The Regulatory Mix - Wednesday, January 22, 2014

TELECOM

FCC

The FCC has begun the process of obtaining Office of Management and Budget approval for the information collection requirements contained in inmate calling services rate order. This includes both the one-time mandatory data collection and the annual reporting and certification requirements. (Note: the annual reporting and certification requirements were recently stayed by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit pending its consideration of various petitions for review of the FCC’s Order.)

See The Regulatory Mix dated January 2, 2014.  TMI Regulatory Bulletin Service subscribers see FCC Bulletins dated October 9, 2013, and January 14, 2014.

The FCC estimated that the one-time data collection will: (1) require filings by 25 entities; (2) take an estimated 70 hours per response; (3) create a total annual burden of 1,750 hours; and (4) have an annual cost of $0. For the annual reporting and certification requirement, the FCC estimates that the data collection will: 1) require filings by 25 entities; (2) take an estimated 101 hours per response; (3) create a total annual burden of 2,525 hours; and (4) have a total annual cost of $108,750.

Comments may be filed by March 17, 2014, addressing the following:

• whether the proposed collection is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the FCC, including whether the information has practical utility;
• the accuracy of the FCC’s burden estimate;
• ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected;
• ways to minimize the burden of the collection on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and
• further ways to reduce the information burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees

Read the notice here.

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Energy

New York

On 1/16/14, the PSC announced it would conduct an independent, operations audit of the major New York energy utilities. The audit will focus on internal and external staffing levels of core utility functions of Consolidated Edison of New York, National Grid’s Update Electric Operations and National Grid’s Gas Operations, Central Hudson Gas and Electric, National Fuel Gas Distribution Company, Orange and Rockland Utilities, Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation, and New York State electric and Gas Corporation. See announcement here.