Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for Conducting Research Into Company Alternative Reporting Options

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 208 (Thursday, October 29, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 208 (Thursday, October 29, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68105-68107]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-22117]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Generic Clearance for Conducting Research Into Company 
Alternative Reporting Options

    The Department of Commerce will submit the following information 
collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. We invite 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. Public comments were previously requested via the 
Federal Register on August 1st, 2025 (90 FR, pp. 36129-36131) during a 
60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for 
public comments.
    Agency: U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce.
    Title: Generic Clearance for Conducting Research Into Company 
Alternative Reporting Options.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-NEW.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular submission, New Information Collection 
Request.
    Number of Respondents: Phase 1: 125. Phase 2: 180. Phase 3: 500.
    Average Hours per Response: Phase 1: 1 hour 47 minutes. Phase 2: 1 
hour 30 minutes. Phase 3: 3 hours 0 minutes.
    Burden Hours: 1,993.
    Needs and Uses: Over recent years, the U.S. Census Bureau has faced 
the challenge of declining response rates across its business surveys. 
In response, the Census Bureau is actively seeking innovative 
approaches to ensure the continued collection of critical economic 
statistics. Such collection

[[Page 68106]]

approaches are intended to minimize burden on businesses for reporting 
to economic surveys and censuses, in alignment with the requirements of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The U.S. Census Bureau intends to 
use data collected through alternative approaches in a manner that 
would maximize utility of the data collected, enhance timeliness of 
statistical products and improve data consistency, while reducing 
operational costs and ensuring privacy and confidentiality. As 
technology continues to advance, the U.S. Census Bureau is evolving its 
data collection methods to better serve both respondents and the 
agency.
    The Census Bureau requests a new generic clearance to research 
alternative methods for companies to provide data for business 
survey(s) and to assess suitability and feasibility of reporting 
company survey data via alternative data sources, such as submitting 
non-standard files or automated reporting. In collaboration with the 
companies that will participate in this research, the Census Bureau 
hopes to develop and refine these alternative reporting methods, 
enhance data collection, and reduce reporting burden. These 
improvements aim to streamline data submission processes for companies, 
increase data accuracy, and enable the Census Bureau to produce more 
timely and relevant business statistics.
    The U.S. Census Bureau is taking a phased approach to investigate 
and implement new alternatives for collecting business data. One such 
measure involves exploring new methods for gathering data directly from 
businesses, aiming to make it easier for respondents to provide 
essential information while maintaining the integrity and quality of 
economic data. Phase 1 focused on determining whether respondents would 
be willing and able to respond to surveys by submitting non-standard 
data files directly. During the initial phase of this project, the U.S. 
Census Bureau has conducted initial discussions with 100-125 companies. 
The first several companies had existing relationships with the U.S. 
Census Bureau and were willing to collaborate on this project. 
Additional companies were selected by survey areas for possible 
onboarding (e.g., nonrespondents, large complex companies, companies 
sampled for multiple Census Bureau surveys). Of the 100-125 companies 
that had initial contact, between 50-70 provided test files for review, 
and approximately 15-30 companies provided sufficient data to be 
removed from the standard survey collection process for at least one 
survey and provided files that were used in lieu of traditional 
reporting.
    The process for onboarding companies consisted of an initial call 
or email to set up meetings with the companies to briefly explain the 
goal of the program. During the meeting, if they expressed interest in 
pursuing this option, they were asked to send test files that they can 
easily produce (e.g., Balance Sheets, Income Statements, Trial 
Balances, roster of business locations) through a secure email system. 
Those files were reviewed by accountants and subject matter experts, 
sometimes leading to requests by the Census Bureau for the company to 
provide additional data items. Once the company provided enough data to 
satisfy Census requirements, they were approved to report through this 
method. The company was provided with a Reporting Plan, detailing the 
files they agree to send, when they will send them, provided points of 
contact within the company, the surveys for which these data qualify as 
a response for, and which surveys they still need to complete through 
traditional methods. Once approved, files were uploaded through a 
Centurion portal. U.S. Census Bureau team members monitored the 
Centurion portal and the Reporting Plans to ensure proper compliance 
and followed up with any companies that did not upload their files by 
the agreed-upon date. The data files were then provided to the 
appropriate survey branches within the U.S. Census Bureau, and the data 
were entered into the individual survey databases. Each year the 
Reporting Plan will be reviewed, and the company will be contacted if 
files for subsequent survey years are not received.
    In Phase 2, starting in late 2026, the Census Bureau plans to 
conduct follow-up research to assess the quality of the submitted data, 
the reporting burden on companies, the ease of file creation, gauge 
interest in other alternatives such as submitting non-standard data 
files directly or other types of direct data submission, and the 
resources required on the part of the U.S. Census Bureau to process 
these data. This phase of research will focus on understanding the 
experiences of respondents in Phase 1, evaluating data availability, 
expansion to other surveys listed below, and exploring potential 
roadblocks to participation and understanding how to communicate these 
alternative options effectively to businesses. Concurrently, Census 
will use the provided data files to develop systems that: automate the 
extraction of data from the files, format the data to meet our needs, 
store the data in databases, and distribute the data to individual 
surveys.
    Phase 3, expected to start in 2027, will apply these research 
findings by offering additional companies the opportunity to utilize 
alternative data reporting strategies. This phase aims to facilitate 
unstructured file uploads via invitation processes like in Phase 1 and/
or secure reporting methods on our Centurion platform. If respondents 
who were contacted in Phase 1 and chose not to participate later 
express interest during Phases 2 or 3, they will be welcomed to 
participate. We will follow up with these companies and treat their 
onboarding and subsequent reporting activities in the same manner as 
other respondents in those phases.
    Additionally, if based on findings in Phase 2 respondents are 
amenable, we plan to initiate the development of automated data 
pipelines, allowing companies to transmit information seamlessly from 
their systems. This will be rolled out along with research exploring 
additional submission methods to further streamline the process and 
enhance flexibility for respondents. This multi-step research 
initiative is expected to progress over the next several years, with 
ongoing evaluation and adaptation as new insights emerge.
    Since the publication of the earlier notice, the scope of the 
collection effort has expanded beyond solely collecting data through 
direct transmission. The Census Bureau is exploring multiple 
alternative collection options, conducting research with respondents to 
assess the feasibility and effectiveness of these methods, and 
examining how each approach impacts respondent burden. As new 
technologies and practices emerge, the Bureau continues to identify and 
evaluate additional methods, ensuring the process evolves to meet both 
agency and respondent needs. This expansion via iterative research 
allows for greater flexibility and innovation in data collection 
strategies.
    The Census Bureau plans to share our insights regarding how we are 
implementing and using alternative options for company data collection 
with other federal statistical agencies, such as the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. By communicating our 
progress and research outcomes, we aim to provide valuable insights and 
foster greater understanding across agencies. Importantly, only 
information about our collection strategy, implementation, and lessons 
learned will be shared--actual respondent data or individual

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submissions will not be disclosed to other agencies.
    Our goal is to encourage ongoing dialogue and eventual 
collaboration on developing alternative response strategies that can 
benefit businesses and streamline data collection efforts throughout 
the federal statistical system. At the very least, the Census Bureau 
plans to share findings across agencies to assist in building similar 
processes.
    The collection of information is necessary to fulfill the statutory 
requirements and administrative objectives of the Census Bureau's 
economic survey programs, including the Annual Integrated Economic 
Survey (AIES), Economic Census, and related surveys. These collections 
are authorized under Title 13 United States Code, Sections 6, 131, 182, 
and 193, which mandate the collection and dissemination of economic 
statistics for the United States. The Census Bureau incorporates these 
legal authorities in the most recent OMB clearance requests for each 
survey utilizing company alternative data reporting.
    The PRA focuses on maximizing data benefit and utility of collected 
data. Offering options for businesses to report data via alternative 
methods may mean that respondents may submit extra data through these 
non-traditional reporting methods. To ensure compliance with the PRA, 
the Census Bureau will not explicitly request data items that are not 
required by the specific survey collections outlined in the relevant 
statutes and regulations. If respondents choose to provide additional 
data through these alternative collection methods because it is easier 
or more efficient for them, the Census Bureau will accept such 
submissions but only retain information required by authorized survey 
requirements. If additional data are provided, the Census Bureau will 
develop protocols filter and retain only the necessary information for 
statistical purposes.
    This approach allows the Census Bureau to minimize reporting 
burden, maximize the utility of collected data, and maintain strict 
adherence to legal and administrative mandates governing the collection 
of economic information.
    This clearance will be maintained separately as we continuously and 
iteratively research alternative ways of collecting data and 
modernizing data collection and will operate as a generic clearance. 
Future phases of research will be submitted to OMB for review under 
this generic clearance.
    Frequency: It is expected that participating companies will provide 
data as often as monthly and at least once annually. The frequency may 
be modified to accommodate program requirements and company 
preferences. This ongoing burden is considered negligible, but it will 
be documented and tracked as part of future clearance requests.
    Respondent's Obligation: Participation in this program is 
voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. 6, 131, 161, 182 and 193.
    This information collection request may be viewed at 
<a href="http://www.reginfo.gov">www.reginfo.gov</a>. Follow the instructions to view the Department of 
Commerce collections currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of 
this notice on the following website <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 and entering the title of the collection.

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Compliance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2026-22117 Filed 10-28-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P


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