stated 

that the Commission would publish a 

document in the Federal Register 

announcing the effective date of those 

rules. 

DATES: The amendments to 47 CFR 

63.71(f), (h), (k) introductory text, (k)(1) 

and (3), and (l), published at 83 FR 

31659, July 9, 2018, are effective on 

December 26, 2018. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Michele Levy Berlove, Special Counsel, 

Wireline Competition Bureau, at (202) 

418–1477, or by email at 

Michele.Berlove@fcc.gov. 

For additional information concerning 

the Paperwork Reduction Act 

information collection requirements, 

contact Nicole Ongele at (202) 418–2991 

or nicole.ongele@fcc.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

document announces that, on December 

6, 2018, OMB approved, for a period of 

three years, the information collection 

requirements relating to certain 

discontinuance rules contained in the 

Commission’s Accelerating Wireline 

Broadband Deployment by Removing 

Barriers to Infrastructure Investment 

Second Report and Order, FCC 18–74, 

published at 83 FR 31659, July 9, 2018, 

as specified above. 

The OMB Control Number is 3060– 

0149. The Commission publishes this 

document as an announcement of the 

effective date of the rules. If you have 

any comments on the burden estimates 

listed below, or how the Commission 

can improve the collections and reduce 

any burdens caused thereby, please 

contact Nicole Ongele, Federal 

Communications Commission, Room 1– 

A620, 445 12th Street SW, Washington, 

DC 20554. Please include the OMB 

Control Number, 3060–0149, in your 

correspondence. The Commission will 

also accept your comments via email at 

PRA@fcc.gov. 

To request materials in accessible 

formats for people with disabilities 

(Braille, large print, electronic files, 

audio format), send an email to fcc504@

fcc.gov or call the Consumer and 

Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 

418–0530 (voice), (202) 418–0432 

(TTY). 

Synopsis 

As required by the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3507), 

the FCC is notifying the public that it 

received final OMB approval on 

December 6, 2018, for the information 

collection requirements contained in the 

modifications to the Commission’s rules 

in 47 CFR part 63. 

Under 5 CFR part 1320, an agency 

may not conduct or sponsor a collection 

of information unless it displays a 

current, valid OMB Control Number. 

No person shall be subject to any 

penalty for failing to comply with a 

collection of information subject to the 

Paperwork Reduction Act that does not 

display a current, valid OMB Control 


amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with RULES
66148 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 246 / Wednesday, December 26, 2018 / Rules and Regulations 

Number. The OMB Control Number is 

3060–0149. 

The foregoing notice is required by 

the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 

Public Law 104–13, October 1, 1995, 

and 44 U.S.C. 3507. 

The total annual reporting burdens 

and costs for the respondents are as 

follows: 

OMB Control Number: 3060–0149. 

OMB Approval Date: December 6, 

2018. 

OMB Expiration Date: December 31, 

2021. 

Title: Part 63, Accelerating Wireline 

Broadband Deployment by Removing 

Barriers to Infrastructure Investment, 

WC Docket No. 17–84, FCC 18–74. 

Form Number: N/A. 

Respondents: Business or other forprofit entities. 

Number of Respondents and 

Responses: 80 respondents; 88 

responses. 

Estimated Time per Response: 6–63 

hours. 

Frequency of Response: One-time 

reporting requirement and third-party 

disclosure requirements. 

Obligation to Respond: Required to 

obtain or retain benefits. Statutory 

authority for this collection of 

information is contained in 47 U.S.C. 

Sections 214 and 402 of the 

Communications Act of 1934, as 

amended. 

Total Annual Burden: 1,086 hours. 

Total Annual Cost: $27,900. 

Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No 

impact(s). 

Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: 

The Commission is not requesting that 

the respondents submit confidential 

information to the FCC. Respondents 

may, however, request confidential 

treatment for information they believe to 

be confidential under 47 CFR 0.459 of 

the Commission’s rules. 

Needs and Uses: The Commission is 

seeking Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) approval for a revision of 

a currently approved collection to OMB. 

The Commission will submit this 

information collection after this 60-day 

comment period. Section 214 of the 

Communications Act of 1934, as 

amended, requires that a carrier must 

first obtain FCC authorization either to 

(1) construct, operate, or engage in 

transmission over a line of 

communications; or (2) discontinue, 

reduce or impair service over a line of 

communications. Part 63 of title 47 of 

the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 

implements Section 214. Part 63 also 

implements provisions of the Cable 

Communications Policy Act of 1984 

pertaining to video which was approved 

under this OMB Control Number 3060– 

0149. In 2009, the Commission modified 

part 63 to extend to providers of 

interconnected Voice of internet 

Protocol (VoIP) service the 

discontinuance obligations that apply to 

domestic non-dominant 

telecommunications carriers under 

Section 214 of the Communications Act 

of 1934, as amended. In 2014, the 

Commission adopted improved 

administrative filing procedures for 

domestic transfers of control, domestic 

discontinuances and notices of network 

changes, and among other adjustments, 

modified part 63 to require electronic 

filing for applications for authorization 

to discontinue, reduce, or impair service 

under section 214(a) of the Act. In July 

2016, the Commission concluded that 

applicants seeking to discontinue a 

legacy time division multiplexing 

(TDM)-based voice service as part of a 

transition to a new technology, whether 

internet Protocol (IP), wireless, or 

another type (technology transition 

discontinuance application) must 

demonstrate that an adequate 

replacement for the legacy service exists 

in order to be eligible for streamlined 

treatment and revised part 63 

accordingly. 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 (the ‘‘adequate replacement 

test’’). 

In June 2018, the Commission further 

modified the rules applicable to section 

214(a) discontinuance applications. 

First, all carriers, whether dominant or 

non-dominant, that seek approval to 

grandfather data services below speeds 

of 25 Mbps download speed and 3 Mbps 

upload speed are now subject to a 

uniform reduced public comment 

period of 10 days and an automatic 

grant period of 25 days. Second, all 

carriers, whether dominant or nondominant, seeking authorization to 

discontinue data services below speeds 

of 25 Mbps download speed and 3 Mbps 

upload speed that have previously been 

grandfathered for a period of at least 180 

days are subject to a uniform reduced 

public comment period of 10 days and 

an automatic grant period of 31 days, 

provided they submit a statement as 

part of their discontinuance application 

that they have received Commission 

authority to grandfather the services at 

issue at least 180 days prior to the filing 

of the discontinuance application. This 

statement must reference the file 

number of the prior Commission 

authorization to grandfather the services 

the carrier now seeks to permanently 

discontinue. Third, carriers are no 

longer required to file an application to 

discontinue, reduce, or impair any 

service for which it has had no 

customers and no request for service for 

at least a 30-day period immediately 

preceding the discontinuance. Fourth, 

all carriers, whether dominant or nondominant, that seek approval to 

discontinue legacy voice service can 

obtain further streamlined processing 

with a public comment period of 15 

days and an automatic grant period of 

31 days, provided (1) they offer a standalone interconnected VoIP service 

throughout the service area, and (2) at 

least one alternative stand-alone, 

facilities-based voice service is available 

from an unaffiliated provider 

throughout the affected service area (the 

‘‘alternative options test’’). Finally, all 

carriers, whether dominant or nondominant, that seek approval to 

grandfather legacy voice service are now 

subject to a uniform reduced public 

comment period of 10 days and an 

automatic grant period of 25 days. The 

Commission estimates that it will 

receive three fewer section 214(a) 

discontinuance applications annually in 

light of the Commission’s forbearance 

from applying its section 214(a) 

discontinuance requirements to services 

for which the carrier has had no 

customers and no reasonable requests 

for service during the preceding 30-day 

period. The Commission also 

anticipates that the number of 

respondents and responses under the 

adequate replacement test will likely 

decrease from 5 and 25, respectively, to 

2 and 10, respectively. The remaining 

15 responses previously attributable to 

the adequate replacement test will likely 

proceed pursuant to the less rigorous 

alternative options test. The 

Commission estimates that the total 

annual burden of the entire collection, 

as revised, is reduced from 1,923 hours 

to 1,086 hours. 

Federal Communications Commission. 

Marlene Dortch, 

Secretary, Office of the Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2018–27833 Filed 12–21–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P 


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