82 FR 29438 - Revisions to Public Inspection File Requirements-Broadcaster Correspondence File and Cable Principal Headend Location

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 124 (June 29, 2017)

In this document, the Commission announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved, for a period of three years, some of the information collections associated with the Commission's decision, in Report and Order, Revisions to Public Inspection File Requirements--Broadcaster Correspondence File and Cable Principal Headend Location. Specifically, OMB has approved the Commission's decision to eliminate two public inspection file requirements: the requirement that commercial broadcast stations retain in their public inspection file copies of letters and emails from the public; and the requirement that cable operators maintain for public inspection the designation and location of the cable system's principal headend. This document is consistent with the Report and Order, which stated that the Commission would publish a document in the Federal Register announcing OMB approval and the effective date of these rule changes.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 124 (Thursday, June 29, 2017)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 29438-29439]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-13623]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Parts 73 and 76

[MB Docket No. 16-161; FCC 17-3]


Revisions to Public Inspection File Requirements--Broadcaster 
Correspondence File and Cable Principal Headend Location

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule; announcement of effective date.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Commission announces that the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) has approved, for a period of three years, 
some of the information collections associated with the Commission's 
decision, in Report and Order, Revisions to Public Inspection File 
Requirements--Broadcaster Correspondence File and Cable Principal 
Headend Location. Specifically, OMB has approved the Commission's 
decision to eliminate two public inspection file requirements: the 
requirement that commercial broadcast stations retain in their public 
inspection file copies of letters and emails from the public; and the 
requirement that cable operators maintain for public inspection the 
designation and location of the cable system's principal headend. This 
document is consistent with the Report and Order, which stated that the 
Commission would publish a document in the Federal Register announcing 
OMB approval and the effective date of these rule changes.

DATES: The amendments to 47 CFR 73.3526; 76.5(pp)(2); 76.1700; and 
76.1708, published at 82 FR 11406 on February 23, 2017 are effective 
June 29, 2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information contact 
Cathy Williams, [email protected], (202) 418-2918.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This document announces that, on March 24, 
2017 and May 25, 2017, OMB approved some of the information collection 
requirements contained in the Commission's Report and Order, FCC 17-3, 
published at 82 FR 11406, February 23, 2017. The OMB Control Numbers 
are 3060-0214, 3060-0316, and 3060-0649. The Commission publishes this 
notice as an announcement of the effective date of the rules. If you 
have any comments on the burden estimates listed below, or how the 
Commission can improve the collections and reduce any burdens caused 
thereby, please contact Cathy Williams, Federal Communications 
Commission, Room 1-C823, 445 12th Street SW., Washington, DC 20554. 
Please include the OMB Control Numbers, 3060-1207, 3060-0214, and 3060-
0316, in your correspondence. The Commission will also accept your 
comments via the Internet if you send them to [email protected].
    To request materials in accessible formats for people with 
disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), 
send an email to [email protected] or call the Consumer and Governmental 
Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (TTY).

Synopsis

    As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3507), the FCC is notifying the public that it received OMB approval, 
on March 24, 2017 and May 25, 2017, for the new information collection 
requirements contained in the Commission's rules at 47 CFR 73.3526; 
76.5(pp)(2); 76.1700; and 76.1708. Under 5 CFR part 1320, an agency may 
not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a 
current, valid OMB 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 that does not display a current, valid 
OMB Control Number. The OMB Control Numbers are 3060-0214, 3060-0316, 
and 3060-0649.
    The foregoing notice is required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, Public Law 104-13, October 1, 1995, and 44 U.S.C. 3507.
    The total annual reporting burdens and costs for the respondents 
are as follows:

    OMB Control Number: 3060-0214.
    OMB Approval Date: May 25, 2017.
    OMB Expiration Date: May 31, 2020.
    Title: Sections 73.3526 and 73.3527, Local Public Inspection File, 
Sec. Sec.  73.1212, 76.1701 and 73.1943, Political Files.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for profit entities; Not for profit 
institutions; State, local or Tribal government.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 41,695 respondents; 63,364 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 1-52 hours per response.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement, 
Recordkeeping requirement, Third party disclosure requirement.
    Obligation To Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The 
statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 
sections 151, 152, 154(i), 303, 307, and 308 of the Communications Act 
of 1934, as amended.
    Total Annual Burden: 2,073,048 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: $3,667,339.
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: There is no need for 
confidentiality with this collection of information.
    Privacy Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Needs and Uses: On January 31, 2017, the Commission adopted a 
Report and Order (``Public Inspection File R&O'') in MB Docket No. 16-
161, FCC 17-3, eliminating the requirement in Sec. Sec.  73.1202 and 
73.3526(e)(9) of its rules that commercial broadcast stations retain in 
their public inspection file copies of letters and emails from the 
public. The Commission concluded that this component of its public 
inspection file rules involves documents that do not need to be made 
available to the general public and that eliminating this requirement 
would reduce the burden of maintaining the public inspection file on 
commercial broadcasters. The Commission's goal is also to permit 
commercial television and radio broadcasters to cease maintaining a 
local public inspection file if they post all public file material to 
the online public file database and provide online access via their own 
Web site to back-up political file material. The Commission has 
previously adopted this option for other entities subject to our online 
public inspection file requirements. Because the correspondence file 
cannot be made available online for privacy reasons, removing this 
requirement would permit commercial broadcasters to elect to make their 
entire public inspection file available online and cease maintaining a 
local public file, thereby further reducing overall regulatory burdens 
on these entities.
    OMB Control Number: 3060-0316.
    OMB Approval Date: March 24, 2017.
    OMB Expiration Date: March 31, 2020.
    Title: Section 76.5, Definitions, Sec.  76.1700, Records To Be 
Maintained Locally by Cable System Operators;

[[Page 29439]]

Sec.  76.1702, Equal Employment Opportunity; Sec.  76.1703, Commercial 
Records on Children's Programs; Sec.  76.1707, Leased Access; Sec.  
76.1711, Emergency Alert System (EAS) Tests and Activation.
    Form Number: Not applicable.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 3,000 respondents; 3,000 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 18 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Recordkeeping requirement.
    Obligation To Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The 
statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 
sections 151, 152, 153, 154, 301, 302, 302a, 303, 303a, 307, 308, 309, 
312, 315, 317, 325, 339, 340, 341, 503, 521, 522, 531, 532, 534, 535, 
536, 537, 543, 544, 544a, 545, 548, 549, 552, 554, 556, 558, 560, 561, 
571, 572, 573 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
    Total Annual Burden: 54,000 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: $591,840.
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: There is no need for 
confidentiality with this collection of information.
    Privacy Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Needs and Uses: On January 31, 2017, the Commission adopted a 
Report and Order (``Public Inspection File R&O'') in MB Docket No. 16-
161, FCC 17-3, eliminating the requirement in Sec. Sec.  76.5(pp) and 
76.1700(a)(6) of its rules that cable systems retain the location and 
designation of the principal headend in their public file. This action 
reduces public inspection file requirements for these entities. 
However, because principal headend location information must be 
accessible to the Commission, broadcast television stations, and 
franchisors, cable systems will be required to provide principal 
headend location information to these entities upon request. In lieu of 
responding to individual requests for such information, operators may 
alternatively elect voluntarily to provide this information to the 
Commission for inclusion in the Commission's online public inspection 
file (``OPIF'') database and may elect to make the information publicly 
available there.

    OMB Control Number: 3060-0649.
    OMB Approval Date: May 25, 2017.
    OMB Expiration Date: May 31, 2020.
    Title: Section 76.1601, Deletion or Repositioning of Broadcast 
Signals; Sec.  76.1617, Initial Must-Carry Notice; Sec.  76.1607, 
Principal Headend.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business and other for-profit entities; Not for profit 
institutions.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 3,300 respondents; 3,950 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.5 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement, Third 
party disclosure requirement, Recordkeeping requirement.
    Obligation To Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The 
statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 
section 4(i) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
    Total Annual Burden: 2,050 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No cost.
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: There is no need for 
confidentiality with this collection of information.
    Privacy Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Needs and Uses: On January 31, 2017, the Commission adopted a 
Report and Order (``Public Inspection File R&O'') in MB Docket No. 16-
161, FCC 17-3, eliminating the requirement in Section 76.1708 of its 
rules requiring the operators of cable television systems to maintain 
for public inspection the designation and location of its principal 
headend. If an operator changed the designation of its principal 
headend, that new designation was also required to be included in its 
public file. The R&O removed and reserved this rule section (47 CFR 
76.1708).

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-13623 Filed 6-28-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6712-01-P