On August 10, 2016, the Commission
adopted a Second Report and Order (Report and Order) in MB Docket
Nos. 14-50, 09-182, 07-294, 04-256, FCC 16-107, which completed the
2010 and 2014 Quadrennial Reviews of the Commission’s broadcast
ownership rules. The Order finds that competitive television
stations in a local market are able to combine certain operations
through the use of Shared Service Agreements (SSAs), with
effectively the same station personnel handling or facilities
performing functions for multiple, independently owned stations.
The Order also finds that the Commission has an obligation to
ensure that these agreements are not being used to circumvent the
Commission’s broadcast ownership rules and are not otherwise
inconsistent with the Commission’s rules and policies. The Order
notes that consideration of these issues is impeded because so
little is known by the Commission and the public about the content,
scope, and prevalence of SSAs and finds that disclosure of SSAs is
necessary to facilitate the Commission’s regulatory purposes.
Accordingly, the Commission adopts a definition of SSAs and
requires commercial television stations to disclose those SSAs by
placing the agreements in each station’s online public inspection
file. On November 16, 2017, the Commission adopted an Order on
Reconsideration (Order) in MB Docket Nos. 14-50, 09-182, 07-294,
04-256, 17-289, FCC 17-156, which completed the 2010 and 2014
Quadrennial Reviews of the Commission’s broadcast ownership rules.
The Order upholds the definition of SSAs adopted in the Second
Report and Order (FCC 16-107), finding that it is appropriately
tailored to reflect relevant station-related services. The Order
also upholds the decision in the Second Report and Order to require
commercial television stations to disclose SSAs, finding that the
decision was supported by the record and that it effectively
demonstrated that the FCC has the authority to require disclosure
of SSAs in order to help it obtain information relevant to its
statutory responsibilities. Accordingly, the Commission affirms the
definition of SSAs adopted in the Second Report and Order and
requires commercial television stations to disclose those SSAs by
placing the agreements in each station’s online public inspection
file. The information collection requirement will provide the
Commission and the public with more comprehensive information about
the prevalence and content of SSAs between television stations,
which will improve the Commission’s and the public’s ability to
assess the potential impact of these agreements on the Commission’s
rules and policies.
The Commission has program
changes/decreases to the following figures which are due to the
modifications to the number of stations/entities that have to
comply with the public file requirement: -17,682 to the number of
respondents, -103 to the annual number of responses, -5,195 to the
annual burden hours and -$3,640,171 to the annual cost burden.
There are no adjustments to this collection.
$2,000
No
No
No
No
No
No
Uncollected
Chad Guo 202 418-0652
No
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.