[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 14 (Monday, January 23, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3266-3267]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-1164]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


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 burden 
and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3501-3520), the Federal Communications Commission invites the general 
public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment 
on the following information collection(s). 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 burden for 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 OMB control number. No person 
shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection 
of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) that does 
not display a valid OMB control number.

DATES: Written Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) comments should be 
submitted on or before March 23, 2012. If you anticipate that you will 
be submitting PRA comments, but find it difficult to do so within the 
period of time allowed by this notice, you should advise the FCC 
contact listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Submit your PRA comments to Judith B.Herman, Federal 
Communications Commission, via the Internet at [email protected]. 
To submit your PRA comments by email send them to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Judith B. Herman, Office of Managing 
Director, (202) 418-0214.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OMB Control Number: 3060-1147.
    Title: Wireless E911 Phase II Location Accuracy Requirements, Third 
Report and Order, FCC 11-107.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Individuals and households; business or other for-
profit entities; Not-for-profit institutions and State, Local, or 
Tribal Government.
    Number of Respondents: 4,898 respondents; 9,514 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 5.5867143 hours (average).
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement and third 
party disclosure requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Mandatory. Statutory authority for this 
information collection is contained in 47 U.S.C. Sections 151, 154 and 
332 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
    Total Annual Burden: 53,152 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: N/A.
    Privacy Impact Assessment: N/A.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission obtained OMB approval for this new 
collection in March 2011. The Commission is now seeking OMB approval 
for a revision to this information collection. The Commission adopted 
and released a Third Report and Order, FCC 11-107, PS Docket No. 07-
114, which provides that new Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS) 
providers, meeting the definition of covered CMRS providers in Section 
20.18 and deploying networks subsequent to the effective date of the 
Third Report and Order that are not an expansion or upgrade of an 
existing CMRS network, must meet the handset-based location accuracy 
standard from the start. Consequently, the rule requires new CMRS 
providers launching new stand-alone networks during the eight-year 
implementation period for handset-based CMRS wireless licensees to meet 
the applicable handset-based location accuracy standard in effect of 
the time of deployment. Therefore, new rule section 20.18(h)(2)(iv) 
specifies that new CMRS providers must comply with

[[Page 3267]]

paragraphs (h)(2)((i-iii) of Section 20.18, which are the location 
accuracy requirements for handset-based carriers. OMB approved the 
information collection for those rule paragraphs, which the Second 
Report and Order adopted, on March 30, 2011, under OMB Control No. 
3060-1147. The Commission announced OMB's approval and the effective 
date in 76 FR 23713 of the Federal Register.
    As a result, under the new rule section adopted by Third Report and 
Order, all new CMRS providers in delivering emergency calls for 
Enhanced 911 service, must satisfy the handset-based location accuracy 
standard at either a county-based or Public Safety Answering Point 
(PSAP)-based geographic level. Similarly, in accordance with the new 
rule and under the paragraph provision of Section 20.18(h)(2)(iii), new 
CMRS providers may exclude up to 15 percent of the counties or PSAP 
areas they serve due to heavy forestation that limits handset-based 
technology accuracy in those counties or areas. Therefore, new CMRS 
providers will be required to file a list of the specific counties or 
portions of counties where they are utilizing their respective 
exclusions. In its September 2010 Second Report and Order, 75 FR 70604, 
the Commission found that permitting this exclusion properly but 
narrowly accounts for the known technical limitations of handset-based 
location accuracy technologies, while ensuring that the public safety 
community and the public at large are sufficiently informed of these 
limitations.
    When they have begun deploying their new networks, the new CMRS 
providers must submit initial reports, as the Commission will announce 
after OMB approval of this revised information collection, with a list 
of the areas that they are permitted to exclude from the handset-based 
location accuracy requirements. Accordingly, the Commission will 
specify the procedures for electronic filing into PS Docket No. 07-114, 
consistent with the current OMB approved information collection for 
handset-based carriers, and new CMRS providers must send copies of the 
exclusion reports to the National Emergency Number Association, the 
Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International, 
and the National Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators.
    Further, the rules adopted by the Commission's September 2010 
Second Report and Order, 75 FR 70604, also require that, two years 
after January 18, 2011, wireless carriers provide confidence and 
uncertainty data on a per call basis to PSAPs. Because the new rule 
adopted by the Third Report and Order considers new CMRS providers as 
providers covered under the definition of CMR providers pursuant to 
section 20.18 of the Commission's rules, new CMRS providers will also 
be subject to the information collection requirement to provide this 
confidence and uncertainty data.
    Additionally, in view of the amended location accuracy requirements 
and the timeframes and benchmarks for handset-based wireless carriers 
to comply with them, in its September 2010 Second Report and Order, 75 
FR 70604, the Commission recognized that the waiver process is suitable 
to address individual or unique problems, where the Commission can 
analyze the particular circumstances and the potential impact to public 
safety. Thus, similarly, the supporting statement for this information 
collection revision recognizes that new CMRS providers might file 
waiver requests and, therefore, be subject to a collection and 
reporting requirement.
    The Third Report and Order found that requiring all new CMRS 
network providers to comply with the Commission's handset-based 
location accuracy standard is consistent with the regulatory principle 
of ensuring technological neutrality. Providers deploying new CMRS 
networks are free to use network-based location techniques, or to 
combine network and handset-based techniques, to provide 911 location 
information, provided that they meet the accuracy criteria applicable 
to handset-based providers. Given the long-term goal of universal 
support for one location accuracy standard, the Commission believed 
that such a mandate allows appropriate planning and ensures that new 
technology will comply with the most stringent location accuracy 
standard that applies to existing technology.
    Section 47 CFR 20.18(h)(2)(iv) requires that providers of new CMRS 
networks that meet the definition of covered CMRS providers under 
paragraph (a) of this section must comply with the requirements of 
paragraphs (h)(2)(i) (iii) of this section. For this purpose, a ``new 
CMRS network'' is a CMRS network that is newly deployed subsequent to 
the effective date of the Third Report and Order in PS Docket No. 07-
114 and that is not an expansion or upgrade of an existing CMRS 
network.
    The information provided by wireless carriers deploying new CMRS 
networks to report the counties or PSAP service areas where the 
carriers cannot provide E911 location accuracy at either the county or 
the PSAP level will furnish the Commission, affected PSAPs, state and 
local emergency agencies, public safety organizations and other 
interested stakeholders the supplementary data necessary for public 
safety awareness of those areas where it is most difficult to measure 
location accuracy during the benchmark periods for handset-based 
wireless carriers.
    The provision of confidence and uncertainty data to PSAPs by the 
new CMRS providers and the SSPs responsible for transporting that data 
between them and PSAPs will enhance the PSAPs' ability to efficiently 
direct first responders to the correct location of emergencies to 
achieve the emergency response goals of the nation in responding 
expeditiously to emergency crisis situations and in ensuring homeland 
security.

Federal Communications Commission.
Bulah P. Wheeler,
Deputy Manager, Office of the Secretary, Office of Managing Director.
[FR Doc. 2012-1164 Filed 1-20-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P