2023-11726. 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), Department of Commerce.

ACTION:

Notice of information collection, request for comment.

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 to help 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 August 1, 2023.

ADDRESSES:

Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to Rafi Goldberg, Senior Policy Advisor, Digital Equity, NTIA, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Suite 4725, Washington, DC 20230, or via email at [e-mail]. 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 Rafi Goldberg, Senior Policy Advisor, Digital Equity, NTIA, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Suite 4725, Washington, DC 20230, at (202) 482–4375 or [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

NTIA seeks approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) to add 65 questions to the November 2023 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 sixteen such surveys since 1994.

President Biden has made clear the Administration's goal to ensure that “every community in America has access to affordable, high-speed internet.” ^[1] 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; data from the NTIA Internet Use Survey will inform policies aimed at achieving digital equity so that the internet's benefits are accessible to all Americans. The research and policy analysis enabled by this data collection are particularly important in light of the historic investments being made through the Biden-Harris Administration's internet for All programs, and following a pandemic that has further highlighted the importance of the internet in daily life.

NTIA is working with Congress, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), other federal agencies, state and local governments, industry, and nonprofits to develop and promote policies that foster ubiquitous broadband deployment, adoption, and effective use. These policies help to ensure that families and businesses can obtain competitively priced high-speed internet service, and that everyone is able to gain the skills necessary to use the technology. Collecting current, systematic, and comprehensive information on internet use and non-use by U.S. households is critical to enabling policymakers to gauge progress made to date and identify specific areas and demographic groups in which adoption is a concern with a specificity that permits carefully targeted and cost-effective responses.

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 pressing 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 most recently, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—wholly or in part to facilitate data collection, research, and policy analysis in this area. 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. It will also enable NTIA to continue using timely data in the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program, which employs a funding formula that by law must be based in part on estimates from the NTIA Internet Use Survey.^[2]

NTIA has made a copy of the proposed information collection instrument available at https://www.ntia.gov/​federal-register-notice/​2023/​2023-internet-use-survey-information-collection.

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.

Type of Review: Regular submission; Revision of a current information collection.

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.

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 NTIA to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is necessary for the proper functioning 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,

Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.

Footnotes

1.  “Remarks by President Biden in State of the Union Address, February 7, 2023,” available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/​briefing-room/​speeches-remarks/​2023/​02/​07/​remarks-by-president-biden-in-state-of-the-union-address-2/​.

2.  47 U.S.C. 1723(d)(3)(A)(i).