2015-07189. Information Collection Being Submitted for Review and Approval to the 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, and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), 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. 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 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 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number.

DATES:

Written PRA comments should be submitted on or before April 29, 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 contact listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your PRA comments to Nicholas A. Fraser, Office of Management and Budget, via fax at 202-395-5167 or via Internet at [e-mail] and to Benish Shah, Federal Communications Commission, via the Internet at [e-mail]. To submit your PRA comments by email send them to: [e-mail].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Benish Shah, Office of Managing Director, [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OMB Control Number: 3060-0207.

Title: Part 11—Emergency Alert System (EAS).

Form Number: Not applicable.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Businesses or other for-profit; not-for-profit institutions; and state, local or tribal governments.

Number of Respondents and Responses: 3,569,028 respondents; 3,569,028 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: .0229776 hours.

Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement and recordkeeping requirement.

Obligation to Respond: Voluntary response for business or other for-profit and not-for-respondents. Mandatory response for state, local or tribal governments. Statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 47 U.S.C. sections 154(i) and 606 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.

Total Annual Burden: 82,008 hours.

Total Annual Cost: N/A.

Privacy Act Impact Assessment: N/A.

Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: There is no need for confidentiality.

Needs and Uses: The Commission seeking an extension of this information collection in order to obtain the full three year approval from OMB. There are no changes in any of the reporting and/or recordkeeping requirements. There is no change to the Commission's previous burden estimated.

The Commission established a voluntary electronic method of complying with the reporting that EAS participants must complete as part of the national EAS test. This electronic submission system will impose a lesser burden on EAS test participants because they can input electronically (via a Web-based interface) the same information into a confidential database that the Commission would use to monitor and assess the test. Test participants would submit the identifying data prior to the test date. On the day of the test, EAS participants would be able to input immediate test results. They would input the remaining data called for by our reporting rules within the 45-day period. Structuring an electronic reporting system in this fashion will allow the participants to populate the database with known information prior to the test, and thus be able to provide the Commission with actual test data, both close to real-time and within a reasonable period in a minimally burdensome fashion.

Federal Communications Commission.

Marlene H. Dortch,

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