Supporting Statement OMB 3060-0259 (2015)

Section 90.263, Substitution of Frequencies Below 25 MHz 3060-0259

April 2015



SUPPORTING STATEMENT

A. Justification:

1. Section 90.263 requires applicants proposing operations in certain frequency bands below 25 MHz to submit supplemental information showing such frequencies are necessary from a safety of life standpoint, and information regarding minimum necessary hours of operation.

The Commission is requesting an extension (no change in the reporting requirement) in order to obtain the three year clearance from the OMB. There is no change in the Commission’s previous burden estimates.

Statutory authority for this collection of information is contained in Sections 4(i), 11, 303(g), 303(r), and 332(c)(7) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 154(i), 161, 303(g), 303(r), 332(c)(7) unless otherwise noted.

This information collection does not affect individuals or households; thus, there are no impacts under the Privacy Act.

2. This information will be used by Commission personnel in evaluating the applicant's need for such frequencies and the interference potential to other stations operating on the proposed frequencies.

3. Prior to finalizing rule makings the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau conducts an analysis to insure that improved information technology may be used to reduce the burden on the public. This analysis considers the possibility of obtaining and/or computer‑generating the required data from existing data bases in the Commission or other federal agencies.

4. This agency does not impose a similar information collection on the respondents. There are no similar data available.

5. In conformance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Commission is making an effort to minimize the burden on all respondents, regardless of size, and has limited the information requirements to those absolutely necessary for evaluating and processing each application to deter against possible abuses of the processes.

6. This information is collected only once, upon initial application for a station license. Accordingly, less frequent collections are not feasible.

7. Current data collection is consistent with 5 CFR 1320.

8. The Commission initiated a 60-day public comment period which appeared in the Federal Register on January 30, 2015 (80 FR 5113) which sought comments from the public. No PRA comments were received as a result of the Notice.

9. Respondents will not receive any payments associated with this collection of information.

10. There is no need for confidentiality with this collection.

11. There is no information with this collection which is of a sensitive nature or a private matter being sought from the applicants on this collection.

12. This collection requires the applicant to provide a statement of the proposed uses for these

frequencies and the minimum necessary hours of operation. Approximately 5 such applications are received each year with an estimated supplemental preparation time of 30 minutes each, for a total burden of 2.5 hours (rounded to 3 hours) annually.

Total Number of Respondents: 5 applicants.¹

Total Number of Responses: 5 applications.

Total Annual Burden Hours: 5 applications x .50 hours/application = 2.5 hours (rounded to 3 hours).

“In-house cost” – We estimate that respondents will be paid an estimated $36/hour to fulfill the requirements. Therefore, the in-house cost is 5 applications x .50 hours/applications x $36/hour = $90.00.

13. Annual costs: None.

a. There are no capital or start-up cost.

b. There are no operational or maintenance cost.

14. Estimate of cost to Federal Government: The Commission estimates that staff at the G12

step 5 grade level ($41.48/hour) will review the reports that are submitted to the

Commission. Therefore, the cost to the Federal Government is as follows:

$ 41.48 per hour (GS‑12 step 5 engineer)

X .5 hours per report examined

X 5 reports reviewed per year

$103.70

15. There are no program changes to this collection. There are adjustments to this collection. They are as follows: a decrease to the number of respondents of 30, a decrease to the number of annual responses of 30 and a decrease of 15 to the annual burden hours.

16. The data will not be published for statistical use.

17. No expiration date will be displayed.

18. There are no exceptions to the certification statement.

B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods:

No statistical methods are employed.

1 These respondents make up their universe of respondent pool; therefore, OMB approval is still need for these individuals.