Tuesday, April 11, 2000 Part V Federal Communications Commission 47 CFR Part 1 Assessment and Collection of Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 2000; Proposed Rule VerDate 20<MAR>2000 19:45 Apr 10, 2000 Jkt 190000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4717 Sfmt 4717 E:\FR\FM\11APP3.SGM pfrm02 PsN: 11APP3 19580 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 70 / Tuesday, April 11, 2000 / Proposed Rules FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS in order to recover the amount of beneficiaries of Commission services to COMMISSION regulatory fees that Congress has pay for such services. required it to collect for fiscal year 2000. DATES: Comments are due on or before 47 CFR Part 1 Section 9 of the Communications Act of April 24, 2000, and reply comments are [MD Docket No. 00±58; FCC 00±117] 1934, as amended, provides for the due on or before May 5, 2000. annual assessment and collection of FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Assessment and Collection of regulatory fees. For fiscal year 2000 Terry Johnson, Office of Managing Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 2000 sections 9(b)(2) and (3) provide for Director at (202) 418±0445 or Roland annual ``Mandatory Adjustments'' and Helvajian, Office of Managing Director AGENCY: Federal Communications ``Permitted Amendments'' to the at (202) 418±0444. Commission. Schedule of Regulatory Fees. These SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking. revisions will further the National Adopted: March 29, 2000; Released: SUMMARY: The Commission is proposing Performance Review goals of April 3, 2000. to revise its Schedule of Regulatory Fees reinventing Government by requiring By the Commission: TABLE OF CONTENTS Paragraph Topic Nos. I. Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 II. Background ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 III. Discussion A. Summary of FY 2000 Fee Methodology ................................................................................................................................. 8 B. Development of FY 2000 Fees i. Adjustment of Payment Units ............................................................................................................................................. 12 ii. Calculation of Revenue Requirements .............................................................................................................................. 13 iii. Recalculation of Fees ....................................................................................................................................................... 14 iv. Proposed Changes to Fee Schedule ............................................................................................................................... 15 a. INTELSAT .................................................................................................................................................................. 16 b. Interstate Telephone Service Providers .................................................................................................................... 18 C. Procedures for Payment of Regulatory Fees .......................................................................................................................... 22 i. Annual Payments of Standard Fees .................................................................................................................................. 23 ii. Installment Payments for Large Fees ............................................................................................................................... 24 iii. Advance Payments of Small Fees ................................................................................................................................... 25 iv. Minimum Fee Payment Liability ....................................................................................................................................... 26 v. Standard Fee Calculations and Payments ....................................................................................................................... 27 D. Schedule of FY 2000 Regulatory Fees ................................................................................................................................... 29 IV. Procedural Matters A. Comment Period and Procedures ........................................................................................................................................... 30 B. Ex Parte Rules ......................................................................................................................................................................... 34 C. Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis ....................................................................................................................................... 35 D. Authority and Further Information ............................................................................................................................................ 36 Attachment AÐInitial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Attachment BÐSources of Payment Unit Estimates For FY 2000 Attachment CÐCalculation of Revenue Requirements and Pro-Rata Fees Attachment DÐFY 2000 Schedule of Regulatory Fees Attachment EÐComparison Between FY 1999 and FY 2000 Proposed Regulatory Fees Attachment FÐDetailed Guidance on Who Must Pay Regulatory Fees Attachment GÐDescription of FCC Activities Attachment HÐFactors, measurements and calculations that go into determining station signal contours and associated popu- lation coverages I. Introduction activities for FY 2000.2 This amount is 3. In proposing to revise our fees, we 1. By this Notice of Proposed $13,231,000 or approximately 7.67% adjusted the payment units and revenue Rulemaking, the Commission more than the amount that Congress requirement for each service subject to commences a proceeding to revise its designated for recovery through a fee, consistent with sections 159(b)(2) Schedule of Regulatory Fees in order to regulatory fees for FY 1999.3 Thus, we and (3). In addition, we are proposing collect the amount of regulatory fees are proposing to revise our fees in order changes to the fees pursuant to public that Congress, pursuant to section 9(a) to collect the increased amount that interest considerations. The current of the Communications Act, as Congress has specified. Additionally, Schedule of Regulatory Fees is set forth amended, has required it to collect for we propose to amend the Schedule in in §§ 1.1152 through 1.1156 of the 5 Fiscal Year (FY) 2000.1 order to simplify and streamline it.4 Commission's rules. 2. Congress has required that we II. Background collect $185,754,000 through regulatory fees in order to recover the costs of our 2 Public Law 105±277 and 47 U.S.C. 159(a)(2). 4. Section 9(a) of the Communications enforcement, policy and rulemaking, 3 Assessment and Collection of Regulatory Fees Act of 1934, as amended, authorizes the international and user information for Fiscal Year 1999, FCC 98±200, released June 18, Commission to assess and collect 1999, 64 FR 35831 (Jul. 1, 1999). 1 47 U.S.C. 159(a). 4 47 U.S.C. 159(b)(3). 5 47 CFR 1.1152 through 1.1156. VerDate 20<MAR>2000 19:45 Apr 10, 2000 Jkt 190000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4701 Sfmt 4702 E:\FR\FM\11APP3.SGM pfrm02 PsN: 11APP3 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 70 / Tuesday, April 11, 2000 / Proposed Rules 19581 annual regulatory fees to recover the revenue requirement would be more $185,754,000 that Congress has required costs, as determined annually by than 25 percent above the revenue us to collect in FY 2000 and pro-rated Congress, that it incurs in carrying out requirement which would have resulted the difference among all the existing fee enforcement, policy and rulemaking, from the ``mandatory adjustments'' to categories. international, and user information the FY 1997 fees without incorporation 10. Once we established our tentative activities.6 See Attachment G for a of costs. This methodology, which we FY 2000 fees, we evaluated proposals description of these activities. In our FY continued to use for FY 1998, enabled made by Commission staff concerning 1994 Fee Order,7 we adopted the us to develop regulatory fees which we ``Permitted Amendments'' to the Fee Schedule of Regulatory Fees that believed would be more reflective of our Schedule and to our collection Congress established, and we prescribed costs of regulation, and allowed us to procedures. These proposals are rules to govern payment of the fees, as make revisions to our fees based on the discussed in paragraphs 15±19 and are required by Congress.8 Subsequently, fullest extent possible, while still factored into our proposed FY 2000 we modified the fee Schedule to consistent with the public interest, on Schedule of Regulatory Fees, set forth in increase the fees in accordance with the the actual costs of regulating those Attachment D. amounts Congress required us to collect services that are subject to a fee. 11. Finally, we have incorporated, as in each succeeding fiscal year. We also However, we found that developing a Attachment F, proposed Guidance amended the rules governing our regulatory fee structure based on cost containing detailed descriptions of each regulatory fee program based upon our information did not produce the desired fee category, information