Notice2021-22771
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
October 19, 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 might "further reduce the information collection burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees." 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.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 199 (Tuesday, October 19, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 199 (Tuesday, October 19, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57828-57829]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-22771]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
[OMB 3060-1228; FR ID 53878]
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
might ``further reduce the information collection burden for small
business concerns with fewer than 25 employees.'' 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.
DATES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be submitted on or before November 18,
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 Nicole Ongele, FCC,
via email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#94c4c6d5d4f2f7f7baf3fbe2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c696948786a0a5a5e8a1a9b0">[email protected]</span></a> and to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3977505a56555c1776575e5c555c795f5a5a175e564f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="602e09030f0c054e2f0e07050c05200603034e070f16">[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 Nicole Ongele at (202) 418-2991.
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: 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 Number: 3060-1228.
Title: Connect America Fund--High Cost Portal Filing.
Form Number: N/A.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Respondents: Business or other for-profit, not-for-profit
institutions.
Number of Respondents and Responses: 2,024 unique respondents;
4,644 responses.
Estimated Time per Response: 8 hours-60 hours.
Frequency of Response: On occasion, quarterly reporting
requirements, annual reporting requirements, and recordkeeping
requirement.
Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
Statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 47
U.S.C. 151-154, 155, 201-206, 214, 218-220, 251, 252, 254, 256, 303(r),
332, 403, 405, 410, and 1302.
Total Annual Burden: 86,727 hours.
Total Annual Cost: No Cost.
Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Except for the middle-mile
maps for Alaska Plan carriers, and the coverage maps and information
for Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and Connect USVI Fund Stage 2 mobile
support recipients, the Commission is not requesting respondents to
submit confidential information to the Commission. We note that the
Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) must preserve the
confidentiality of all data obtained from respondents and contributors
to the universal service support program mechanism; must not use the
data except for purposes of administering the universal service support
program; and must not disclose data in company-specific form unless
directed to do so by the Commission. Also, respondents may request
materials or information submitted to the Commission or to the
Administrator believed confidential to be withheld from public
inspection under 47 CFR 0.459 of the FCC's rules
Needs and Uses: Through several orders, the Commission has recently
changed or modified reporting obligations for high-cost support.
Pursuant to the following orders, this collection includes location
reporting and related certification requirements of high-cost support
recipients: Connect America Fund et al., Report and Order, Order and
Order on Reconsideration, and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 31
FCC Rcd 3087 (2016) (2016 Rate-of-Return Order); Connect
[[Page 57829]]
America Fund et al., Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking, 31 FCC Rcd 5949 (2016) (Phase II Auction Order); Connect
America Fund et al., Order, 31 FCC Rcd 12086 (2016) (ACS Phase II
Order); Connect America Fund et al., Report and Order and Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking, 29 FCC Rcd 876 (2014) (Rural Broadband Experiments
Order); Connect America Fund et al., Report and Order, 29 FCC Rcd 15644
(2014) (Price Cap Order); Technology Transitions et al., Order et al.,
29 FCC Rcd 1433 (2014) (Tech Transitions Order); Connect America Fund
et al., Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 31
FCC Rcd 10139 (2016) (Alaska Plan Order); Connect America Fund et al.,
Order, 32 FCC Rcd 968 (2017) (New York Auction Order); Connect America
Fund et al., Report and Order, Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking,
and Order on Reconsideration, 33 FCC Rcd 11-893 (2018) (2018 Rate-of-
Return Order); Uniendo a Puerto Rico and Connect USVI Fund et al.,
Report and Order and Order on Reconsideration, 34 FCC Rcd 9109 (2019)
(PR-USVI Stage 2 Order); Rural Digital Opportunity Fund et al., Report
and Order, 35 FCC Rcd 686 (2020) (2020 Rural Digital Opportunity Fund
Order).
This information collection addresses the requirement that certain
carriers with high-cost reporting obligations must file information
about the locations to which they have deployed broadband service
meeting applicable public interest requirements (location information).
A web-based portal, the High-Cost Universal Broadband Portal (HUBB or
portal), is used to accept this information. The Commission and USAC
will use this information to monitor the deployment progress of
reporting carriers and to verify the reporting carriers' claims of
service at the reported locations. Such activities help the Commission
ensure that support is being used as intended. In addition, because
data filed in the HUBB is publicly accessible, the reporting helps
ensure public accountability and transparency.
In the 2019 PR-USVI Stage 2 Order, the Commission created a
competitive process to determine support recipients for the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As a result,
carriers receiving support in these areas are subject to specific
public interest obligations related to speed, usage, latency, and price
as well as certain deployment milestones. Specifically, the Commission
imposed defined deployment obligations and associated HUBB reporting
requirements (annual location reporting and build-out certifications)
for all Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and Connect USVI Fund Stage 2 fixed
support recipients as well as annual reporting and certification
requirements for all Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and Connect USVI Fund
Stage 2 mobile support recipients.
Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and Connect USVI Fund Stage 2 mobile
support recipients will also file network coverage and other data as
required by the Commission's orders. The Commission and USAC will use
this information to monitor the deployment progress of mobile carriers
and to verify that carriers meet the public interest obligations for 4G
LTE and 5G mobile broadband and voice services in the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Instead of filing in the HUBB
portal, mobile support recipients will submit their reports
electronically as part of a web form accessed via the Commission's Form
477 portal (477 Portal) and the Electronic Comment Filing System
(ECFS). This collection mechanism is being used to reduce the
technological burden on the public and the Commission, as carriers and
the public are familiar with both of these systems. The Commission's
Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) will specify the filing process by
which Stage 2 mobile support recipients must file their reports in the
477 Portal prior to the filing deadlines.
In the 2020 Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Order, the Commission
adopted a support mechanism to provide funding through a competitive
auction to connect rural homes and businesses to high-speed broadband
networks. The Commission established specific public interest
obligations and deployment milestones for all carriers receiving this
support. Specifically, the Commission imposed defined deployment
obligations and associated HUBB reporting requirements (annual location
reporting and build-out certifications) for all support recipients. We
therefore propose to revise this information collection. Finally, we
propose to increase the burdens associated with existing and new
reporting requirements to account for additional carriers that will be
subject to these requirements.
Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-22771 Filed 10-18-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
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