Rule2025-03325
Connect America Fund et al.
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
February 28, 2025
Effective
February 28, 2025
Issuing agencies
Federal Communications Commission
Abstract
In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved, for a period of three years, an information collection associated with certain rules for the Connect America Fund contained in the Commission's Enhanced A-CAM Order of August 17, 2023, and Connect America Fund Order of April 10, 2024 (Orders). This document is consistent with the Orders, which stated that the Commission would publish a document in the Federal Register announcing the effective date of the revised information collection requirement.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 39 (Friday, February 28, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 39 (Friday, February 28, 2025)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 10874-10875]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-03325]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
47 CFR Part 54
[WC Docket Nos. 10-90, 23-328, 14-58, 09-197, 16-271; WT Docket No. 10-
208; FCC 23-60 and 23-87; FR ID 282198]
Connect America Fund et al.
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Final rule; announcement of effective date.
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SUMMARY: In this document, the Federal Communications Commission
(Commission) announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
has approved, for a period of three years, an information collection
associated with certain rules for the Connect America Fund contained in
the Commission's Enhanced A-CAM Order of August 17, 2023, and Connect
America Fund Order of April 10, 2024 (Orders). This document is
consistent with the Orders, which stated that the Commission would
publish a document in the Federal Register announcing the effective
date of the revised information collection requirement.
DATES: The amendments to 54.316(a)(9) and 54.316(b)(8), published at 88
FR 55918, August 17, 2023 and the amendments to 54.316 (amendatory
instruction 13), published at 89 FR 25147, April 10, 2024 are effective
February 28, 2025.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jesse Jachman, Wireline Competition
Bureau at (202) 418-7400 or TTY (202) 418-0484. For additional
information concerning the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) information
collection requirements contact Nicole Ongele at (202) 418-2991 or via
email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#81cfe8e2eeede4afceefe6e4ede4c1e7e2e2afe6eef7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8cc2e5efe3e0e9a2c3e2ebe9e0e9cceaefefa2ebe3fa">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commission submitted revised information
collection requirements for review and approval by OMB, as required by
the PRA of 1995, on September 23, 2024. OMB approved the revised
information collection requirements on January 10, 2025. The
information collection requirements are contained in the Commission's
Enhanced A-CAM Order, WC Docket No. 10-90 et al., FCC 23-60, published
at 88 FR 55918, August 17, 2023, and Connect America Fund Order, WC
Docket No. 10-90 et al., FCC 23-87, published at 89 FR 25147, April 10,
2024. The OMB Control Number is 3060-1228. The Commission publishes
this document as an announcement of the effective date of the rules
published on August 17, 2023 and April 10, 2024. If you have any
comments on the burden estimates listed in the following, or how the
Commission can improve the collections and reduce any burdens caused
thereby, please contact Nicole Ongele, Federal Communications
Commission, 45 L Street NE, Washington, DC 20554. Please include the
OMB Control Number, 3060-1228, in your correspondence. The Commission
will also accept your comments via email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#09595b48496f6a6a276e667f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="74242635341217175a131b02">[email protected]</span></a>. To request
materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille,
large print, electronic files, audio format), send an email to
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c5a3a6a6f0f5f185a3a6a6eba2aab3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0f696c6c3a3f3b4f696c6c21686079">[email protected]</span></a> or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at
(202) 418-0530 (voice).
Synopsis
As required by the PRA of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3507), the Commission is
notifying the public that it received OMB approval on January 10, 2025,
for the amendments to 54.316(a)(9) and 54.316(b)(8), published at 88 FR
55918, August 17, 2023 and the amendments to 54.316 (amendatory
instruction 13), published at 89 FR 25147, April 10, 2024.
Under 5 CFR part 1320, an agency may not conduct or sponsor a
collection of information unless it displays a current, valid 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 current, valid OMB Control Number. The OMB Control Number is
3060-1228.
The foregoing notice is required by the PRA of 1995, Public Law
104-13, October 1, 1995, and 44 U.S.C. 3507.
The total annual reporting burdens and costs for the respondents
are as follows:
OMB Control Number: 3060-1228.
OMB Approval Date: January 10, 2025.
OMB Expiration Date: January 31, 2028.
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: 2,015 unique respondents;
4,590 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: 86,263 hours.
Total Annual Cost: No Cost.
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
[[Page 10875]]
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); Connect America Fund et al., Report and Order and Further
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 31 FCC Rcd 5949 (2016); Connect America
Fund et al., Order, 31 FCC Rcd 12086 (2016); Connect America Fund et
al., Report and Order and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 29 FCC Rcd 876
(2014); Connect America Fund et al., Report and Order, 29 FCC Rcd 15644
(2014); Technology Transitions et al., Order et al., 29 FCC Rcd 1433
(2014); Connect America Fund et al., Report and Order and Further
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 31 FCC Rcd 10139 (2016); Connect America
Fund et al., Order, 32 FCC Rcd 968 (2017); Connect America Fund et al.,
Report and Order, Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, and Order on
Reconsideration, 33 FCC Rcd 11-893 (2018); The Uniendo a Puerto Rico
and the Connect USVI Fund et al., Report and Order and Order on
Reconsideration, 34 FCC Rcd 9109 (2019); Rural Digital Opportunity Fund
et al., Report and Order, 35 FCC Rcd 686 (2020); Enhanced A-CAM Report
and Order, FCC 23-60; Connect America Fund et al., WC Docket No. 10-90
et al. WT Docket No. 10-208, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Report
and Order, FCC 23-87 (Oct. 20, 2023).
This information collection addresses the requirement that certain
carriers with high-cost reporting obligations file information about
the locations to which they have deployed broadband service meeting
applicable public interest requirements (location information). The
High Cost Universal Broadband portal (HUBB), a web-based portal, is
used to accept this information. The Commission and the Universal
Service Administrative Company will use this information to monitor the
deployment progress of reporting carriers, to verify the reporting
carriers' claims of service at the reported locations, and to conform
broadband deployment data between the HUBB and the Broadband Data
Collection (BDC). 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.
This information collection further addresses the Commission's
efforts to develop and establish a uniform national dataset of
locations where broadband could be deployed and upon which new coverage
data could be overlaid using a single methodology to harmonize fixed
broadband reporting nationwide with granular location data as part of
the BDC and required by the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and
Technology Availability Act, Public Law 116-130, 134 Stat. 228 (2020)
(Broadband DATA Act). In furtherance of its obligations, the Commission
established the Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric (Fabric), which
consists of a single, nationwide fabric that will contain geocoded
information for all locations where a broadband connection can be
installed in the United States and territories (Broadband Serviceable
Location or BSL). Each BSL contained in the Fabric is provided a unique
identification number. The HUBB portal will be updated in order to have
support recipients include the unique Fabric identification number when
reporting or revising high-cost broadband deployment location data.
Including the BSL Fabric Identification Number in HUBB reporting will
improve the accuracy and reliability of the broadband data used to
monitor progress and ensure accountability with Commission programs.
All BSL Fabric Identification Numbers are associated with the latitude,
longitude, address, and number of units at the location. Accordingly,
reporting the BSL Fabric Identification Number associated with a
location encompasses the latitude, longitude, address, and number of
units at the location.
This information collection addresses the location reporting and
related certification requirements of high-cost support recipients
electing to receive support through the Enhanced A-CAM (Enhanced
Alternative-Connect America Cost Model) program, see generally Enhanced
A-CAM Order, and other programs. On October 30, 2023, the Wireline
Competition Bureau (WCB) authorized 368 rate-or-return carriers to
receive Enhanced A-CAM support in various states. Of this number, 100
electing carriers had been receiving cost-based Connect America Fund
Broadband Loop Support in 118 unique study areas, and 216 electing
carriers had been receiving model-based support (A-CAM). The interim
and final deployment milestones required for the Enhanced A-CAM program
will supersede the existing interim and final deployment milestones for
the carriers participating in eligible programs. However, Enhanced A-
CAM carriers were required to still report in the HUBB their
deployments for calendar year 2023 prior to the start of the support
term for Enhanced A-CAM program (January 1, 2024) to ensure carriers
continue in good faith to deploy broadband pursuant to existing
commitments.
Carriers receiving high-cost support to serve locations 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 fixed support recipients as well as
annual reporting and certification requirements for Uniendo a Puerto
Rico Fund and Connect USVI Fund Stage 2 mobile support recipients.
Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2025-03325 Filed 2-27-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
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