Notice of Public Information Collection Being Submitted to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval, Comments Requested

SUMMARY:

The Federal Communications Commission, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burden invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection(s), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520. An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid 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 (PRA) 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.

DATES:

Persons wishing to comment on this information collection should submit comments on December 31, 2009. 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.

ADDRESSES:

Direct all PRA comments to Nicholas A. Fraser, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), via fax at (202) 395-5167, or via the Internet at Nicholas_A._Fraser@omb.eop.gov and to Cathy Williams, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), 445 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20554. To submit your comments by e-mail send then to: PRA@fcc.gov and to Cathy.Williams@fcc.gov. To view a copy of this information collection request (ICR) submitted to OMB: (1) Go to web page: http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain,, (2) look for the section of the web page called ”Currently Under Review”, (3) click on the downward-pointing arrow in the ”Select Agency” box below the ”Currently Under Review” heading, (4) select ”Federal Communications Commission” from the list of agencies presented in the ”Select Agency” box, (5) click the ”Submit” button to the right of the ”Select Agency” box, and (6) when the FCC list appears, look for the title of this ICR (or its OMB Control Number, if there is one) and then click on the ICR.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For additional information about the information collection(s) send an e-mail to PRA@fcc.gov or contact Cathy Williams on (202) 418-2918.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OMB Control Number: 3060-XXXX.

Title: Application for Permit to Deliver Programs to Foreign Broadcast Stations, FCC

Form 308 - 47 CFR 73.3545 and 47 CFR 73.3580.

Form No.: FCC Form 308.

Type of Review: New information collection.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.

Number of Respondents/Responses: 26 respondents; 70 responses.

Estimated Time Per Response: 1 - 2 hours.

Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement; Recordkeeping requirement.

Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The statutory authority for this collection is contained in Section 325(c) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.

Total Annual Burden: 73 hours.

Annual Cost Burden: $26,451.

Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).

Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: In general, there is no need for confidentiality with this collection of information.

Needs and Uses: The Federal Communications Commission (“Commission”) is requesting that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approve the establishment of a new information collection titled, “Application for Permit to Deliver Programs to Foreign Broadcast Stations (FCC Form 308).” Applicants use the FCC Form 308 to apply, under Section 325(c) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, for authority to locate, use, or maintain a studio in the United States for the purpose of supplying program material to a foreign radio or TV broadcast station whose signals are consistently received in the United States, or for extension of existing authority.

Currently, the FCC Form 308 is only available to the public in paper form. The Commission is requesting OMB approval of a revised FCC Form 308, in Excel format, that will be made available to the public on the FCC Forms page of the FCC's website, www.fcc.gov <http://www.fcc.gov/>. The form was revised to make it more user friendly and to include questions to obtain only the legal and technical information that is essential to grant authority to U.S. broadcasters to supply program material to a foreign radio or TV broadcast station whose signals are consistently received in the U.S. or to extend the current authority. After the applicant completes the form, it is mailed to the U.S. Bank along with the application fee. Then, it is forwarded to the International Bureau with the exception of fee exempt applications which are filed directly with the FCC Secretary's Office and then forwarded to the Bureau.

Broadcasters are also subject to the local public notice provisions stated in Section 73.3580 of Subpart H. The Commission adopted Section 73.3580 in order to ensure that the public is informed of a station's filing of an application or amendment by advertisements in local newspapers. The public is kept abreast of the stations' existence in a local area or plans to locate in a specific local area through such advertisements. Section 73.3580 also requires that certain applications be maintained on file for public inspection at a stated address in the community in which the station is located or is proposed to be located.

Without this collection of information, the Commission would not be able to ascertain whether the main studio owner in the US meets various legal requirements or the foreign broadcast facility, which receives and retransmits programming from the main studio in the US, meets various technical requirements that prevent harmful interference to other broadcast stations or telecommunications facilities.