2020-15665. 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 September 18, 2020. 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: 3060-1202.

Title: Improving 9-1-1 Reliability; Reliability and Continuity of Communications Networks, Including Broadband Technologies.

Form Number: Not Applicable (annual on-line certification).

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit; not-for-profit institutions.

Number of Respondents and Responses: 200 respondents; 200 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: 834 hours (average). Varies by respondent.

Total Annual Burden: 166,350 hours.

Frequency of Response: Annual reporting requirement and recordkeeping requirement.

Obligation To Respond: Mandatory. The statutory authority for this collection of information is contained in sections 1, 4(i), 4(j), 4(o), 201(b), 214(d), 218, 251(e)(3), 301, 303(b), 303(g), 303(r), 307, 309(a), 316, 332, 403, 615a-1, and 615c of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 151, 154(i)-(j) & (o), 201(b), 214(d), 218, 251(e)(3),301, 303(b), 303(g), 303(r), 307, 309(a), 316, 332, 403, 615a-1, and 615c.

Total Annual Cost: No Cost.

Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).

Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: The Commission does not consider the fact of filing a certification to be confidential or the responses provided on the face of the certification. The Commission will treat as presumptively confidential and exempt from routine public disclosure under the federal Freedom of Information Act: (1) Descriptions and documentation of alternative measures to mitigate the risks of nonconformance with certification standards; (2) information detailing specific corrective actions taken; and (3) supplemental information requested by the Commission or Bureau with respect to a certification.

Needs and Uses: This is a renewal of an information collection necessary to ensure that all Americans have access to reliable and resilient 911 communications, particularly in times of emergency, by requiring certain 911 service providers to certify implementation of key best practices or reasonable alternative measures. The information will be collected in the form of an electronically-filed, annual certification from each covered 911 service provider, as defined in the Commission's 2013 Report and Order, in which the provider will indicate whether it has implemented certain industry-backed best practices. Providers that are able to respond in the affirmative to all elements of the certification will be deemed to satisfy the “reasonable measures” requirement in Section 9.19(b) of the Commission's rules. If a provider does not certify in the affirmative with respect to one or more elements of the certification, it must provide a brief explanation of what alternative measures it has taken, in light of the provider's particular facts and circumstances, to ensure reliable 911 service with respect to that element(s). Similarly, a service provider may also respond by demonstrating that a particular certification element is not applicable to its networks and must include a brief explanation of why the element(s) does not apply.

The information will be collected by the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, FCC, for review and analysis, to verify that covered 911 service providers are taking reasonable measures to maintain reliable 911 service. In certain cases, based on the information included in the certifications and subsequent coordination with the provider, the Commission may require remedial action to correct vulnerabilities in a service provider's 911 network if it determines that (a) the service provider has not, in fact, adhered to the best practices incorporated in the FCC's rules, or (b) in the case of providers employing alternative measures, that those measures were not reasonably sufficient to mitigate the associated risks of failure in these key areas. The Commission delegated authority to the Bureau to review certification information and follow up with service providers as appropriate to address deficiencies revealed by the certification process.

The purpose of the collection of this information is to verify that covered 911 service providers are taking reasonable measures such that their networks comply with accepted best practices, and that, in the event they are not able to certify adherence to specific best practices, that they are taking reasonable alternative measures. The Commission adopted these rules in light of widespread 911 outages during the June 2012 derecho storm in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states, which revealed that multiple service providers did not take adequate precautions to maintain reliable service.

Federal Communications Commission.

Marlene Dortch,

Secretary, Office of the Secretary.