[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 162 (Tuesday, August 21, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43950-43951]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-21087]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Notice of Intent to Request Review and Approval From the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) of a Proposed Public Collection of 
Information

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.), this notice announces that the FAA is planning to submit a 
proposed information collection request to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review and approval. Through this notice, the FAA is 
soliciting comment on the proposed initial information request for 
application and subsequent reports (i.e. semi-annual facility 
performance statistics, archived data and user

[[Page 43951]]

complaint corrective actions) associated with meeting the criteria of a 
Qualified Internet Communication Provider (QICP) for the transmission 
of aviation weather, Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), and aeronautical data 
via the Internet.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before October 22, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed or delivered to the FAA at the 
following address: Mr. Steven Albersheim, Federal Aviation 
Administration, Aerospace Weather Policy Division, ARS-100, 800 
Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20591.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Judy Street, Federal Aviation 
Administration, Standards and Information Division (APF-100), 800 
Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20591, or on (202) 267-9895.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Criteria for Internet Communications 
of Aviation Weather, NOTAM, and Aeronautical Data.
    Abstract: Aviation weather information is available on the Internet 
from a variety of government and vendor sources with minimal quality 
control. Users of the National Airspace System (NAS), dispatchers, 
pilots, and air traffic controllers/specialists have expressed interest 
in the ability to utilize the Internet to retrieve aviation weather 
text and graphic products for operational decision-making. The FAA is 
in the process of establishing criteria in an Advisory Circular (AC) 
for QICPs, who disseminate aviation weather, NOTAM, and aeronautical 
data via the Internet, for the purpose of ensuring the reliability, 
accessibility and security of the data and encouraging the 
identification of the approval status of products. A proposed AC will 
provide information on QICP criteria and recommended practices as well 
as the procedures for a provider to become a QICP. The FAA Aerospace 
Weather Standards Division (ARS-200) will maintain a current list of 
all QICPs on a designated Web page accessible by the general public.
    A person or organization, at their option, may be designated as a 
QICP by meeting the criteria as listed in the AC. The criteria address 
such attributes as reliability, accessibility, and security and 
encourage the QICP to provide FAA with semi-annual reports of 
performance statistics. In addition, the FAA is recommending that QICPs 
should maintain a retrievable archive of Web server log files as well 
as data received and provided in each user transaction for a period of 
no less than 15 days. The purpose is to be able to retrieve information 
provided by/to a user in the event of an aircraft incident or accident. 
The QICP should make this data available in the form of a readable 
certified true copy upon request of the FAA, the National 
Transportation Safety Board or a Federal, state or local law 
enforcement agency.
    To help the public know who is a QICP, the FAA plans to maintain a 
list of applicants who meet the criteria in the AC. Users of the NAS 
are encouraged to utilize services of qualified providers who are on 
the FAA list to ensure that they are accessing secure data. Further, 
the FAA plans to propose in a soon to be issued draft policy statement, 
that persons who conduct operations under Title 14 of the code of 
Federal Regulations parts 121 and 135 will not be permitted to use 
Internet communications for aeronautical decision making unless they 
obtain authorization from the Administrator, in their operations 
specifications. Such authorization will enable use of a QICP for 
Internet transmission of aeronautical data, NOTAM, and aviation weather 
information that will be used to determine whether to issue a dispatch 
or flight release for the operation of flights under those regulations.
    For record keeping purposes, QICP applicants are requested to 
provide the following:
    (1) Submit a letter of application to ARS-200 with the following 
attachments:

(a) Service Description
(b) Security Plan
(c) Capability Demonstration Plan
(d) Ongoing Maintenance Plan
    (2) Satisfactorily complete the Capability Demonstration.
    Semi-annually, QICPs should demonstrate ongoing maintenance by 
collecting facility performance statistics and providing them to the 
Aerospace Weather Standards Division (ARS-200). Additionally, QICPs 
should acknowledge and address user complaints within 14 days of 
receipt, and forward user complaints to the staff within 30 days of 
receipt with an explanation of actions taken.
    Description and number of proposed respondents: It is anticipated 
that a limited number of applicants will elect to submit the requested 
information to become a QICP. It is estimated that the number of 
applicants will be 10.
    Burden hours: It is estimated that each QICP applicant will require 
568 hours for the initial application and 274 hours for each subsequent 
year. In total it is estimated that it will take 5,680 hours for the 
first year and 2,740 hours each subsequent year for renewal of their 
status of being a QICP.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to response to a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number. Therefore, the FAA is soliciting 
comments to: (i) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (ii) evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (iii) enhance the 
quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and 
(iv) minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who 
are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated 
electronic, mechanical or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on August 14, 2001.
Steve Hopkins,
Manager, Standards and Information Division, APF-100.
[FR Doc. 01-21087 Filed 8-20-01; 8:45 am]
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