Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 228 / Wednesday, November 26, 1997 / Notices 63175

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS

COMMISSION

[CC Docket No. 96–45; DA 97–2392]

Universal Service

AGENCY: Federal Communications

Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Diane Law, Common Carrier Bureau,

Accounting and Audits Division,

Universal Service Branch, (202) 418–

7400, or via E-mail to ‘‘dlaw@fcc.gov’’.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Released: November 13, 1997.

In this Public Notice, the Accounting

and Audits Division announces the

proposed universal service contribution

factors for the first quarter of 1998.

In the Universal Service Order

released on May 8, 1997, the

Commission established new federal

universal service support mechanisms

consistent with the

Telecommunications Act of 1934, as

amended. (See Federal-State Joint Board

on Universal Service, CC Docket No.

96–45, Report and Order, FCC 97–157

(62 FR 32862, June 17, 1997)). The

Commission required all

telecommunications carriers that

provide interstate telecommunications

services, providers of interstate

telecommunications, and payphone

service providers to contribute to the

federal universal service support

mechanisms. The Commission found

that contributions for the schools,

libraries, and rural health care programs

would be based on interstate, intrastate,

and international end-user

telecommunications revenues. The

Commission also found that

contributions for the high cost, rural,

and insular and low-income programs

would be based on interstate and

international end-user

telecommunications revenues.

On July 18, 1997, the Commission

released an Order directing the National

Exchange Carrier Association (NECA) to

create an independently functioning

not-for-profit subsidiary, the Universal

Service Administrative Company

(USAC), through which it will

administer temporarily certain aspects

of the federal universal service support

mechanisms. The Commission also

directed NECA to create two

independent, not-for-profit entities,

Schools and Libraries Corporation and

Rural Health Care Corporation, to

administer certain aspects of the

schools, libraries, and rural health care

programs of the federal support

mechanisms. The Commission

instructed USAC, Schools and Libraries

Corporation, and Rural Health Care

Corporation to submit projections of

demand and administrative expenses for

their respective programs for the first

quarter of 1998 to the Commission at

least sixty days before the start of the

first quarter of 1998. USAC also must

compile total interstate, intrastate, and

international end-user

telecommunications revenues and

submit that information to the

Commission. The Commission stated

that it would publish these figures and

the proposed quarterly contribution

factors in a Public Notice. (See Changes

to the Board of Directors of the National

Exchange Carrier Association, Inc.,

Federal-State Joint Board on Universal

Service, Report and Order and Second

Order on Reconsideration, FCC 97–253

(62 FR 41294, August 1, 1997)).

On October 31, 1997, USAC, Schools

and Libraries Corporation, and Rural

Health Care Corporation submitted

projections of demand and

administrative expenses for their

respective programs for the first quarter

of 1998. Those figures are as follows:

Program

Program

demand

(million)

Administrative expenses Interest income

Total program costs

(millions)

Schools and Libraries Program ................................................................... $299.1 $2.7 million ......... ($1.8 million) ......... $300.0

Rural Health Care Program ......................................................................... 98.4 2.2 million ........... (605,000) .............. 100.0

High Cost Program ...................................................................................... 434.0 1.1 million ........... (2.8 million) ........... 432.3

Low Income Program .................................................................................. 135.7 600,000 ............... (900,000) .............. 136.0

Totals ................................................................................................ 967.2 6.6 million ........... (6.1 million) ........... 968.3

Based on information contained in the

Universal Service Worksheets, FCC

Form 457, USAC submitted the

following information regarding enduser telecommunications revenues on

November 13, 1997:

Total Interstate and International EndUser Telecommunications Revenues

from January 1, 1997–June 30, 1997:

$35.001 billion;

Total Interstate, Intrastate, and

International End-User

Telecommunications Revenues from

January 1, 1997—June 30, 1997: $89.827

billion.

To calculate the proposed quarterly

contribution factors, the Bureau divided

the combined total demand projections

by the appropriate six-month

contribution base. Based on USAC’s

recommendation, to account for

possible uncollectible contributions and

possible errors in the projections of

demand and administrative expense, the

Accounting and Audits Division

decreased the contribution base totals

submitted by USAC by two percent.

Based on the figures submitted by

USAC, Schools and Libraries

Corporation, and Rural Health Care

Corporation, the proposed contribution

factors for the first quarter of 1998 are

as follows:

Contribution factor for interstate and

international end-user

telecommunications revenues: 0.0166.

This figure was calculated by dividing

$568 million total projected demand for

the high cost and low income programs

by $34,301 million interstate and

international end-user

telecommunications revenues. $34,301

million is 98 percent of the reported

$35.001 billion interstate and

international end-user

telecommunications revenues

contribution base.

Contribution factor for interstate,

intrastate, and international end-user

telecommunications revenues: 0.0045.

This figure was calculated by dividing

$400 million total projected demand for

the schools, libraries, and rural health

care programs by $88,030 million

interstate, intrastate, and international

end-user telecommunications revenues.

$88,030 million is 98 percent of the

reported $89.827 billion interstate,

intrastate, and international end-user

telecommunications revenues

contribution base.

If the Commission takes no action

regarding the proposed contribution

factors by November 28, 1997, the

proposed contribution factors will be

deemed approved by the Commission.

Until November 28, 1997, the

Commission reserves the right to modify
63176 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 228 / Wednesday, November 26, 1997 / Notices

these contribution factors and set the

projections of demand and

administrative expenses at amounts that

the Bureau determines will serve the

public interest. Once the proposed

contribution factors are deemed

approved by the Commission or are

modified and approved in a subsequent

Public Notice, USAC shall use the

approved contribution factors to

calculate and bill first quarter universal

service contributions. USAC will send

all contributors a quarterly bill for the

federal universal service support

mechanisms in December of 1997.

Contributors must submit their first

quarter universal service contribution to

USAC within thirty days of the date

listed on their quarterly bill. Payments

must be sent to the address specified on

the quarterly bill.

Federal Communications Commission.

Timothy A. Peterson,

Deputy Division Chief, Common Carrier

Bureau.

[FR Doc. 97–31116 Filed 11–24–97; 10:00

am]

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS

COMMISSION

Public Information Collections

Approved by Office of Management

and Budget

November 20, 1997.

The Federal Communications

Commission (FCC) has received Office

of Management and Budget (OMB)

approval for the following public

information collections pursuant to the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,

Public Law 104–13. An agency may not

conduct or sponsor and a person is not

required to respond to a collection of

information unless it displays a

currently valid control number. For

further information contact Shoko B.

Hair, Federal Communications

Commission, (202) 418–1379.

Federal Communications Commission

OMB Control No.: 3060–0803.

Expiration Date: 05/31/98.

Title: Tariff Review Plan Revisions.

Form No.: N/A.

Respondents: Business or other forprofit.

Estimated Annual Burden: 16

respondents (estimated annual

responses: 71); 25 hours per response

(avg.); 1776 total annual burden hours.

Estimated Annual Reporting and

Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.

Frequency of Response: One-time

requirement.

Description: In the Tariff Review Plan

(TRP) Revision, the Commission

initiates the necessary revisions to the

TRPs under which incumbent price cap

local exchange carriers (LECs) should

make their access filing to take effect on

January 1, 1998. This filing is necessary

so that incumbent price cap LECs can

adjust their rates in response to the First

Report and Order (rel. May 16, 1997)

and the Second Order on

Reconsideration (rel. October 9, 1997) in

CC Docket No. 96–262. Sections 201,

202, 203, 204 and 205 of the

Communications Act of 1934, as

amended, 47 U.S.C. Sections 201, 202,

203, 204 and 205, require that common

carriers establish just and reasonable

charges, practices and regulations for

the telecommunications services

provided. The tariff schedules

containing those charges, practices and

regulations must be filed with the FCC,

and the FCC is required to determine

whether such schedules are just,

reasonable, and not unduly

discriminatory. The Commission is

granted broad authority to require the

submission of data showing the value of

the property used to provide these

services. 47 U.S.C. Section 213.

Pursuant to its statutory mandate to

assure just, reasonable, and

nondiscriminatory charges for interstate

telephone service, the FCC has adopted

specific rules regarding the

determination of the range of rates

charged by local exchange carriers

(LECs) to interexchange carriers (IXCs)

transporting long distance calls. The

IXCs use local networks of LECs to

originate or terminate long distance

calls. 47 CFR Part 69. The TRP material

submitted by the Local Exchange Carrier

is used by the FCC to determine

whether its interstate access rates are

just and reasonable as required by the

Communications Act of 1934, as

amended. Obligation to respond:

mandatory. Contact Shoko Hair (202–

418–1379) for copies of the TRP

Revision displaying the OMB control

number and expiration date and

required PRA statements.

OMB Control No.: 3060–0804.

Expiration Date: 05/31/98.

Title: Universal Service—Health Care

Providers Universal Service Program.

Form No.: FCC Forms 465, 466, 467,

and 468.

Respondents: Business or other for

profit.

Estimated Annual Burden: 15,400

respondents; 2.5 hours per response

(avg.); 117,000 total annual burden

hours.

Estimated Annual Reporting and

Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.

Frequency of Response: On occasion.

Description: The Telecommunications

Act of 1996 (1996 Act) directed the

Commission to initiate a rulemaking to

reform our system of universal service

by preserving and advancing universal

service markets toward competition,

and to benefit everyone. Congress

placed on the Commission the duty to

implement these principles in a manner

consistent with the pro-competition

purposes of the Act. To fulfill that

mandate, on March 8, 1996, the

Commission adopted a Notice of

Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in CC

Docket No. 96–45 implementing the

Congressional directives set out in

section 254 of the Communications Act

of 1934, as amended by the 1996 Act.

On May 8, 1997, the Commission

adopted rules providing support for all

telecommunications services, limited

distance charges, and Internet access for

all eligible health care providers. In an

effort to implement these requirements

and obligations the Commission has

received OMB approval for the

following forms to administer the health

care providers universal service

program: FCC Form 465 ‘‘Description of

Services Requested and Certification.’’

All health care providers requesting

services eligible for universal service

support must file a ‘‘Description of

Services and Certification’’ form with

the Administrator.

Filing this form is the first step a

health care providers must take to

participate in the universal service

program. The Administrator will then

post a description of the services sought

on a website for all potential competing

service providers to see and respond to

as if they were requests for proposals

(RFPs). 47 CFR 54.603(b)(2), 47 CFR

54.615(c). FCC Form 466 ‘‘Services

Ordered and Certification.’’ All health

care providers ordering services that are

eligible for universal service support

must file a ‘‘Services Ordered and

Certification’’ form with the

Administrator. 47 CFR 54.603(b)(4).

Form 466, ‘‘Services Ordered and

Certification,’’ will be used to ensure

health care providers have selected the

most cost-effective method of providing

the requested services as set forth in 47

CFR 54.603(b)(4). FCC Form 466 is also

the means by which an applicant

informs the Administrator that it has

entered a contract with a

telecommunications service provider for

services that are supported under the

universal services support program. The

administrator must receive this form

before it can commit universal service

funds to support the services for which

the applicant has contracted. FCC Form

467 ‘‘Receipt of Service Confirmation.’’