2015-10977. Information Collection Being Submitted for Emergency Review and Approval to the Office of Management and Budget

AGENCY:

Federal Communication Commission.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection(s), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995. Comments are requested concerning: (a) Whether the proposed collection(s) 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 estimate; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection(s) of information on the respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and (e) ways to further reduce the information burden for 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 Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) that does not display a valid OMB Control Number.

DATES:

Written Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) comments should be submitted on or before June 8, 2015.

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 FCC contact listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES:

Direct all PRA comments to Nicholas A. Fraser, Office of Management and Budget, via fax at 202-395-5167 or via email at [e-mail]. Also, please submit your PRA comments to the FCC by email at [e-mail].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Nicole Ongele, Office of the Managing Director, FCC at [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Commission is requesting that OMB approve this revised information collection under the emergency processing provisions of the PRA, 5 CFR 1320.5, 1320.8(d), and 1320.13 by July 1, 2015.

OMB Control Number: 3060-0806.

Title: Universal Service—Schools and Libraries Universal Service Program, FCC Forms 470 and 471.

Form Number: FCC Forms 470 and 471.

Type of Review: Revision to a currently approved collection.

Respondents: State, local or tribal government public institutions, and other not-for-profit institutions.

Number of Respondents and Responses: 82,000 respondents; 82,000 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: 3.5 hours for FCC Form 470 (3 hours for response; 0.5 hours for recordkeeping); 4.5 hours for FCC Form 471 (4 hours for response; 0.5 hours for recordkeeping).

Frequency of Response: On occasion and 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, 201-205, 218-220, 254, 303(r), 403, and 405.

Total Annual Burden: 334,000 hours.

Total Annual Cost: N/A.

Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).

Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: There is no assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents concerning this information collection. However, respondents may request materials or information submitted to the Commission or to the Administrator be withheld from public inspection under 47 CFR 0.459 of the FCC's rules.

Needs and Uses: The Commission seeks to revise OMB 3060-0806 to conform this information collection to changes implemented in the Second E-Rate Modernization Order (WC Docket No. 13-184, FCC 14-189; 80 FR 5961, February 4, 2015). Collection of the information on FCC Forms 470 and 471 is necessary so that the Commission and the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) have sufficient information to determine if entities are eligible for funding pursuant to the schools and libraries support mechanism, to determine if entities are complying with the Commission's rules, and to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. In addition, the information is necessary for the Commission to evaluate the extent to which the E-rate program is meeting the statutory objectives specified in section 254(h) of the 1996 Act, and the Commission's own performance goals established in the E-rate Modernization Order and Second E-rate Modernization Order. This information collection, as described in more detail below, is being revised to modify FCC Form 470 pursuant to program and rule changes in the Second E-rate Modernization Order and to accommodate USAC's new online portal as well as the requirement that all FCC Forms 470 be electronically filed. The FCC Form 470, which is used to seek competitive bids on eligible services from service providers, must be available to applicants on July 1 (or very soon thereafter) to ensure schools and libraries can take full advantage of the Commission's reforms in funding year 2016. This revision does not propose changes to the FCC Form 471.

The supporting documents for this submission, including revised forms and instructions, may be accessed via this Web site by searching under “OMB 3060-0806”: http://www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRASearch.

Federal Communications Commission.

Marlene H. Dortch,

Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Office of the Managing Director.