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Federal Register/Vol. 86, No. 91/Thursday, May 13, 2021/Proposed Rules

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Federal Register/Vol. 86, No. 91/Thursday, May 13, 2021/Proposed Rules 26262 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 91 / Thursday, May 13, 2021 / Proposed Rules FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS BCPI, Inc., 45 L Street NE, Washington, shown or given to Commission staff COMMISSION DC 20554. Customers may contact BCPI, during ex parte meetings are deemed to Inc. via their website, http:// be written ex parte presentations and 47 CFR Part 1 www.bcpi.com, or call 1–800–378–3160. must be filed consistent with section [MD Docket Nos. 20–105; MD Docket Nos. This document is available in 1.1206(b) of the Commission’s rules. In 21–190; FCC 21–49; FRS 26021] alternative formats (computer diskette, proceedings governed by section 1.49(f) large print, audio record, and braille). of the Commission’s rules or for which Assessment and Collection of Persons with disabilities who need the Commission has made available a Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 2021 documents in these formats may contact method of electronic filing, written ex the FCC by email: [email protected] or parte presentations and memoranda AGENCY: Federal Communications phone: 202–418–0530 or TTY: 202–418– summarizing oral ex parte Commission. 0432. Effective March 19, 2020, and presentations, and all attachments ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking. until further notice, the Commission no thereto, must be filed through the longer accepts any hand or messenger electronic comment filing system SUMMARY: In this document, the Federal delivered filings. This is a temporary available for that proceeding, and must Communications Commission measure taken to help protect the health be filed in their native format (e.g., .doc, (Commission) seeks comment on and safety of individuals, and to .xml, .ppt, searchable .pdf). Participants revising the fee schedule of FY 2021 mitigate the transmission of COVID–19. in this proceeding should familiarize regulatory fees. See FCC Announces Closure of FCC themselves with the Commission’s ex DATES: Submit comments on or before Headquarters Open Window and parte rules. June 3, 2021; and reply comments on or Change in Hand-Delivery Policy, Public 9. Initial Regulatory Flexibility before June 18, 2021. Notice, DA 20–304 (March 19, 2020). Analysis. An initial regulatory flexibility ADDRESSES: Interested parties may file https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc- analysis (IRFA) is contained in this comments and reply comments closes-headquarters-open-window-and- summary. Comments to the IRFA must identified by MD Docket No. 21–190, by changes-hand-delivery-policy. During be identified as responses to the IRFA any of the following methods below. the time the Commission’s building is and filed by the deadlines for comments 1. Electronic Filers: Comments may be closed to the general public and until on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. filed electronically using the internet by further notice, if more than one docket The Commission will send a copy of the accessing the ECFS: http://apps.fcc.gov/ or rulemaking number appears in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, ecfs/. caption of a proceeding, paper filers including the IRFA, to the Chief 2. Paper Filers: Parties who choose to need not submit two additional copies Counsel for Advocacy of the Small file by paper must file an original and for each additional docket or Business Administration. one copy of each filing. rulemaking number; an original and one 10. Initial Paperwork Reduction Act of 3. Filings can be sent by commercial copy are sufficient. 1995 Analysis. This document does not contain new or modified information overnight courier, or by first-class or I. Procedural Matters overnight U.S. Postal Service mail. All collection requirements subject to the filings must be addressed to the 8. Ex Parte Information. This Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 Commission’s Secretary, Office of the proceeding shall be treated as a ‘‘permit- (PRA), Public Law 104–13. In addition, Secretary, Federal Communications but-disclose’’ proceeding in accordance therefore, it does not contain any new Commission. with the Commission’s ex parte rules. or modified information collection 4. Commercial overnight mail (other Persons making ex parte presentations burden for small business concerns with than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail must file a copy of any written fewer than 25 employees, pursuant to and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9050 presentation or a memorandum the Small Business Paperwork Relief Junction Drive, Annapolis Junction, MD summarizing any oral presentation Act of 2002, Public Law 107–198, see 44 20701.U.S. within two business days after the U.S.C. 3506(c)(4). 5. Postal Service first-class, Express, presentation (unless a different deadline applicable to the Sunshine period I. Introduction and Priority mail must be addressed to applies). Persons making oral ex parte 1. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, we 45 L Street NE, Washington, DC 20554. presentations are reminded that seek comment on the Commission’s For detailed instructions for memoranda summarizing the proposed regulatory fees for fiscal year submitting comments and additional presentation must (1) list all persons (FY) 2021. Specifically, we propose to information on the rulemaking process, attending or otherwise participating in collect $374,000,000 in regulatory fees see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION the meeting at which the ex parte for FY 2021, pursuant to sections 9 and section of this document. presentation was made, and (2) 9A of the Communications Act of 1934, FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: summarize all data presented and as amended (Act or Communications Roland Helvajian, Office of Managing arguments made during the Act), and the Commission’s FY 2021 Director at (202) 418–0444. presentation. If the presentation Appropriation. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a consisted in whole or in part of the 2. In this Notice of Proposed summary of the Commission’s Notice of presentation of data or arguments Rulemaking, we seek comment on Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), FCC 21– already reflected in the presenter’s several specific regulatory fee issues: (i) 49, MD Docket No. 20–105, and MD written comments, memoranda, or other Including non-geographic numbers in Docket No. 21–190, adopted on May 3, filings in the proceeding, the presenter the calculation of the number of 2021 and released on May 4, 2021. The may provide citations to such data or subscribers for each commercial mobile full text of this document is available for arguments in his or her prior comments, radio service (CMRS) provider; (ii) inspection and copying during normal memoranda, or other filings (specifying ending our phase in of direct broadcast business hours in the FCC Reference the relevant page and/or paragraph satellite (DBS) regulatory fees, and Center, 45 L Street NE, Washington, DC numbers where such data or arguments instead including the Media Bureau- 20554, and may also be purchased from can be found) in lieu of summarizing based DBS regulatory fee in the same fee the Commission’s copy contractor, them in the memorandum. Documents category as cable television and Internet VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:18 May 12, 2021 Jkt 253001 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4701 Sfmt 4702 E:\FR\FM\13MYP2.SGM 13MYP2 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 91 / Thursday, May 13, 2021 / Proposed Rules 26263 Protocol Television (IPTV); (iii) across all fee categories. We seek comment on this methodology and on assessing regulatory fees for full service comment on this methodology. the schedule of FY 2021 regulatory fees broadcast television using the same 5. The Commission identifies the as set forth in Tables 2 and 3. population-based methodology that we number of FTEs within each of the four core bureaus (i.e., Wireline Competition B. Calculating Regulatory Fees for used for FY 2020 and continuing the Commercial Mobile Radio Services changes we adopted previously for Bureau, Wireless Telecommunications stations in Puerto Rico; (iv) adopting Bureau, International Bureau, and 7. The Commission sets regulatory new regulatory fees for the new NGSO Media Bureau) and then further fees by identifying a unit for a fee fee subcategories for ‘‘less complex’’ subdivides within each core bureau to category, calculating the amount to be NGSO systems and ‘‘other’’ NGSO account for its regulatory fee categories. collected from that category, and then systems; and (v) extending our As a general matter, we expect that the dividing the target collection amount by streamlined waiver provisions adopted work of the FTEs in the four core the unit count. The regulatory fee unit last year for FY 2021. bureaus will remain focused on the for the Commercial Mobile Radio 3. Each year the Commission issues a industry segment regulated by each of Services (CMRS) fee category is the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to seek those bureaus. Consistent with past number of subscribers. Historically, comment on its regulatory fee practices, we propose that the allocation each CMRS provider self-reported its methodology and proposed regulatory of fee categories for FY 2021 will be subscriber count for regulatory fee fees for the fiscal year. The Commission based on the Commission’s calculation purposes. In 2004, the Commission also seeks to improve the regulatory fee of FTEs in each regulatory fee category. started using the ‘‘assigned number’’ methodology. Since 2013, the The work of the FTEs in the indirect count as the proxy for subscribers to Commission has made numerous bureaus and offices benefits the address concerns regarding the accuracy reforms to the regulatory fee schedule. Commission and the of prior estimates. In 2019, the Commission adopted telecommunications industry generally 8. The definition of assigned numbers several rule amendments to conform and is not specifically focused on the is as follows: Assigned numbers are them to the RAY BAUM’S Act of 2018. regulatees and licensees of one core numbers working in the Public Last year, the Commission added non- bureau. We propose that, consistent Switched Telephone Network under an U.S.
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