Browse: Departments   Dates   Agencies  

NOTICE: NOTICES

SUBJECT CATEGORY: Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission, Comments Requested

DATES: Written Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) comments should be submitted on or before September 12, 2008. 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.

DOCUMENT SUMMARY: The Federal Communications Commission, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Public Law 10413. An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid control number. Pursuant to the PRA, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information 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 Commission's burden estimate; (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.

SUMMARY: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals,

DOCUMENT BODY 2: July 8, 2008.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

OMB Control Number: 30600519.

Title: Rules and Regulations Implementing the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) of 1991, CG Docket No. 02278.

Form Number: Not applicable.

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Business or other forprofit entities; Individuals or households; Notforprofit institutions.

Number of Respondents and Responses: 49,397 respondents; 135,607,383 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: 0.004 hours (15 seconds)2.25 hours (average per response).

Frequency of Response: Recordkeeping requirement; On occasion reporting requirement; Third party disclosure requirement.

Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits; the statutory authority for the information collection requirements is found in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA), Public Law 102243, December 20, 1991, 105 Stat. 2394, which added Section 227 of the Communications Act of 1934, [47 U.S.C. 227] Restrictions on the Use of Telephone Equipment.

Total Annual Burden: 720,281 hours.

Total Annual Costs: $4,360,500.

Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Confidentiality is an issue to the extent that individuals and households provide personally identifiable information, which is covered under the FCC's system of records notice (SORN), FCC/CGB1, ``Informal Complaints and Inquiries.''

Privacy Impact Assessment: Yes. The Privacy Impact Assessment was completed on June 28, 2007. It may be reviewed at: http://www.fcc.gov/ omd/privacyact/Privacy_Impact_Assessment.html.

Needs and Uses: The reporting requirements included under this OMB Control Number 30600519 enable the Commission to gather information regarding violations of the DoNotCall Implementation Act (DoNotCall Act). If the information collection was not conducted, the Commission would be unable to track and enforce violations of the DoNotCall Act. The DoNotCall rules provide consumers with several options for avoiding most unwanted telephone solicitations. This national donot call registry supplements the current companyspecific donotcall rules for those consumers who wish to continue requesting that particular companies not call them. Any company, which is asked by a consumer, including an existing customer, not to call again must honor that request for five (5) years.

However, a provision of the Commission's rules allows consumers to give specific companies permission to call them through an express written agreement. Nonprofit organizations, companies with whom consumers have an established business relationship, and calls to persons with whom the telemarketer has a personal relationship are exempt from the ``donotcall'' requirements.

On September 21, 2004, the Commission released the Safe Harbor Order establishing a limited safe harbor in which persons will not be liable for placing autodialed and prerecorded message calls to numbers ported from a wireline service within the previous 15 days. The Commission also amended its existing national donotcall registry safe harbor to require telemarketers to scrub their lists against the do notcall database every 31 days.

On December 4, 2007, the Commission released the DNC NPRM seeking comment on its tentative conclusion that registrations with the Registry should be honored indefinitely, unless a number is disconnected or reassigned or the consumer cancels his registration

On June 17, 2008, the Commission released a Report and Order in CG Docket No. 02278, FCC 08147, amending the Commission's rules under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) to require sellers and/or telemarketers to honor registrations with the National DoNotCall Registry so that registrations will not automatically expire based on the current five year registration period. Specifically, the Commission modifies Sec. 64.1200(c)(2) of its rules to require sellers and/or [[Page 40348]]
telemarketers to honor numbers registered on the Registry indefinitely or until the number is removed by the database administrator or the registration is cancelled by the consumer.

In accordance with the DoNotCall Improvement Act of 2007, the Commission extends this requirement indefinitely to minimize the inconvenience to consumers of having to reregister their preferences not to receive telemarketing calls and to further the underlying goal of the National Registry to protect consumer privacy rights. Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E816003 Filed 71108; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 671201P

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT For additional information about the information collection, send an email to PRA@fcc.gov or contact Cathy Williams at 2024182918.