Notice2021-16636
Information Collection Being Submitted for Review and Approval to Office of Management and Budget
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
August 4, 2021
Issuing agencies
Federal Communications Commission
Abstract
As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or the Commission) invites the general public and other Federal Agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection. Pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, the FCC seeks specific comment on how it can further reduce the information collection burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 147 (Wednesday, August 4, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 147 (Wednesday, August 4, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41970-41971]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-16636]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
[OMB 3060-0999; FR ID 41410]
Information Collection Being Submitted for Review and Approval to
Office of Management and Budget
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens,
as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC or the Commission) invites the general
public and other Federal Agencies to take this opportunity to comment
on the following information collection. Pursuant to the Small Business
Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, the FCC seeks specific comment on how it
can further reduce the information collection burden for small business
concerns with fewer than 25 employees.
DATES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be submitted on or before September 3,
2021.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. Find this particular information collection by selecting
``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using
the search function. Your comment must be submitted into
<a href="http://www.reginfo.gov">www.reginfo.gov</a> per the above instructions for it to be considered. In
addition to submitting in <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov">www.reginfo.gov</a> also send a copy of your
comment on the proposed information collection to Cathy Williams, FCC,
via email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3b6b697a7b5d5858155c544d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c090928180a6a3a3eea7afb6">[email protected]</span></a> and to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#afeccedbc7d681f8c6c3c3c6cec2dcefc9cccc81c8c0d9"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="94d7f5e0fcedbac3fdf8f8fdf5f9e7d4f2f7f7baf3fbe2">[email protected]</span></a>. Include in the
comments the OMB control number as shown in the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or copies
of the information collection, contact Cathy Williams at (202) 418-
2918. To view a copy of this information collection request (ICR)
submitted to OMB: (1) Go to the web page <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>, (2) look for the section of the web page called ``Currently
Under Review,'' (3) click on the downward-pointing arrow in the
``Select Agency'' box below the ``Currently Under Review'' heading, (4)
select ``Federal Communications Commission'' from the list of agencies
presented in the ``Select Agency'' box, (5) click the ``Submit'' button
to the right of the ``Select Agency'' box, (6) when the list of FCC
ICRs currently under review appears, look for the Title of this ICR and
then click on the ICR Reference Number. A copy of the FCC submission to
OMB will be displayed.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commission may not conduct or sponsor a
collection of information unless it displays a currently valid Office
of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. No person shall be
subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of
information subject to the PRA that does not display a valid OMB
control number.
As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, as
required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-
3520), the FCC invited the general public and other Federal Agencies to
take this opportunity to comment on the following information
collection. 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 estimates; (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. Pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of
2002, Public Law 107-198, see 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(4), the FCC seeks
specific comment on how it might ``further reduce the information
collection burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25
employees.''
OMB Control No.: 3060-0999.
Title: Hearing Aid Compatibility Status Report and Section 20.19,
Hearing Aid-Compatible Mobile Handsets (Hearing Aid Compatibility Act).
Form Numbers: FCC Form 655 and FCC Form 855.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.
Number of Respondents: 934 respondents; 934 responses.
Estimated Time per Response: 13.9710921 hours per response
(average).
Frequency of Response: On occasion and annual reporting
requirements, recordkeeping requirements, and third-party disclosure
requirements.
Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
Statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 47
U.S.C. 151, 154(i), 157, 160, 201, 202, 214, 301, 303, 308, 309(j), 310
and 610 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
Total Annual Burden: 13,049 hours.
Total Annual Cost: No cost.
Privacy Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Information requested in the
reports and certifications may include confidential information.
However, covered entities are allowed to request that such materials
submitted to the Commission be withheld from public inspection.
Needs and Uses: The Commission will submit the revised information
collection to OMB to obtain a full three-year clearance. The changes
being made to the information collect concern the Commission's wireless
hearing aid compatibility rules as they relate to the obligations of
wireless handset manufacturers and wireless service providers to: (1)
Label and disclose certain information related to handset packaging;
(2) post certain information on their publicly accessible websites; and
(3) file annual status reports and certifications. No changes are being
made to the information collection as related to standards development
and the approved number of estimated respondents and responses.
The revisions to the information collection are necessitated by a
Report and Order in WT Docket No. 20-3, FCC 21-28, adopted on February
16, 2021. In this Report and Order, the Commission adopted a new
technical standard for determining hearing aid compatibility
[[Page 41971]]
between hearing aids and wireless handsets and made other corresponding
and implementation changes. In addition, the Commission revised the
information that handset manufacturers and service providers must
include on hearing aid-compatible wireless handset package labels and
in the related package inserts or user manuals. The Commission revised
the labeling rule in order to streamline the rule and remove outdated
requirements. The new rule requires that the package label provide the
volume control capabilities of a hearing aid-compatible handset that
meets volume control requirements, and it maintains the requirement
that a hearing aid-compatible handset's package label state that the
handset is hearing aid-compatible. The new rule still requires hearing
aid-compatible handsets to list the handset's hearing aid-compatible
rating, but moves the location in which it is required to be listed
from the package label to the package insert or user manual. The other
requirements for package inserts and user manuals have not changed, but
the requirements have been reorganized to make them easier to follow.
The Commission's labeling revisions continue to allow consumers to
access the information that they need to understand the hearing aid
compatibility of handsets they are considering for purchase. At the
same time, the labeling revisions give handset manufacturers and
service providers flexibility in designing package labels and conveying
supplemental information.
The Report and Order also revised website posting requirements for
handset manufacturers and service providers. The revised rule requires
handset manufacturers and service providers to post to their publicly
accessible websites the technical standard used to determine hearing
aid compatibility in addition to the information that handset
manufacturers and service providers are presently required to post.
Since handset manufacturers and service providers are already required
to include the technical standard used to determine hearing aid
compatibility in package inserts or user manuals for hearing aid-
compatible handsets, this change will not substantially impact the
existing paperwork burden estimates that OMB has already approved for
this information collection. Further, the website posting requirement
has been revised to eliminate the requirement that service providers
post to their publicly accessible websites the different levels of
functionality of the hearing aid-compatible handsets that they offer to
the public. This change offsets any burden added by the requirement
that service providers post the technical standard used to determine
hearing aid compatibility.
Finally, the Report and Order addressed the status reporting and
certification requirements for handset manufacturers and service
providers. The Report and Order revised the dates that service
providers must file their FCC Form 855 certifications and handset
manufacturers must file their FCC Form 655 status reports. The forms
were due January 15 and July 15 each year, respectfully, and now are
due by January 31 and July 31. These changes were made to accommodate
Federal holidays at the start of January and July and to make sure the
forms contain information for the full preceding 12-month periods. The
Commission uses these forms as the principal way to ensure compliance
with its wireless hearing aid compatibility requirements. The
Commission is also revising the forms to reflect the Commission's
current hearing aid compatibility de minimis provisions and to reflect
the Commission's new mailing address.
The changes the Commission is making will not affect the number of
respondents or responses, burden hours, or costs presently approved by
OMB for this information collection. The Commission requests that OMB
approve the proposed revisions to the currently approved information
collection in order to implement the changes the Commission adopted in
the Report and Order. These changes benefit handset manufacturers and
service providers by reducing regulatory burden while continuing to
ensure that the Commission can fulfill its statutory obligation to
monitor compliance with its hearing aid compatibility rules and make
more complete and accessible information available to consumers. All
other paperwork burden requirements previously approved by OMB for this
information collection remain unchanged.
Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-16636 Filed 8-3-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
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