[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 43 (Thursday, March 6, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11418-11419]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-03604]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
[OMB 3060-0157, OMB 3060-0996; FR ID 282810]
Information Collections Being Reviewed by the Federal
Communications Commission Under Delegated Authority
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens,
and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) invites the general
public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment
on the following information collections. Comments are requested
concerning: 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; the
accuracy of the Commission's burden estimate; ways to enhance the
quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; 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; and ways to further reduce the
information collection burden on small business concerns with fewer
than 25 employees. The FCC may not conduct or sponsor a collection of
information unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) control number. No person shall be subject to any
penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information subject
to the PRA that does not display a valid OMB control number.
DATES: Written comments should be submitted on or before May 5, 2025.
If you anticipate that you will be submitting comments but find it
difficult to do so within the time period allowed by this notice, you
should advise the contacts below as soon as possible.
ADDRESSES: Direct all PRA comments to Cathy Williams, FCC, via email
PRA@fcc.gov and to Cathy.Williams@fcc.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information about the
information collection, contact Cathy Williams at (202) 418-2918.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
OMB Control Number: 3060-0157.
Title: Section 73.99, Presunrise Service Authorization (PSRA) and
Postsunset Service Authorization (PSSA).
Form Number: Not applicable.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.
Number of Respondents and Responses: 200 respondents; 200
responses.
Frequency of Response: Annual and on occasion reporting
requirements.
Estimated Time per Response: 0.25 hours.
Total Annual Burden: 50 hours.
Total Annual Costs: $15,000.
Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The
statutory authority for this collection is contained in Section 154(i)
of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
Needs and Uses: The information collection requirements contained
in 47 CFR 73.99(e) requires the licensee of an AM broadcast station
intending to operate with a presunrise or postsunset service
authorization to submit by letter to the Commission the licensee's
name, call letters, location, the intended service, and a description
of the method whereby any necessary power reduction will be achieved.
Upon submission of this information, operation may begin without
further authority. The FCC staff uses the letter to maintain complete
technical information about the station to ensure that the licensee is
in full compliance with the Commission's rules and will not cause
interference to other stations.
OMB Control Number: 3060-0996.
Title: AM Auction Section 307(b) Submissions.
Form Number: N/A.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities; Not-for-profit
entities; State, local or Tribal governments.
Number of Respondents and Responses: 210 respondents; 210
responses.
Estimated Time per Response: 0.5-6 hours.
Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement.
Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
Statutory authority for the information collection requirements is
contained in Sections 154(i), 307(b) and 309 of the Communications Act
of 1934, as amended.
Total Annual Burden: 1,029 hours.
Total Annual Costs: $2,126,100.
Needs and Uses: When Congress granted auction authority in the
Balanced Budget Act for commercial broadcast and secondary broadcast
services, it did not eliminate or revise section 307(b) of the
Communications Act. Section 307(b) requires that the Commission effect
a fair, efficient, and equitable distribution of radio stations
throughout the United States.
Section 307(b) information was previously collected in the
framework of comparative hearing proceedings when mutually exclusive AM
applications proposing to serve different communities were filed, or
when non-mutually exclusive AM applications proposed a major
modification of facility change. Since the comparative hearing process
was discontinued as a result of the implementation of competitive
bidding, the Commission now collects the section 307(b) information and
undertakes a section 307(b) analysis in the context of auction
proceedings. For example, for mutually exclusive AM applications
proposing to serve different communities, the process is performed
prior to conducting the auction.
In order to evaluate section 307(b) considerations, the Commission
requires the submission of supplemental information subsequent to the
AM auction filing window application (FCC Form 175, including technical
information) submission. Section 307(b) information is not collected in
the initial auction filing window application because Section 307(b)
considerations are not pertinent to all window filed applications.
Section 307(b) is relevant only when the mutually exclusive AM
application group consists of applications to serve different
communities of license.
[[Page 11419]]
Specifically, where the mutually exclusive group consists of
proposals to serve different communities of license, each applicant
within the group must submit an amendment containing supplemental
information such as the following: (1) the area and population within
the proposed 2 mV/m and 0.5 mV/m contours; (2) the number of stations
licensed to the proposed community of license; (3) the number of
stations providing service to the proposed community of license; (4)
the population (according to the latest Census data) of the proposed
community of license; (5) a description of the civic, cultural,
religious, social or commercial attributes of the proposed community of
license; and (6) any other information that the applicant determines
relevant. The Commission will dismiss, without further processing, the
previously filed AM auction filing window application and technical
proposal of any applicant that fails to file an amendment addressing
the section 307(b) criteria, where required.
In the licensing process for new AM stations, applicants' proposals
are subject to a threshold determination under section 307(b) and may,
in certain cases, qualify for a dispositive preference relative to the
other mutually exclusive station proposals in the group. In such cases,
the applicant proposing the community receiving the dispositive section
307(b) preference continues to the next stage of the licensing process,
and thus may receive an authorization by virtue of the section 307(b)
determination, rather than through competitive bidding.
In addition, certain mutually exclusive application groups
containing major modification applications are permitted to resolve
their mutual exclusivities through settlement agreements. These
agreements must comply with 47 CFR 73.3525, Agreements for Removing
Application Conflicts (approved under OMB 3060-0213). To facilitate
processing, eligible applicants who intend to settle should promptly
notify the Commission in writing that a pre-auction settlement is
forthcoming.
Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2025-03604 Filed 3-5-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P