2021-07042. Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission

AGENCY:

Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collections. Comments are requested concerning: 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; the accuracy of the Commission's burden estimate; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; 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; and ways to further reduce the information collection burden on small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees. The FCC 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 PRA comments should be submitted on or before June 7, 2021. If you anticipate that you will be submitting comments, but find it difficult to do so within the period of time allowed by this notice, you should advise the contact listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES:

Direct all PRA comments to Nicole Ongele, FCC, via email [e-mail] and to [e-mail].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For additional information about the information collection, contact Nicole Ongele, [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OMB Control Number: 3060-0636.

Title: Sections 2.906, 2.909, 2.1071, 2.1074, 2.1077 and 15.37, Equipment Authorizations—Supplier's Declaration of Conformity (SDoC).

Form No.: Not applicable.

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.

Number of Respondents and Responses: 8,338 respondents; 16,675 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: 1-18 hours (average).

Frequency of Response: One-time reporting requirement, recordkeeping requirement 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(a), 301, 303(f), 303(g), 303(r), 307(e), 332, 622 and 0.31(i), and 0.31(j).

Total Annual Burden: 158,422 hours.

Total Annual Cost: $33,352,000.

Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).

Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: No assurances of confidentiality are provided to respondents.

Needs and Uses: The Commission will submit this revised information collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) after this 60-day comment period in order to obtain the full three-year clearance from them.

In 2017, the Supplier's Declaration of Conformity (SDOC) procedure were revised in a Report and Order, FCC 17-93, Amendment of Parts 0, 1, 2, 15 and 18 of the Commission's Rules regarding Authorization of Radiofrequency Equipment. Revisions to the information collection included amendments to rule sections 2.906, 2.909, 2.1071, added 2.1074, removed 2.1075 and 15.37 as reported herein.

§ 2.906 Supplier's Declaration of Conformity

(a) Supplier's Declaration of Conformity (SDoC) is a procedure where the responsible party, as defined in § 2.909, makes measurements or completes other procedures found acceptable to the Commission to ensure that the equipment complies with the appropriate technical standards. Submittal to the Commission of a sample unit or representative data demonstrating compliance is not required unless specifically requested pursuant to § 2.945.

(b) Supplier's Declaration of Conformity is applicable to all items subsequently marketed by the manufacturer, importer, or the responsible party that are identical, as defined in § 2.908, to the sample tested and found acceptable by the manufacturer.

(c) The responsible party may, if it desires, apply for Certification of a device subject to the Supplier's Declaration of Conformity. In such cases, all rules governing certification will apply to that device.

§ 2.909 Responsible Party

(a) In the case of equipment that requires the issuance of a grant of certification, the party to whom that grant of certification is issued is responsible for the compliance of the equipment with the applicable standards. If the radio frequency equipment is modified by any party other than the grantee and that party is not working under the authorization of the grantee pursuant to § 2.929(b), the party performing the modification is responsible for compliance of the product with the applicable administrative and technical provisions in this chapter.

(b) For equipment subject to Supplier's Declaration of Conformity the party responsible for the compliance of the equipment with the applicable standards, who must be located in the United States (see § 2.1077), is set forth as follows:

(1) The manufacturer or, if the equipment is assembled from individual component parts and the resulting system is subject to authorization under Supplier's Declaration of Conformity, the assembler.

(2) If the equipment by itself, or, a system is assembled from individual parts and the resulting system is subject to Supplier's Declaration of Conformity and that equipment or system is imported, the importer.

(3) Retailers or original equipment manufacturers may enter into an agreement with the responsible party designated in paragraph (b)(1) or (b)(2) of this section to assume the responsibilities to ensure compliance of equipment and become the new responsible party.

(4) If the radio frequency equipment is modified by any party not working under the authority of the responsible party, the party performing the modifications, if located within the U.S., or the importer, if the equipment is imported subsequent to the modifications, becomes the new responsible party.

(c) If the end product or equipment is subject to both certification and Supplier's Declaration of Conformity (i.e., composite system), all the requirements of paragraphs (a) and (b) apply.

(d) If, because of modifications performed subsequent to authorization, a new party becomes responsible for ensuring that a product complies with the technical standards and the new party does not obtain a new equipment authorization, the equipment shall be labeled, following the specifications in § 2.925(d), with the following: “This product has been modified by [insert name, address and telephone number or internet contact information of the party performing the modifications].”

(e) In the case of transfer of control of equipment, as in the case of sale or merger of the responsible party, the new entity shall bear the responsibility of continued compliance of the equipment.

§ 2.1071 Cross Reference

The general provisions of this subpart shall apply to equipment subject to Supplier's Declaration of Conformity.

§ 2.1074 Identification

(a) Devices subject only to Supplier's Declaration of Conformity shall be uniquely identified by the party responsible for marketing or importing the equipment within the United States. However, the identification shall not be of a format which could be confused with the FCC Identifier required on certified equipment. The responsible party shall maintain adequate identification records to facilitate positive identification for each device.

(b) Devices subject to authorization under Supplier's Declaration of Conformity may be labeled with the following logo on a voluntary basis as a visual indication that the product complies with the applicable FCC requirements. The use of the logo on the device does not alleviate the requirement to provide the compliance information required by § 2.1077 of this subpart.

§ 2.1077 Compliance Information

(a) If a product must be tested and authorized under Supplier's Declaration of Conformity, a compliance information statement shall be supplied with the product at the time of marketing or importation, containing the following information:

(1) Identification of the product, e.g., name and model number;

(2) A compliance statement as applicable, e.g., for devices subject to part 15 of this chapter as specified in § 15.19(a)(3), that the product complies with the rules; and

(3) The identification, by name, address and telephone number or internet contact information, of the responsible party, as defined in § 2.909. The responsible party for Supplier's Declaration of Conformity must be located within the United States.

(b) If a product is assembled from modular components (e.g., enclosures, power supplies and CPU boards) that, by themselves, are authorized under a Supplier's Declaration of Conformity and/or a grant of certification, and the assembled product is also subject to authorization under Supplier's Declaration of Conformity but, in accordance with the applicable regulations, does not require additional testing, the product shall be supplied, at the time of marketing or importation, with a compliance information statement containing the following information:

(1) Identification of the assembled product, e.g., name and model number.

(2) Identification of the modular components used in the assembly. A modular component authorized under Supplier's Declaration of Conformity shall be identified as specified in paragraph (a)(1) of this section. A modular component authorized under a grant of certification shall be identified by name and model number (if applicable) along with the FCC Identifier number.

(3) A statement that the product complies with part 15 of this chapter.

(4) The identification, by name, address and telephone number or internet contact information, of the responsible party who assembled the product from modular components, as defined in § 2.909. The responsible party for Supplier's Declaration of Conformity must be located within the United States.

(5) Copies of the compliance information statements for each modular component used in the system that is authorized under Supplier's Declaration of Conformity.

(c) The compliance information statement shall be included in the user's manual or as a separate sheet. In cases where the manual is provided only in a form other than paper, such as on a computer disk or over the internet, the information required by this section may be included in the manual in that alternative form, provided the user can reasonably be expected to have the capability to access information in that form. The information may be provided electronically as permitted in § 2.935.

§ 15.37 Transition Provisions for Compliance With the Rules

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(c) All radio frequency devices that are authorized on or after July 12, 2004 under the certification, or Supplier's Declaration of Conformity procedures (or the prior verification or declaration of conformity procedures, as applicable) shall comply with the conducted limits specified in § 15.107 or § 15.207 as appropriate. All radio frequency devices that are manufactured or imported on or after July 11, 2005 shall comply with the conducted limits specified in § 15.107 or § 15.207, as appropriate. Equipment authorized, imported or manufactured prior to these dates shall comply with the conducted limits specified in § 15.107 or § 15.207, as appropriate, or with the conducted limits that were in effect immediately prior to September 9, 2002.

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Federal Communications Commission.

Marlene Dortch,

Secretary, Office of the Secretary.