[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 125 (Wednesday, June 29, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38175-38176]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-16313]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


Information Collections Being Submitted for Review and Approval 
to the Office of Management and Budget

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as part of its 
continuing effort to reduce paperwork

[[Page 38176]]

burdens, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take 
this opportunity to comment on the following information collection, as 
required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995. An agency 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 control number. Comments are 
requested concerning (a) 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; (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 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 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 comments should be submitted on or before July 29, 2011. 
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 contacts below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Direct all PRA comments to Nicholas A. Fraser, OMB, via fax 
202-395-5167, or via e-mail [email protected]; and to 
Cathy Williams, FCC, via e-mail [email protected] and to 
[email protected]. Include in the comments the OMB control number 
as shown in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or copies 
of the information collection, contact Cathy Williams at (202) 418-
2918. To view a copy of this information collection request (ICR) 
submitted to OMB: (1) Go to the web page http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain, (2) look for the section of the Web page called ``Currently 
Under Review,'' (3) click on the downward-pointing arrow in the 
``Select Agency'' box below the ``Currently Under Review'' heading, (4) 
select ``Federal Communications Commission'' from the list of agencies 
presented in the ``Select Agency'' box, (5) click the ``Submit'' button 
to the right of the ``Select Agency'' box, (6) when the list of FCC 
ICRs currently under review appears, look for the OMB control number of 
this ICR and then click on the ICR Reference Number. A copy of the FCC 
submission to OMB will be displayed.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Control Number: 3060-0819.
    Title: Lifeline and Link Up.
    Form Number: FCC Form 497.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for profit and not-for-profit 
institutions.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 251,400 respondents; 280,450 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 5 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion, monthly, and annual reporting 
requirements.
    Obligation To Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
    Total Annual Burden: 61,386 hours.
    Annual Cost Burden: N/A.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact.
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: The Commission is not 
requesting that the respondents submit confidential information to the 
FCC. Respondents may, however, request confidential treatment for 
information they believe to be confidential under 47 CFR 0.459 of the 
Commission's rules.
    Needs and Uses: This collection is being submitted as a revision to 
a currently approved collection. The Commission adopted a Report and 
Order, released June 21, 2011, Lifeline and Link Up Reform and 
Modernization, Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service, Lifeline 
and Link Up, WC Docket Nos. 11-42 and 03-109, CC Docket No. 96-45, 
Report and Order, FCC 11-97 (rel. June 21, 2011) (Lifeline Duplicates 
Payment Order), intended to take immediate action to address potential 
waste, fraud, and abuse in the universal service low income program.
    This order takes immediate action to address potential waste in the 
universal service Lifeline and Link Up program (Lifeline/Link Up or the 
program) by preventing duplicative program payments for multiple 
Lifeline-supported services to the same individual. To ensure prompt 
action to eliminate duplicative Lifeline support, we adopt a final rule 
clarifying that qualifying low-income consumers may receive no more 
than a single Lifeline benefit. We also require eligible 
telecommunications carriers (ETCs) upon notification from the Universal 
Service Administrative Company (USAC) to de-enroll subscribers that are 
receiving multiple benefits in violation of that rule. Further, we 
direct the Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau to send a letter to 
USAC to implement an administrative process to detect and resolve 
duplicate claims.
    On March 4, 2011, the Commission released a Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking to reform and modernize the Lifeline/Link Up program. In the 
2011 Lifeline and Link Up NPRM, the Commission underscored its 
commitment to eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in Lifeline/Link Up 
and presented a comprehensive set of proposals to better target support 
to needy consumers and maximize the number of Americans with access to 
modern communications services. In the NPRM, we explained that, while 
we are considering broader reforms to the program, it may be necessary 
for the Commission to take action to address immediately the harm done 
to the Universal Service Fund by duplicative claims for Lifeline 
support. Thus, the duplicate resolution process the Commission directs 
USAC to implement is an interim measure that will be in place while the 
Commission considers a more comprehensive resolution of this issue and 
other issues raised in the 2011 Lifeline and Link Up NPRM.
    The Commission plans to submit additional revisions to OMB 
collection 3060-0819 at a later date seeking approval to collect 
additional information as stated in the NPRM, pending the outcome of a 
PIA and SORN to further prevent waste, fraud and abuse of the Lifeline 
Link Up support mechanism.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2011-16313 Filed 6-28-11; 8:45 am]
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