Notice of Public Information Collection(s) being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission, 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 (PRA) of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13. 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 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:

Written Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) comments should be submitted on or before January 18, 2005. 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 Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) comments to Cathy Williams, Federal Communications Commission, Room 1-C823, 445 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554 or via the Internet to Cathy.Williams@fcc.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For additional information or copies of the information collection(s), contact Cathy Williams at (202) 418-2918 or via the Internet at Cathy.Williams@fcc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OMB Control Number: 3060-0652.

Title: Section 76.309, Customer Service Obligations; Section 76.1602, Customer Service—General Information; Section 76.1603, Customer Service—Rate and Service Changes—General Information, and Section, 76, 1619, Information on Subscriber Bills.

Form Number: Not applicable.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities; State, Local or Tribal Government.

Number of Respondents: 10,410.

Estimated Time per Response: 10 minutes to 1.0 hour.

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

Total Annual Burden: 32,527 hours.

Total Annual Cost: None.

Privacy Impact Assessment: No impact(s).

Needs and Uses: 47 CFR Section 76.1602 states that franchise authorities must provide affected operators 90 days written notice of its intent to enforce customer service standards. 47 CFR Sections 76.1603 and 76.309 set forth various customer service obligations and notification requirements for changes in rates, programming services and channel positions. In addition, Sections 76.1603 states that cable operators shall provide written information on each of the following areas at the time of installation of service, at least annually to all subscribers, and at any time upon request: (1) Products and services offered; (2) Prices and options for programming services and conditions of subscription to programming and other services; (3) Installation and service maintenance policies; (4) Instructions on how to use the cable service; (5) Channel positions programming carried on the system; and (6) Billing complaint procedures, including the address and telephone number of the local franchise authority's cable office. Section 76.1603 states that customers will be notified of any changes in rates, programming services or channel positions as soon as possible in writing. Notice must be given to subscribers a minimum of thirty (30) days in advance of such changes if the change is within the control of the cable operator. In addition, the cable operator shall notify subscribers 30 days in advance of any significant changes in the other information required by section 76.1603. Section 76.1603 states that in addition to the requirements regarding advanced notification to customers of any changes in rates, programming services or channel positions, cable systems shall give 30 days written notice to both subscribers and local franchising authorities before implementing any rate or service change. Such notice shall state the precise amount of any rate change and briefly explain in readily understandable fashion the cause of the rate change (e.g. inflation, changes in external costs or the addition/deletion of channels). When the change involves the addition or deletion of channels, each channel added or deleted must be separately identified. Notices to subscribers shall inform them of their right to file complaints about changes in cable programming service tier rates and services, shall state that the subscriber may file the complaint within 90 days of the effective date of the rate change, and shall provide the address and phone number of the local franchising authority. 47 CFR 76.1619 states that in case of a billing dispute, the cable operator must respond to a written complaint from a subscriber within 30 days. The Commission requires the various disclosure and notifications contained in this collection as a means of consumer protection to ensure that subscribers and franchising authorities are knowledgeable of cable operators' business practices, current rates, rate changes for programming service and equipment, and channel line-up changes.