2020-11602. Information Collections Being Submitted for Review and Approval to Office of Management and Budget

AGENCY:

Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

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 June 29, 2020.

ADDRESSES:

Comments should be sent to www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain. 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 www.reginfo.gov per the above instructions for it to be considered. In addition to submitting in www.reginfo.gov also send a copy of your comment on the proposed information collection to Nicole Ongele, FCC, via email to [e-mail] and to [e-mail]. 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 [phone]. To view a copy of this information collection request (ICR) submitted to OMB: (1) Go to the web page http://www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain,, (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: 3060-0589.

Title: FCC Remittance Advice Forms, FCC Form 159/159-C, 159-B, 159-E, and 159-W.

Form Number(s): FCC Form 159 Remittance Advice, 159-C Remittance Advice Continuation Sheet, 159-B Remittance Advice Bill for Collection, 159-E Remittance Voucher, and 159-W Interstate Telephone Service Provider Worksheet.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Businesses or other for-profit entities; Individuals or households; Not-for-profit institutions; and State, Local, or Tribal Governments.

Number of Respondent and Responses: 102,405 respondents; 102,405 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: 15 minutes (0.25 hours).

Frequency of Response: On occasion and annual reporting requirements; third party disclosure requirement.

Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. Statutory Authority for this information collection is contained in the Communications Act of 1934, as amended; Section 8 (47 U.S.C. 158) for Application Fees; Section 9 (47 U.S.C. 159) for Regulatory Fees; Section 309(j) for Auction Fees; and the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, Public Law 104-134, Chapter 10, Section 31001.

Total Annual Burden: 25,601 hours.

Total Annual Cost: None.

Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: There is no need for confidentiality, except for personally identifiable information (PII) that individuals may submit on one or more of these forms. FCC Form 159 series instructions include a Privacy Act Statement. Furthermore, while the Commission is not requesting that the respondents submit confidential information to the FCC, respondents may request confidential treatment for information they believe to be confidential under 47 CFR Section 0.459 of the Commission's rules. The Commission has a system of records notice (SORN), FCC/OMD-25, Financial Operations Information System (FOIS), to cover any PII that individuals may submit. The SORN is posted on the FCC Privacy web page at: https://www.fcc.gov/​general/​privacy-act-information#systems. Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA): A PIA is being drafted and posted on the FCC Privacy web page at: https://www.fcc.gov/​general/​privacy-act-information#systems.

Needs and Uses: The FCC supports a series of remittance advice forms and a remittance voucher form that may be submitted in lieu of a remittance advice form when entities or individuals electronically submit a payment. A remittance advice form (or a remittance voucher form in lieu of an advice form) must accompany any payment to the Federal Communications Commission (e.g. payments for regulatory fees, application filing fees, auctions, fines, forfeitures, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) billings, or any other debt due to the FCC. Information is collected on these forms to ensure credit for full payment, to ensure entities and individuals receive any refunds due, to service public inquiries, and to comply with the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996. On August 12, 2013, the Commission released a Report and Order (R&O), In the Matter Assessment and Collection of Regulatory Fee for Fiscal Year 2013 and Procedures for Assessment and Collection of Regulatory Fees, MD Docket Nos. 13-140 and 12-201, FCC 13-110. In this R&O, the Commission requires that beginning in FY 2014, all regulatory fee payments be made electronically and that the Commission will no longer mail out initial regulatory fee assessments to CMRS providers.

OMB Control Number: 3060-1149.

Title: Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery.

Form Number: N/A.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Individuals or households, Business or other for-profit, Not-for-profit institutions, and State, Local, or Tribal government.

Number of Respondents and Responses: 259,600 respondents and 259,600 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: .166 hours (10 minutes).

Frequency of Response: One-time reporting requirement.

Obligation to Respond: Voluntary.

Total Annual Burden: 43,267 hours.

Total Annual Cost: No Cost.

Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Responses to feedback instruments will be confidential.

Privacy Act Impact Assessment: There is no Privacy Act impact as personally identifiable information(PII) will not be collected.

Needs and Uses: The information collection activity will garner qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, timely manner, in accordance with the Administration's commitment to improving service delivery. By qualitative feedback we mean information that provides useful insights on perceptions and opinions, but are not statistical surveys that yield quantitative results that can be generalized to the population of study. This feedback will provide insights into customer or stakeholder perceptions, experiences and expectations, provide an early warning of issues with service, or focus attention on areas where communication, training or change in operations might improve delivery of products or services. These collections will allow for ongoing, collaborative and actionable communications between the Agency and its customers and stakeholders. It will also allow feedback to contribute directly to the improvement of program management. Feedback collected under this generic clearance will provide useful information, but it will not yield data that can be generalized to the overall population. This type of generic clearance for qualitative information will not be used for quantitative information collections that are designed to yield reliably actionable results, such as monitoring trends over time or documenting program performance. Such data uses require more rigorous designs that address: The target population to which generalizations will be made, the sampling frame, the sample design (including stratification and clustering), the precision requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods of assessing potential nonresponse bias, the protocols for data collection, and any testing procedures that were or will be undertaken prior fielding the study. Depending on the degree of influence the results are likely to have, such collections may still be eligible for submission for other generic mechanisms that are designed to yield quantitative results.

OMB Control Number: 3060-1270.

Title: Protecting National Security Through FCC Programs.

Form Number: N/A.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit.

Number of Respondents and Responses: 2,257 respondents; 2,257 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: 3 hours.

Frequency of Response: One-time reporting requirement.

Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. Statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 47 U.S.C. 1.4(b)(1), 1.103(a), 151-154, 201(b), 229, 254, and 1004.

Total Annual Burden: 6,771 hours.

Total Annual Cost: No Cost.

Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).

Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: The Commission will consider the potential confidentiality of any information submitted, particularly where public release of such information could raise security concerns (e.g., granular location information). We expect, however, that the public interest in knowing whether a carrier uses or owns equipment or services from Huawei or ZTE would significantly outweigh any interest the carrier would have in keeping such information confidential. Respondents may request materials or information submitted to the Commission or to the Universal Service Administrative Company be withheld from public inspection under 47 CFR 0.459 of the Commission's rules.

Needs and Uses: The Commission will submit this information collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as an extension during this comment period to obtain the full three-year clearance from OMB. Under this information collection, the Commission proposes to collect information to determine the extent to which potentially prohibited equipment exists in current networks and the costs associated with removing such equipment and replacing it with equivalent equipment. The Communications Act of 1934, as amended, requires the “preservation and advancement of universal service.” 47 U.S.C. 254(b). The information collection requirements reported under this collection are the result of Commission actions to promote the Act's universal service goals. On November 22, 2019, the Commission adopted a Report and Order, Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, and Order, WC Docket No. 18-89, FCC 19-121 (Protecting Against National Security Threats to the Communications Supply Chain Through FCC Programs). The Report and Order prohibits future use of Universal Service Fund (USF) monies to purchase, maintain, improve, modify, obtain, or otherwise support any equipment or services produced or provided by a company that poses a national security threat to the integrity of communications networks or the communications supply chain. It also initially designated two entities—Huawei Technologies Company (Huawei) and ZTE Corporation (ZTE), along with their affiliates, subsidiaries, and parents—as covered companies posing such a national security threat. In the Further Notice, the Commission proposed to make the requirement to remove covered equipment and services from carriers' networks contingent on the availability of a funded reimbursement program, in an effort to mitigate the impact on affected entities. This information collection is designed to collect data from eligible telecommunication carriers (ETCs) and other carriers to determine the extent of which potentially prohibited equipment exists in current networks and the costs associated with removing such equipment and replacing it with equivalent equipment. The data will aid the Commission's review of the record and guide our next steps in this proceeding.

Federal Communications Commission.

Cecilia Sigmund,

Federal Register Liaison Officer.