Notice2026-18303
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; NTIA Internet Use Survey
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
September 9, 2026
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Telecommunications and Information Administration
Abstract
The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 173 (Wednesday, September 9, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 173 (Wednesday, September 9, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57320-57322]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-18303]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; NTIA Internet Use Survey
AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration
(NTIA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Information Collection, request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment
preceding submission of the collection to OMB.
DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received on or before November 9, 2026.
Comments submitted after this date will be considered if circumstances
allow.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by
mail to Christopher Quarles, Policy Advisor, NTIA, 1401 Constitution
Avenue NW, Suite 4725, Washington, DC 20230, or via email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b0d4d1c4d1f0dec4d9d19ed7dfc6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="77131603163719031e1659101801">[email protected]</span></a>. Please reference OMB Control Number 0660-0021 in the
subject line of your comments. Do not submit Confidential Business
Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed
to Christopher Quarles, Policy Advisor, NTIA, 1401 Constitution Avenue
NW,
[[Page 57321]]
Suite 4725, Washington, DC 20230, at (202) 941-0606 or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2340525642514f4650634d574a420d444c55"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="294a585c485b454c5a69475d4048074e465f">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
NTIA seeks feedback under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) on a
set of questions for the November 2027 edition of the U.S. Census
Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS). This collection of questions
is known as the NTIA internet Use Survey and is also referred to as the
CPS Computer and internet Use Supplement. NTIA has sponsored eighteen
such surveys since 1994.
The NTIA internet Use Survey has long been a key resource for
evidence-based policymaking, and an improved set of survey questions
could further inform key policy choices at a particularly important
time for our nation. From artificial intelligence to online services,
the internet is of immense importance to the nation's economic
prosperity. Digitally deliverable services make up over $700B of U.S.
exports, larger than any single sector.\1\ As a result, policymakers,
businesses, non-profits, communities, and other stakeholders rely on
data about whether and how Americans use the internet to help shape
their activities. Digitally connected Americans populate the modern
workforce, drive creative innovation throughout the economy, and ensure
a growing customer base to help sustain our nation's global
competitiveness.
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\1\ U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, ``Table 3.3. U.S. Trade in
ICT Services and Digitally Deliverable Services, by Country or
Affiliation'' (accessed Friday, June 26, 2026).
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Collecting current, systematic, and comprehensive information on
internet use and non-use by U.S. households is critical for helping
policymakers gauge progress on topics such as broadband deployment and
use, identify specific areas of concern, and target cost-effective
responses. Congress has tasked NTIA and other federal agencies with
administering multiple broadband grant programs that aim to bolster
American prosperity and competitiveness by closing gaps in deployment,
use, and digital skills. Efficient and fiscally responsible
administration of these programs requires careful monitoring and
evaluation of progress towards their statutory goals. NTIA requires
accurate and detailed information about computer and internet use--
including changes over time--in order to carry out these evaluation
activities, and as the longest-running and most comprehensive household
survey on this topic, the NTIA internet Use Survey serves as an
indispensable data source to meet this need.
The U.S. Census Bureau is widely regarded as a premier data
collector based on centuries of experience and rigorous scientific
methods. Collection of NTIA's requested internet usage data will occur
in conjunction with a future edition of the U.S. Census Bureau's CPS,
thereby significantly reducing the potential burdens on the U.S. Census
Bureau and on surveyed households.
The U.S. government has a need for comprehensive data in this area.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), NTIA, and the FCC have
issued reports noting the importance of useful broadband data for
policymakers. Moreover, Congress has passed legislation--including the
Broadband Data Improvement Act, the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act, the Broadband DATA Act, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021,
and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act--wholly or in part to
facilitate data collection, research, program evaluation, and policy
analysis in this area. And Congress has charged NTIA with the task of
furthering scientific knowledge on telecommunications and information.
(47 U.S.C. 901(c)(5)). Modifying the CPS to include NTIA's requested
internet use questions will enable the Commerce Department and NTIA to
respond to congressional concerns and directives.
As technology changes, so does the best way to measure internet and
technology use. For this revision, NTIA is thoroughly re-examining the
questions and language in its internet Use Survey to ensure the
resulting data meets today's needs. At the same time, NTIA recognizes
the value of preserving important long-term time data and aims to
maintain time series as much as possible.
Internet measurement must balance several competing forces. The
ways people access the internet have changed dramatically, as the
market has evolved from dial-up and DSL to a widely varied marketplace
of wired and wireless options. How people use the internet has shifted
as well: connectivity is now embedded in many everyday devices, more
people are turning to the internet to buy basic goods, and concerns
about problematic use are rising. Artificial intelligence (AI), in
particular, has had tremendous effects on how people gather information
on the internet and on how that information is generated. Effective
longitudinal measurement around AI and other internet-enabled
technologies will be needed to predict the issues of tomorrow.
Simultaneously, large surveys are costly, and respondents' time is
valuable. Survey questions therefore need to focus on topics that have
significant value for data users and/or impact on policy.
NTIA has made a copy of the proposed information collection
instrument available at <a href="https://www.ntia.gov/federal-register-notice/2026/2027-internet-use-survey-information-collection">https://www.ntia.gov/federal-register-notice/2026/2027-internet-use-survey-information-collection</a>.
The bureau also welcomes comments on any of the following
questions. Where possible, cite question numbers and propose specific,
tested language:
1. Is data from the NTIA Internet Use Survey important in 2027?
Should the survey continue to be conducted?
2. Which NTIA Internet Use Survey questions should remain
unchanged in 2027 to preserve useful longitudinal time series?
3. How should the survey questions or language be updated for
technology use in 2027?
4. Which questions should be kept because they are used by
researchers, policymakers, and/or industry? Please explain how the
questions are used.
5. Which questions use outdated language or will not provide
useful data in 2027? Should these questions be removed? If not, how
should they be changed?
6. Internet connectivity and applications have changed
substantially since the survey instrument was substantively
rewritten a decade ago. For example, the role of the internet in
Americans' lives is often unnoticed, from smart appliances to
single-player video games that require online connections. How (if
at all) should questions on the NTIA Internet Use Survey be edited,
removed, or added to address the evolution of these technologies and
the words we use to describe them?
7. Commenters often suggest adding questions, but space for
questions is limited. If your comment proposed additional questions,
are there other questions that should be removed to make space? Or
would some questions be better asked in a different venue?
8. Are some questions (or potential questions) particularly
important for policymakers or industry? Please explain. For example,
as a supplement to the CPS, the nation's primary source of labor
statistics, the survey might provide key insights on internet use
and the workforce.
9. What questions (or potential questions) are of particular
importance for enabling high-quality evaluation of NTIA's broadband
grant programs and other federal broadband programs? Are there
particular gaps in existing program evaluation data that could be
filled by adding certain questions to the NTIA Internet Use Survey?
10. In what ways can survey language be customized to support
cross-country comparison?
11. Is there a need for more data around children's use of the
internet and digital devices? Are there particular areas that need
more data, such as screen use in schools or parental perceptions of
children's tech use? Is the NTIA Internet Use Survey, a CPS
[[Page 57322]]
supplement, the most appropriate place for this, or should that data
be gathered in other ways?
12. Is there a need for more data around artificial intelligence
(AI)? Are there particular areas that need more data, such as AI use
at work or home, or attitudes towards AI? Is the NTIA Internet Use
Survey, a CPS supplement, the most appropriate place for this, or
should that data be gathered in other ways?
II. Method of Collection
The NTIA internet Use Survey will be administered by the U.S.
Census Bureau as a supplement to the CPS. Data will be collected
through personal visits and live telephone interviews using computer-
assisted telephone interviewing and computer-assisted personal
interviewing.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0660-0021.
Form Number(s): None.
Affected Public: Individuals and households.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 50,000 households.
Estimated Time per Response: 10 minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 8,334 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: 47 U.S.C. 902(b)(2)(M), (P).
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden
on those who are to respond, including via the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in
your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment, including
any personal identifying information that you include--may be made
publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to
withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Compliance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2026-18303 Filed 9-8-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-60-P
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