Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 119 / Monday, June 22, 1998 / Notices 33929

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS

COMMISSION

[DA 98–888]

Streamlining the International Section

214 Authorization Process and Tariff

Requirements

AGENCY: Federal Communications

Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: On May 11, 1998, the

Telecommunications Division of the

International Bureau of the Federal

Communications Commission adopted

an Order modifying the exclusion list

that prohibits U.S. carriers from making

use of non-U.S. licensed facilities. The

Commission removed the following

facilities from the exclusion list: U.K.-

German-6, FLAG, all cables on the

Sweden-Finland route, Ulysses, and

HERMES. This decision will reduce the

regulatory burden on U.S. carriers

seeking to obtain capacity on these

facilities and should make the market

for cable access more competitive,

leading to lower prices for U.S. carriers’

end users.

EFFECTIVE DATE: May 11, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Adam Krinsky, Attorney, Policy and

Facilities Branch, Telecommunications

Division, International Bureau, (202)

418–1099.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a

summary of the Telecommunications

Division’s Order adopted on May 11,

1998 and released on May 13, 1998 (DA

98–888). The full text of this Order is

available for inspection and copying

during normal business hours in the

FCC Reference Center (Room 239), 1919

M Street, NW., Washington, DC 20554.

The complete text of this Order also

may be purchased from the

Commission’s copy contractor,

International Transcription Service,

Inc., 1231 20th Street, NW.,

Washington, DC 20036, (202) 857–3800.

The Order also is available as a text file

at <http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/

International/Orders/1998/

da980888.txt>. It is available as a

WordPerfect file at <http://

www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/International/

Orders/1998/da980888.wp>.

Summary of Order

1. On February 29, 1996, the Federal

Communications Commission adopted

rules to streamline the international

Section 214 authorization process and

tariff requirements. (Report and Order,

Streamlining the International Section

214 Authorization Process and Tariff

Requirements, IB Docket No. 95–118,

FCC 96–79, released March 13, 1996, 61

FR 15724, April 9, 1996). The Report

and Order adopted procedures for

issuing global, rather than countryspecific and facility-specific, Section

214 authorizations to qualified

applicants. As part of the new

procedures, the Commission required

the International Bureau to establish

and maintain an exclusion list

identifying restrictions on providing

service using particular facilities or to

particular countries for those carriers

receiving a global Section 214

authorization. On July 26, 1996, the

International Bureau adopted the

exclusion list. (Report and Order,

Streamlining the International Section

214 Authorization Process and Tariff

Requirements, DA 96–1205, released

July 29, 1996, 61 FR 50023, September

24, 1996). The exclusion list was

subsequently modified on October 22,

1996 (Report and Order, Streamlining

the International Section 214

Authorization Process and Tariff

Requirements, DA 96–1752, released

October 24, 1996, 61 FR 58689,

November 18, 1996).

2. On December 29, 1997, PLD

Telekom Inc. (PLD) requested authority

to provide authorized and future

services using the following non-U.S.-

licensed facilities not yet identified as

exceptions to the Commission’s

exclusion list: U.K.-German-6, FLAG, all

cables on the Sweden-Finland route,

Ulysses, and HERMES (See PLD

Telekom, File No. ITC–98–040, filed

December 29, 1997). No parties opposed

PLD’s request.

3. With regard to the cable facilities

identified by PLD, we do not find any

imperative circumstances that warrant

their continued exclusion. Removal of

these cable systems from the exclusion

list will reduce the regulatory burden on

U.S. carriers wishing to obtain capacity

on these facilities and should make the

market for cable access more

competitive, leading to lower prices for

U.S. carriers’ end users. We therefore

find that the public interest will be

served by removing the requested

facilities from the exclusion list. The

U.K.-German-6, FLAG, all cables on the

Sweden-Finland route, Ulysses, and

HERMES cables will therefore be added

to the facilities specified as excepted

from the exclusion list. This

modification of the exclusion list allows

any U.S. facilities-based carrier with

global Section 214 authorization to use

these cable systems.

Ordering Clauses

4. Accordingly, it is ordered that the

Exclusion List attached to this order,

which identifies restrictions on

providing service using particular

facilities or to particular countries for

those carriers receiving a global Section

214 authorization, is hereby adopted.

5. This order is issued under § 0.261

of the Commission’s rules, 47 CFR

0.261, and is effective upon adoption.

Petitions for reconsideration under

§ 1.106 or applications for review under

§ 1.115 of the Commission’s Rules may

be filed within 30 days of the date of the

public notice of this Order (See 47 CFR

1.4(b)(2)).

Federal Communications Commission.

Diane J. Cornell,

Chief, Telecommunications Division,

International Bureau.

Attachment

International Section 214 Authorizations;

Exclusion List as of May 11, 1998.

The following is a list of countries and

facilities not covered by grant of global

Section 214 authority under Section

63.18(e)(1) of the Commission’s Rules. 47

CFR 63.18(e)(1). In addition, the facilities

listed shall not be used by U.S. carriers

authorized under Section 63.01 of the

Commission’s Rules, unless the carrier’s

Section 214 authorization specifically lists

the facility. Carriers desiring to serve

countries or use facilities listed as excluded

hereon shall file a separate Section 214

application pursuant to Section 63.8(e)(6) of

the Commission’s Rules. 47 CFR 63.18(e)(6).

Countries

Cuba (applications for service to this

country shall comply with the separate filing

requirements of the Commission’s Public

Notice Report No. I–6831, dated July 27,

1993, ‘‘FCC to Accept Applications for

Service to Cuba.’’)

Facilities

All non-U.S. licensed Cable and Satellite

Systems ExceptForeign Cable Systems.

Aden-Djibouti

APC

APCN

APHRODITE 2

ARIANNE 2

ASEAN

B–M–P

Brunei-Singapore

CADMOS

CANTAT–3

CARAC

CELTIC

China-Japan

CIOS

Denmark-Russia

ECFS

EMOS–1

EURAFRICA

FLAG

Germany-Denmark 1

Germany-Sweden No. 4

Germany-Sweden No. 5

H–J–K

HERMES

HONTAI–2

ITUR

KATTEGAT–1
33930 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 119 / Monday, June 22, 1998 / Notices

Kuantan-Kota Kinabalu

LATVIA-SWEDEN

Malaysia-Thailand

Marseille/Palermo Link

MAT–2

ODIN

PENCAN–5

R–J–K

RIOJA

SAT–2

SEA–ME–WE 2

SEA–ME–WE 3

Sweden-Finland

T–V–H

TAGIDE 2

TASMAN 2

UGARIT

UK–BEL 6

UK-Denmark 4

UK-Germany 5

UK-Germany 6

UK-Netherlands 12

UK-Netherlands 14

UK-Spain 4

Ulysses

Unisur

This list is subject to change by the

Commission when the public interest

requires. Before amending the list, the

Commission will first issue a public notice

giving affected parties the opportunity for

comment and hearing on the proposed

changes. The Commission will then release

an order amending the exclusion list. The list

also is subject to change upon issuance of an

Executive Order. See Streamlining the

International Section 214 Authorization

Process and Tariff Requirements, IB Docket

No. 95–118, FCC 96–79, released March 13,

1996.

For additional information, contact the

International Bureau’s Telecommunications

Division, Policy and Facilities Branch, (202)

418–1460.

[FR Doc. 98–16515 Filed 6–19–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS

COMMISSION

Public Information Collections

Approved by Office of Management

and Budget

June 12, 1998.

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.: 3060–0789.

Expiration Date: 06/30/2001.

Title: Modified Alternative Plan, CC

Docket No. 90–571, Order (‘‘1997

Suspension Order’’).

Form No.: N/A.

Respondents: Business or other forprofit.

Estimated Annual Burden: 35

respondents; 13.48 hour per response

(avg.); 472 total annual burden hours for

all collections.

Estimated Annual Reporting and

Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.

Frequency of Response: On occasion.

Description: Title IV of the Americans

with Disabilities Act of 1990 (‘‘ADA’’)

requires each common carrier providing

voice transmission services to provide

Telecommunications Relay Services

(‘‘TRS’’) throughout the area it serves to

individuals with hearing and speech

disabilities by 1993. The TRS enables

customers with hearing or speech

disabilities to use the telephone network

in ways that are ‘‘functionally

equivalent’’ to those used by customers

using traditional telephone service.

Under the Commission’s rules, the TRS

must be able to handle all calls normally

provided by common carriers, unless

those carriers demonstrate the

infeasibility of doing so. 47 CFR

64.604(a)(3). The Commission has

interpreted ‘‘all calls’’ to include coin

sent-paid calls, which are calls made by

depositing coins in a standard coinoperated public payphone. The Bureau

has suspended enforcement of the

requirement that carriers provide coin

sent-paid calls through the TRS centers

since 1993 based on common carriers’

representations that it has been

technically infeasible to provide the

coin sent-paid service through the TRS

centers (‘‘coin sent-paid rule’’). Since

1995, carriers have made payphones

accessible to TRS users through an

Alternative Plan (‘‘Alternative Plan’’).

The Alternative Plan enables TRS users

to make local relay calls for free and to

make toll calls from payphones using

calling or prepaid cards at or below the

coin call rates. The Alternative Plan also

requires carriers to educate TRS users

about the alternative payment methods

for the TRS users to make relay calls

from payphones. In an Order issued in

Telecommunications Relay Services,

and the Americans with Disabilities Act

of 1990, CC Docket No. 90–571 (adopted

August 20, 1997; released August 21,

1997), the Common Carrier Bureau

(‘‘Bureau’’) suspended the enforcement

of the requirement that the TRS be

capable of handling coin sent-paid calls

for one year until August 26, 1998

because the only technological solution

that can provide the coin sent-paid calls

through the TRS centers, coin signalling

interface (‘‘CSI’’), has serious

deficiencies and no new technological

solution appears imminent. In the

Order, the Bureau recommends that

during the one year suspension, the

Commission conduct a rulemaking on

coin sent-paid issues to gather

information sufficient to ensure that the

Commission’s final decision on whether

the TRS must be capable of handling

coin sent-paid calls is based on a

complete and fresh record. In addition,

the Bureau directed the industry to

continue to make payphones accessible

to TRS users under the terms of the

Alternative Plan, as set forth in

Telecommunications Relay Services,

and the Americans with Disabilities Act

of 1990, Memorandum Opinion and

Order, 10 FCC Rcd 10927 (1995) (‘‘1995

Suspension Order‘‘), and as modified by

the Order. The Order modifies the

Alternative Plan by requiring industry

to: (1) send a consumer education letter

to TRS centers (no. of respondents: 1;

hour burden per respondent: 4 hours;

total annual burden: 4 hours); (2) inform

organizations representing the hearing

and speech disability community before

attending their regional and national

meetings who will be present at the

meeting, where the industry booth will

be located, and at what times the booth

will be in operation (no. of respondents:

1; hour burden per respondent: 15

minutes; total annual burden: 1.5

hours); (3) publish an article in

Consumer Action Network (‘‘CAN’s’’)

respective organizations’ magazines or

newsletters (no. of respondents: 1; hour

burden per respondent: 8 hours; total

annual hour burden: 8 hours); (4) send

a letter directly to all CAN’s members

(no. of respondents: 1; hour burden per

respondent: 4 hours; total annual

burden: 4 hours); and, (5) create

laminated cards with visual characters

that will provide a pictorial explanation

to accompany the text describing access

to TRS centers from payphones to be

distributed to TRS users (no. of

respondents: 30; hour burden per

respondent: 15 hours; total annual hour

burden: 450 hours). The Commission

has imposed these third party disclosure

requirements to educate TRS users

about their ability to make relay calls

from payphones, the payment methods

available and the rates for the payphone

calls. Obligation to respond: Required.

Public reporting burden for the

collections of information is as noted

above. Send comments regarding the

burden estimate or any other aspect of

the collections of information, including

suggestions for reducing the burden to

Performance Evaluation and Records

Management, Washington, D.C. 20554.