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[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 96 (Thursday, May 16, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24793-24794]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-12364]

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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

Notice of Public Information Collections Submitted to OMB for 
Review and Approval

May 9, 1996.

SUMMARY: The Federal Communications, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork burden invites the general public and other Federal 
agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following proposed 
and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. An agency may not conduct or 
sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently 
valid 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 (PRA) that does not display a valid control 
number. Comments are requested concerning (a) whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the Commission, including whether the information 
shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Commissions 
burden estimates; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 
of the information collected and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on the respondents, including the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted on or before June 17, 1996. 
If you anticipate that you will be submitting comments, but find it 
difficult to do so within the period of time allowed by this notice, 
you should advise the contact listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESS: Direct all comments to Dorothy Conway, Federal Communications, 
Room 234, 1919 M St., NW., Washington, DC 20554 or via internet to 
[email protected] and Timothy Fain, OMB Desk Officer, 10236 NEOB 725 17th 
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503 or [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or copies 
of the information collections contact Dorothy Conway at 202-418-0217 
or via internet at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OMB Approval Number: 3060-0096.
    Title: Application for Ship Radio Station License.
    Form No.: FCC 506.
    Type of Review: Revision to an existing collection.
    Respondents: Individuals or households; Businesses or other for-
profit; State, Local or Tribal Government; Non-profit institutions.
    Number of Respondents: 106,192.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 22 minutes.
    Total Annual Burden: 38,653 hours.
    Estimated Cost Per Respondent: There is a combined filing and 
regulatory fee of $75 for a new or renewed license and a $45 filing fee 
for an application requesting modification.
    Needs and Uses: FCC Rules require that applicants file the FCC 506 
to apply for a new or modified ship radio station license. The form can 
also be used to renew a station license. The FCC 506A is used by the 
applicant as a temporary operating authority until the ship radio 
station license is received.
    This form is required by the Communications Act of 1934, as 
amended; International Treaties and FCC Rules 47 CFR Parts 1.922, 1.925 
and 80.19.
    Editorial changes will be made to the instructions to include the 
mailing location for feeable applications and the addition of the toll 
free 800 number for the Consumer Assistance Branch in Gettysburg, PA. 
Item 24 of FCC 506 will be revised to collect the length of ship in 
meters in lieu of feet. Item 27 will be deleted and the drug 
certification made part of the certification text. These revisions will 
not increase the burden time for application completion.

OMB Approval Number: 3060-0564.
    Title: 47 CFR 76.924 Cost accounting and cost allocation 
requirements.

[[Page 24794]]

    Type of Review: Revision to an existing collection.
    Respondents: Businesses or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 13,500.
    Total Annual Burden: 4-40 hours. 72,000 total annual hours. We 
estimate that an additional 500 community units each year will be 
obligated to meet the 76.924 requirements for the first time. We 
estimate the one-time average burden for these respondents to rearrange 
accounting records is 40 hours. 500 community units x 40 hours each = 
20,000 hours. The Commission estimates the burden to the existing 
population of regulated community units to comply with the modified 
requirements set forth in 76.924 will be an average of 4 hours per 
community unit. Currently, we estimate cable operators provide service 
in approximately 13,000 community units that are subject to rate 
regulation. 13,000 existing community units x 4 hours per community 
units = 52,000 hours.
    Costs to Respondents: None. Generally, cable operators use 
computers and accounting records and software as part of customary and 
usual business practices. This information collection does not require 
the purchase of anything additional. It only rearranges records that 
already exist.
    Needs and Uses: Section 623 of the Communications Act of 1934, as 
amended by the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act 
of 1992 (``1992 Cable Act''), requires the Commission to prescribe 
rules and regulations for determining reasonable rates for basic tier 
cable service and to establish criteria for identifying unreasonable 
rates for cable programming services and associated equipment. 
Subsequently, on April 1, 1993, the Commission adopted a Report and 
Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 93-177, MM Docket 
92-266, in which cost accounting and cost allocation requirements for 
regulated cable operators were specified. These requirements were set 
forth in 47 CFR 76.924 and were adopted on an interim basis. Then, on 
December 15, 1995, the Commission adopted a Second Report and Order, 
First Report on Reconsideration, and Further Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking, FCC 95-502, MM Docket 93-215 and CS Docket 94-28, in which 
requirements for cable operators for allocating to service cost 
categories, as set forth in 76.924(e), were modified and adopted on a 
permanent basis. 76.924(e) now permits cable operators to allocate 
service costs to three service cost categories, instead of up to seven 
service cost categories. The third service cost category will simply 
serve as an ``all other'' service costs category that captures what 
operators previously had to allocate to multiple categories.Cost 
accounting and cost allocation requirements standardize the methodology 
in which cable operators report financial data. The Commission's system 
of cable rate regulation imposes a price cap on cable service rates 
with certain categories of costs defined as external to the cap. The 
cost accounting and cost allocation requirements are necessary in order 
to assure that costs that are intended to receive external treatment 
are in fact accorded such treatment. Cost accounting and cost 
allocation requirements are used by cable operators wishing to justify 
rates higher than their capped levels via a cost-of-service filing; and 
the requirements are necessary to permit accurate identification of 
such costs that will justify rates above the cap.

Federal Communications Commission
William F. Caton,
Acting. Secretary
[FR Doc. 96-12364 Filed 5-15-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-F
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