[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 146 (Monday, July 30, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44614-44615]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-18422]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


Information Collection(s) Being Reviewed by the Federal 
Communications Commission

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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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: 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 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 September 28, 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: 3060-0999.

[[Page 44615]]

    Title: Hearing Aid Compatibility Status Report and Section 20.19, 
Hearing Aid-Compatible Mobile Handsets (Hearing Aid Compatibility Act).
    Form Number: FCC Form 655.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.
    Number of Respondents: 925 respondents; 925 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 13.041081 hours per response 
(average).
    Frequency of Response: On occasion and annual reporting 
requirements and third party disclosure requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 47 
U.S.C. Sections 151, 154(i), 157, 160, 201, 202, 214, 301, 303, 308, 
309(j), 310 and 610 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
    Total Annual Burden: 12,063 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: N/A.
    Privacy Impact Assessment: N/A.
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Information requested in the 
reports may include confidential information. However, covered entities 
are allowed to request that such materials submitted to the Commission 
be withheld from public inspection.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission will submit this information 
collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as a revision 
after this comment period to obtain the three year clearance from them.
    The Commission is modifying the FCC Form 655 to collect information 
that is relevant to the newly effective provision of the rule and to 
clarify and streamline existing fields. Specifically, manufacturers and 
service providers will be asked to provide new or different responses 
on the FCC Form 655 in the following areas:
    (1) The FCC Form 655 currently collects information on which 
version of the ANSI standard was used to test the handsets offered 
during a reporting period. The 2011 ANSI standard will be added as an 
option on the Handset Model Information portion of FCC Form 655. In 
addition, the order of the questions has been changed so that 
manufacturers will only have to specify once what version of the ANSI 
standard was used for each handset.
    (2) The de minimis exception section will be expanded by adding 
questions necessary to determine whether a filer is eligible under the 
new version of the exception that becomes effective on September 8, 
2012. These questions will address whether a filer is a small entity 
and how long it has been offering handsets. In addition, the text of 
the existing question will be modified to make clear that manufacturers 
must report all handsets that they offer in the United States.
    (3) The Air Interfaces and Frequency Bands fields on the Handset 
Model Information portion of FCC Form 655 will be expanded to add 
``LTE'', ``Wi-FI'', ``WiMax'', ``2.4 GHz'', and ``2.5 GHz''. In 
addition, the question whether the handset operates over additional air 
interfaces and frequency bands will be eliminated as no longer 
necessary.
    (4) A new question will be added to the Handset Model Information 
portion of FCC Form 655 asking whether the handset meets the criteria 
for a M3 rating for operations over GSM at 1900 MHz by enabling the 
user optionally to reduce the maximum power at which the handset will 
operate by no more than 2.5 decibels, except for emergency calls to 
911. This information will help the Commission ensure that such 
handsets are counted correctly, as well as to monitor compliance with 
related disclosure requirements.
    (5) In order to determine whether a filer is fully in compliance 
with the disclosure requirements, the Product Labeling portion of FCC 
Form 655 will be expanded. New questions will be added to determine 
whether appropriate disclosure/labeling was met for any handsets that 
let the consumer reduce maximum transmit power for GSM operations in 
the 1900 MHz band by up to 2.5 decibels, any handsets that a 
manufacturer may have tested under the 2011 version of the ANSI 
standard and found not to meet hearing aid compatibility criteria for 
those operations, and any handsets that were certified for inductive 
coupling under the 2011 ANSI standard without testing VoLTE 
transmissions.

Federal Communications Commission.
Bulah P. Wheeler,
Deputy Manager,Office of the Secretary,Office of Managing Director.
[FR Doc. 2012-18422 Filed 7-27-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P