OMB Control Number: 3060-0170 May 2024
Title: Section 73.1030, Notifications Concerning Interference to Radio Astronomy, Research and Receiving Installations
SUPPORTING STATEMENT
A. Justification:
1. 47 CFR 73.1030 states in order to minimize harmful interference at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory site located at Green, Pocahontas County, West Virginia, and at the Naval Radio Research Observatory at Sugar Grove, Pendleton County, West Virginia, a licensee proposing to operate a short-term broadcast auxiliary station pursuant to §74.24, and any applicant for authority to construct a new broadcast station, or for authority to make changes in the frequency, power, antenna height, or antenna directivity of an existing station within the area bounded by 39°15' N on the north, 78°30' W on the east, 37°30' N on the south, and 80°30' W on the west, shall notify the Interference Office, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, P.O. Box 2, Green Bank, West Virginia 24944. Telephone: (304) 456–2011. The notification shall be in writing and set forth the particulars of the proposed station, including the geographical coordinates of the antenna, antenna height, antenna directivity if any, proposed frequency, type of emission and power. The notification shall be made prior to, or simultaneously with, the filing of the application with the Commission. After receipt of such applications, the FCC will allow a period of 20 days for comments or objections in response to the notifications indicated. If an objection to the proposed operation is received during the 20-day period from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory for itself, or on behalf of the Naval Radio Research Observatory, the FCC will consider all aspects of the problem and take whatever action is deemed appropriate.
Section 73.1030 also requires that any applicant for a new permanent base or fixed station authorization to be located on the islands of Puerto Rico, Desecheo, Mona, Vieques, and Culebra, or for a modification of an existing authorization which would change the frequency, power, antenna height, directivity, or location of a station on these islands and would increase the likelihood of the authorized facility causing interference, shall notify the Interference Office, Arecibo Observatory, HC3 Box 53995, Arecibo, Puerto Rico 00612, in writing or electronically, of the technical parameters of the proposal. Applicants may wish to consult interference guidelines, which will be provided by Cornell University. Applicants who choose to transmit information electronically should e-mail to: prcz@naic.edu.
(i) The notification to the Interference Office, Arecibo Observatory shall be made prior to, or simultaneously with, the filing of the application with the Commission. The notification shall state the geographical coordinates of the antenna (NAD–83 datum), antenna height above ground, ground elevation at the antenna, antenna directivity and gain, proposed frequency and FCC Rule Part, type of emission, and effective radiated power.
(ii) After receipt of such applications, the Commission will allow the Arecibo Observatory a period of 20 days for comments or objections in response to the notification indicated. The applicant will be required to make reasonable efforts to resolve or mitigate any potential interference problem with the Arecibo Observatory and to file either an amendment to the application or a modification application, as appropriate. The Commission shall determine whether an applicant has satisfied its responsibility to make reasonable efforts to protect the Observatory from interference.
The Commission is requesting an extension of this information collection in order to receive the full three year OMB approval/clearance for this collection.
This information collection does not affect individuals or households; thus, there are no impacts under the Privacy Act.
Statutory authority for this collection of information is contained in Section 154(i) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
2. The data is used by the Interference Office to enable them to file comments or objections with the FCC regarding potential harmful interference to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory site and the Naval Radio Research Observatory. The notification to the Arecibo Radio Astronomy Observatory in Puerto Rico will enable the Observatory to receive information needed to assess whether an application's proposed operations will cause harmful interference to the Observatory's operations and will promote efficient resolution of problems through coordination between applicants and the Observatory.
3. The notification to the Arecibo Observatory can be made electronically if the applicant chooses to do so.
4. No other agency imposes a similar information collection on the respondents. There is no similar data available.
5. This is a notification requirement. It does not impose any significant impact on small businesses.
6. This information collection is utilized only when a station is proposing to operate within the geographical coordinates of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory site located at Green Bank, West Virginia and the Naval Radio Research Observatory at Sugar Grove, West Virginia, or the coordination zone of Puerto Rico.
7. This collection of information is consistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2).
8. The Commission published a Notice (89 FR 17845) in the Federal Register on March 12, 2024 seeking comments from the public on the information collection requirements contained in this collection. No comments were received from the public as a result of the Notice.
9. No payment or gift was provided to respondents.
10. There is no need for confidentiality with this collection of information.
11. This collection of information does not address any private matters of a sensitive nature.
12. We estimate that 57 notifications will be filed. We estimate that the respondents would spend 0.5 hours in consultation with a contract engineer to prepare the notifications.
Total Number of Annual Respondents: 57
Total Number of Annual Responses: 57 Written Notifications
Total Annual Burden Hours:
Section 73.1030(a)(1) - 30 notifications x 0.5 hours/notification = 15 hours
Section 73.1030(a)(2) - 27 notifications x 0.5 hours/notification = 14 hours
29 hours
These estimates are based on FCC staff's knowledge and familiarity with the availability of the data required.
Total “In-house” Cost:: The respondent will use 0.5 hours for this work. We estimate the respondent’s salary at $100,000/year ($48.08/hour).
30 notifications x 0.5 hours/notification x $48.08/hour = $721.20
27 notifications x 0.5 hours/notification x $48.08/hour = $649.08
$1,370.28
13. ANNUAL COST BURDEN: The licensee will contract with a consulting engineer to prepare the notifications. We estimate the consulting engineer’s hourly salary at $250.
30 notifications x 1 hour/notification x $250/hour = $ 7,500
27 notifications x 1 hour/notification x $250/hour = $ 6,750
Total Annual Cost Burden: $14,250
14. There is no cost to the Federal Government.
15. There are no program changes or adjustments to this information collection.
16. The data will not be published.
17. OMB approval of the expiration date of the information collection will be displayed on OMB’s website.
18. There are no exceptions to the Certification Statement.
B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods.
No statistical methods were employed.
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| Author | HP Authorized Customer |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2024-07-20 |