[Federal Register: October 18, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 201)]
[Notices]               
[Page 61469]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18oc06-45]                         

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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

 
Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Being Submitted for 
Review to the Office of Management and Budget

October 10, 2006.
SUMMARY: The Federal Communications Commission, as part of its 
continuing effort to reduce paperwork burden invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the 
following information collection(s), as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Public Law 104-13. An agency may not 
conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid control number. No person shall be subject to any 
penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information subject 
to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) that does not display a valid 
control number. Comments are requested concerning (a) Whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the Commission, including whether the 
information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 
Commission's burden estimate; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, 
and clarity of the information collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 
burden of the collection of information on the respondents, including 
the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology.

DATES: Written Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) comments should be 
submitted on or before December 18, 2006. If you anticipate that you 
will be submitting PRA comments but find it difficult to do so within 
the period of time allowed by this notice, you should advise the FCC 
contact listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Direct all PRA comments to Allison E. Zaleski, Office of 
Management and Budget, Room 10236 NEOB, Washington, DC 20503, (202) 
395-6466, or via fax at 202-395-5167 or via internet at 
Allison_E._Zaleski@eop.omb.gov and to Judith-B.Herman@fcc.gov, Federal 


Communications Commission, Room 1-B441, 445 12th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20554 or an e-mail to PRA@fcc.gov. If you would like to 
obtain or view a copy of this information collection after the 60-day 
comment period, you may do so by visiting the FCC PRA Web page at: 
http://www.fcc.gov/omd/pra.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or copies 
of the information collection(s), contact Judith B. Herman at 202-418-
0214 or via the Internet at Judith-B.Herman@fcc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Control Number: 3060-XXXX.
    Title: Rural Health Care Support Mechanism.
    Form No.: N/A.
    Type of Review: New collection.
    Respondents: Not-for-profit institutions and State, local and 
tribal government.
    Number of Respondents: 20.
    Estimated Time per Response: 25 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Annual reporting requirement.
    Total Annual Burden: 500 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: N/A.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: N/A.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission will submit this new information 
collection to OMB after this 60-day comment period to obtain the full 
three-year clearance from them. The Commission is requesting OMB 
approval for an Order that establishes a pilot program to assist public 
and non-profit health care providers to build station and regionwide 
broadband networks dedicated to the provision of health care services, 
and connect those networks to Internet2, a dedicated nationwide 
backbone. The construction of such networks will bring the benefits of 
innovative telehealth, and particularly, telemedicine services, to 
those areas of the country where the need for those benefits is most 
acute.
    The pilot program is designed to encourage health care providers to 
join together to aggregate their needs and develop a strategy for 
creating statewide and/or regional networks that will connect numerous 
health care providers, including rural health care providers, through a 
dedicated, broadband network. The pilot program will fund up to 85% of 
the costs incurred to deploy state or regional broadband networks 
dedicated to health care. The pilot program will also fund up to 85% of 
the costs of connecting the regional and/or statewide to Internet2, a 
dedicated nationwide backbone that connects a number of government 
research institutions, as well as academic, public, and private health 
care institutions that are repositories of medical expertise and 
information. The information collected will enable the Commission to 
select participants for the Pilot Program.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E6-17342 Filed 10-17-06; 8:45 am]

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