[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 26 (Thursday, February 7, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9035-9036]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-02713]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration


Renewal and Revision of a Previously Approved Information 
Collection; Comment Request; State Broadband Data and Development Grant 
Program

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 comment on continuing and revising this 
information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before April 8, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th 
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 information collection instrument(s) and instructions 
should be directed to Anne Neville, Director, State Broadband 
Initiative, National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA), Room 4898, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution 
Avenue NW., Washington DC 20230 (or via email to 
[email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    This request is for an extension and revision of a currently 
approved information collection.
    In 2009 and 2010, under the Broadband Data Improvement Act and the 
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, NTIA awarded grants to 
states, or their designees, to gather and verify state-specific 
broadband data, including the the maximum advertised speed, technology 
type and spectrum (if applicable) for each broadband provider offering 
service in each census block, or, in census blocks greater than two 
square miles, each road segment (See 74 FR 32545, July 8, 2009 and 74 
FR 46573, Sept. 10, 2009). Additionally, grants included funding to 
collect the maximum advertised speed and technology type to which 
various classes of Community Anchor Institutions (CAIs) subscribe. 
Recipients are funded to conduct this activity until approximately 
December 31, 2014.
    The recipients gather and verify data twice per year, submitting 
the information to NTIA each October 1 and April 1. States use the data 
to populate state broadband maps, and NTIA uses the data to populate 
the National Broadband Map. The data is also freely available for 
stakeholders to use, via Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and 
in various file formats. Numerous public and private stakeholders 
currently use the data to inform funding, policy and commercial 
decisions. Consumers and businesses use the data to identify where 
broadband is available, the advertised speeds and other information.
    Despite the importance of broadband to the U.S. economy, 
information about broadband availability was not widely available until 
NTIA and the states developed this dataset. The data collected will 
continue to provide critical information for grant-making, regulatory 
and policy-making efforts, and to improve the quality of state-level 
broadband information.
    NTIA proposes to revise the currently approved reporting 
requirements to include with each submission of data several ``best 
practices'' documents including a document describing each recipient's 
methodology for collecting and verifying data, a document that 
summarizes any major changes or corrections to data from the previous 
submission and a short text file (also known as a ``readme'' file) that 
summarizes basic, technical information for the dataset. Recipients 
began providing this information to NTIA as a best practice because it 
provided more transparency into their process and supported the 
efficient review of data. Note that at this time, NTIA is not proposing 
to revise the broadband availability or CAI adoption data that each 
recipient collects, though it may consider changes at a future date.

II. Method of Collection

    Awardees will continue to submit all reports via the Internet.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0660-0032.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission (revision and extension of a 
currently approved collection).
    Affected Public: States, territories and the District of Columbia 
or their designees. Subrespondents include facilities-based providers 
of broadband connections, incumbent and competitive local exchange 
carriers, facilities-based mobile telephony service providers and 
wireless Internet service providers.
    Estimated Number of Total Respondents: 56 respondents; 2,000 
subrespondents.
    Estimated Time per Response: 3,123 hours for respondents; 50 hours 
for subrespondents.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 549,776.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to the Public: $0.

[[Page 9036]]

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 the information 
collection. Comments will also become a matter of public record.

    Dated: February 1, 2013.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2013-02713 Filed 2-6-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-06-P