SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Commission 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 ( printed page 67316) subject to the PRA that does not display a valid OMB control number.

As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), the FCC invited the general public and other Federal Agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection. 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 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. Pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, Public Law 107-198, see 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(4), the FCC seeks specific comment on how it might “further reduce the information collection burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees.”

OMB Control Number: 3060-XXXX.

Title: Section 26.202; Part 26 Space Launch Coordination.

Form Number: N/A.

Type of Review: New information collection.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities, not-for-profit institutions, and state, local or tribal governments.

Number of Respondents and Responses: 27 respondents and 203 responses.

Estimated Hours per Response: 4 to 16 hours.

Frequency of Response: On occasion and as needed reporting requirements; Third party disclosure requirement.

Total Annual Burden: 848 hours.

Total Annual Cost: $300,000.

Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The statutory authority for this collection is contained in 47 U.S.C 151, 152, 154(i), 155(c), 301, 303(c), 303(f), and 303(r) of the Communications Act of 1934 as amended, and section 2 of the Launch Communications Act, Public Law 118-85, 138 Stat. 1546 § 2.

Needs and Uses: On September 22, 2023, the Commission released a Second Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 23-76, in ET Docket No. 13-115, allocating two of the three bands addressed in the Launch Communications Act, the 2025-2110 MHz and 2200-2290 MHz bands, for space launch operations, and creating a new rule part to govern these operations, part 26, Space Launch Services, including licensing and service rules. On December 31, 2024, the Commission released a Third Report and Order, FCC 24-132, in ET Docket No. 13-115, modifying its rules with respect to a third band, the 2360-2395 MHz band (2.3 GHz band). Specifically, the Third Report and Order allocated the band for space launch operations and brought these operations in the 2.3 GHz band under the regulatory framework of the new part 26, in compliance with the mandate of the Launch Communications Act.

Under the part 26 framework established by the Commission, eligible space launch operators seeking authorization to use frequencies available for Space Launch Services must first apply for and obtain a non-exclusive 10-year nationwide spectrum license. After they obtain this license, operators must, for each launch (1) register in the Universal Licensing System (ULS) the launch site and each corresponding station (fixed, base, itinerant, or mobile) that will be used in the space launch operation; (2) complete a frequency coordination process using a third-party frequency coordinator; and (3) following successful coordination, register in ULS the final approved technical and operating parameters associated with the coordinated launch prior to commencing the launch operation.

This collection of information covers requirements for the second step, completing a frequency coordination process using a third-party frequency coordinator. Under Section 26.202 of the Commission's rules, each Space Launch Services licensee must, for each proposed launch operation, submit the technical and operational parameters of the launch to the space launch frequency coordinator, in order to initiate post-grant frequency coordination. Any changes to the technical and operational parameters for a launch event that occur after completion of post-grant frequency coordination also require coordination, and these changes shall be provided to initiate an updated post-frequency grant coordination. The specific information required in coordination requests is further detailed in Public Notice, “Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Announces Licensing and Coordination Procedures for the Space Launch Service,” DA 25-270 (WTB rel. Mar. 25, 2025).

This collection also covers the process for the selection of the frequency coordinator. Under that process, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau will issue a Public Notice announcing the opening of a filing window for interested parties to submit applications. Interested parties will be required to submit an application in the Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), specifically in WT Docket No. 24-687. Applications must include the information specified in Public Notice, “Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Announces Mechanism and Criteria for Selecting Space Launch Frequency Coordinator,” DA 25-269 (WTB rel. Mar. 25, 2025).

These information collection requirements will enable a system of frequency coordination that provides space launch operators with licensed access to three bands for space launch operations. The Commission seeks approval for the information collection requirements discussed above.

91 FR 67315