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SUBJECT CATEGORY: Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission, Comments Requested
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 No. 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 10, 2008.
OMB Control Number: 30600466.
Title: Sections 73.1201, 74.783 and 74.1283, Station Identification.
Form Number: Not applicable.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Respondents: Business or other forprofit entities; Notforprofit institutions; State, Local and Tribal Government.
Number of Respondents and Responses: 20,000 respondents; 20,100 responses.
Estimated Time per Response: 10 minutes to 1.33 hours.
Frequency of Response: Recordkeeping requirement; Thirdparty disclosure requirement; On occasion reporting requirement.
Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain benefitsStatutory authority for this collection of information is contained in Sections 154(i), 303 and 308 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
Total Annual Burden: 44,603 hours.
Total Annual Costs: None.
Confidentiality: No need for confidentiality required.
Privacy Impact Assessment(s): No impact(s).
Needs and Uses: Congress has mandated that after February 17, 2009, fullpower television broadcast stations must transmit only in digital signals, and may no longer transmit analog signals. On December 22, 2007, the Commission adopted a Report and Order, In the matter of the Third Periodic Review of the Commission's Rules and Policies Affecting the Conversion to Digital Television, MB Docket No. 0791, FCC 07228 (``Third DTV Periodic Report and Order'') to establish the rules, policies and procedures necessary to complete the nation's transition to DTV.
As a result of the Third DTV Periodic Report and Order, the station
identification rules will require a DTV station that chooses to
identify a licensee that it is transmitting on one of its multicast streams to follow a specific
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format for making such a station identification announcement.
Specifically, 47 CFR 73.1201(b)(1) is revised to require that a DTV
station that is devoting one of its multicast streams to transmit the
programming of another television licensee must identify itself and may
also identify the licensee that it is transmitting. If a DTV station in
this situation chooses to identify the station that is the source of
the programming it is transmitting, it must use the following format:
Station WYYYDT, community of license (call sign and community of
license of the station whose multicast stream is transmitting the
programming), bringing you WXXX, community of license (call sign and
community of license of the licensee providing the programming). The
transmitting station may insert between its call letters and its
community of license the following information: the frequency of the
transmitting station, the channel number of the transmitting station,
the name of the licensee of the transmitting station and the licensee
providing the programming, and/or the name of the network of either
station. Where a multicast station is carrying the programming of
another station and is identifying that station as the source of the
programming, using the format described above, the identification may
not include the frequency or channel number of the program source. This
new requirement in 47 CFR 73.1201(b)(1) may cause DTV station
respondents that choose to multicast to make additional station identifications (responses) for multicast streams.
47 CFR 73.1201(a) requires television broadcast licensees to make broadcast station identification announcements at the beginning and ending of each time of operation, and hourly, as close to the hour as feasible, at a natural break in program offerings. Television and Class A television broadcast stations may make these announcements visually or aurally.
47 CFR 73.1201(b)(1) requires that the official station identification consist of the station's call letters immediately followed by the community or communities specified in its license as the station's location; provided that the name of the licensee, the station's frequency, the station's channel number, as stated on the station's license, and/or the station's network affiliation may be inserted between the call letters and station location. DTV stations, or DAB Stations, choosing to include the station's channel number in the station identification must use the station's major channel number and may distinguish multicast program streams. For example, a DTV station with major channel number 26 may use 26.1 to identify an HDTV program service and 26.2 to identify an SDTV program service. A radio station operating in DAB hybrid mode or extended hybrid mode shall identify its digital signal, including any free multicast audio programming streams, in a manner that appropriately alerts its audience to the fact that it is listening to a digital audio broadcast. No other insertion between the station's call letters and the community or communities specified in its license is permissible.
47 CFR 73.1201(b)(2) provides that a station may include in its official station identification the name of any additional community or communities, but the community to which the station is licensed must be named first.
47 CFR 73.1201(b)(3) requires that twice daily, the station identification for television stations must include a notice of the existence, location and accessibility of the station's public file. The notice must state that the station's public file is available for inspection and that consumers can view it at the station's main studio and on its Web site. At least one of the announcements must occur between the hours of 6 p.m. and midnight.
47 CFR 74.783(b) requires licensees of television translators whose station identification is made by the television station whose signals are being rebroadcast by the translator, must secure agreement with this television licensee to keep in its file, and available to FCC personnel, the translator's call letters and location, giving the name, address and telephone number of the licensee or service representative to be contacted in the event of malfunction of the translator.
47 CFR 74.783(e) permits any lowpower television (LPTV) station to request a fourletter call sign after receiving its construction permit. All initial LPTV construction permits will continue to be issued with a fivecharacter LPTV call sign. LPTV respondents are required to use the online electronic system. To enable these respondents to use this online system, the Commission eliminated the requirement that holders of LPTV construction permits submit with their call sign requests a certification that the station has been constructed, that physical construction is underway at the transmitter site, or that a firm equipment order has been placed.
47 CFR 74.1283(c)(1) requires FM translator stations whose station
identification is made by the primary station to furnish current
information on the translator's call letters and location. This
information is kept in the primary station's files. This information is
used to contact the translator licensee in the event of malfunction of the translator.
OMB Control Number: 30600906.
Title: Annual DTV Report, FCC Form 317; 47 CFR Sec. 73.624(g).
Form Number: FCC Form 317.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Respondents: Business or other forprofit entities; Notforprofit institutions.
Number of Respondent and Responses: 1,815 respondents, 3,630 responses.
Frequency of Response: Recordkeeping requirement; Annual reporting requirement.
Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain benefitsStatutory authority for this collection of information is contained in Sections 154(i), 303, 336 and 403 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
Estimated Time per Response: 24 hours.
Total Annual Burden: 10,890 hours.
Total Annual Costs: $181,500.
Confidentiality: No need for confidentiality required.
Privacy Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
Needs and Uses: Congress has mandated that after February 17, 2009, fullpower television broadcast stations must transmit only in digital signals, and may no longer transmit analog signals. On December 22, 2007, the Commission adopted a Report and Order In the matter of the Third Periodic Review of the Commission's Rules and Policies Affecting the Conversion to Digital Television, MB Docket No. 0791, FCC 07228 (``Third DTV Periodic Report and Order'') to establish the rules, policies and procedures necessary to complete the nation's transition to DTV. As a result of the Third DTV Periodic Report and Order, DTV stations that are permittees must now comply with the requirements for feeable ancillary or supplementary services in Section 73.624(g) (using FCC Form 317). This new requirement in 47 CFR 73.624(g) adds a new group of respondents to this collection (namely, ``DTV permittees''). The Commission has also revised FCC Form 317 and its instructions to indicate that DTV permittees are required to file the form and report their ancillary and supplementary services.
Each commercial and noncommercial educational (NCE) digital
television (DTV) broadcast station licensee and permittee is required to file FCC Form 317 annually. The licensees/permittees
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report whether they provided ancillary or supplementary services at any
time during the reporting cycle. The report indicates which services
were provided, fee related services, gross revenues received from all
feeable ancillary and supplementary services, and the amount of
bitstream used to provide ancillary or supplementary service.
Concurrent with the submission of FCC Form 317, each commercial and noncommercial educational DTV licensee and permittee is required to remit to the Commission a payment, FCC Form 159 (30600589), in the amount of 5% of the gross revenues derived from the provision of its ancillary or supplementary services.
Each licensee and permittee is required to retain the records
supporting the calculation of the fees due for three years from the
date of remittance of fees. Noncommercial DTV licensees/permittees must
also retain for eight years documentation sufficient to show that their
entire bitstream was used ``primarily'' for noncommercial education broadcast services on a weekly basis.
Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E816539 Filed 71708; 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.
14 CFR Part 39 40 CFR Part 52 14 CFR Part 71 33 CFR Part 165 50 CFR Part 679 26 CFR Part 1 40 CFR Part 180 47 CFR Part 73 50 CFR Part 17 33 CFR Part 117 44 CFR Part 67 50 CFR Part 648 14 CFR Part 97 33 CFR Part 100 40 CFR Part 63 50 CFR Part 622 26 CFR Part 301 39 CFR Part 111 40 CFR Part 300 50 CFR Part 660 44 CFR Part 65 40 CFR Parts 52 and 81 40 CFR Part 271 47 CFR Part 64 50 CFR Part 665 47 CFR Part 76 50 CFR Part 229 14 CFR Part 23 14 CFR Part 25 21 CFR Part 522