[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 4, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20367-20368]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-8103]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Computer and 
Internet Use Supplement to the Census Bureau's Current Population 
Survey

AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on 
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Submit comments on or before June 4, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, (202) 482-0336, Department of Commerce, 
Room 6612, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 
20230 (or via the Internet at [email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the proposed information collection instrument and 
instructions should be directed to Rafi Goldberg, Telecommunications 
Policy Analyst, Office of Policy Analysis and Development, NTIA, at 
(202) 482-1880 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    The National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA) proposes to add 12 questions to the U.S. Census Bureau's October 
2012 Current Population Survey (CPS) in order to gather reliable data 
on broadband (also known as high-speed Internet) use by U.S. 
households. President Obama has established a national goal of 
universal, affordable broadband access for all Americans.\1\ To that 
end, the Administration is working with Congress, the Federal 
Communications Commission (FCC), and other stakeholders to develop and 
advance economic and regulatory policies that foster broadband 
deployment and adoption. Collecting current, systematic, and 
comprehensive information on broadband use and non-use by U.S. 
households is critical to allow policymakers not only to gauge progress 
made to date, but also to identify problem areas with a specificity 
that permits carefully targeted and cost-effective responses.
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    \1\ See http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/20091217-recovery-act-investments-broadband.pdf (last viewed January 30, 
2012).
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    The Census Bureau (``the Bureau'') is widely regarded as a superior 
collector of data based on its centuries of experience and its 
scientific methods. Collection of NTIA's requested broadband usage 
data, moreover, will occur in conjunction with the Bureau's scheduled 
October 2012 Current Population Survey (CPS), thereby significantly 
reducing the potential burdens on the Bureau and on surveyed 
households. Questions on broadband and Internet use have been included 
in ten previous CPS surveys.
    The U.S. government has an increasingly pressing need for 
comprehensive broadband data. The General Accountability Office (GAO), 
NTIA, and the FCC have issued reports noting the lack of useful 
broadband adoption data for policymakers, and Congress passed 
legislation--the Broadband Data Improvement Act in 2008 and the 
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009--wholly or partly in 
response to such criticisms. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation 
and Development (OECD) looks to Census Bureau data as an important 
input into their inter-country benchmark analyses. Modifying the 
October CPS to include NTIA's requested broadband data will allow the 
Commerce Department and NTIA to respond to congressional concerns and 
directives, and to work with the OECD on its broadband methodologies 
with more recent data. The change to this reinstatement will be a 
revised set of computer and Internet usage survey questions.

II. Method of Collection

    Personal visits and telephone interviews, using computer-assisted 
telephone interviewing and computer-assisted personal interviewing.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0660-0021.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission (Reinstatement with change of a 
previously approved collection).
    Affected Public: Individuals and households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 54,000.
    Estimated Time per Response: 3 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 2,700.

[[Page 20368]]

    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will be a matter of public record.

    Dated: March 30, 2012.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2012-8103 Filed 4-3-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-06-P