[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 48 (Wednesday, March 12, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14039-14040]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-05395]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


Information Collection 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 burdens, 
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 collections. 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 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 PRA comments should be submitted on or before May 12, 
2014. 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 contact listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Direct all PRA comments to Cathy Williams, FCC, via email 
[email protected] and to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information about the 
information collection, contact Cathy Williams at (202) 418-2918.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OMB Control Number: 3060-XXXX.
    Title: Improving 9-1-1 Reliability; Reliability and Continuity of 
Communications Networks, Including Broadband Technologies.
    Form Number: N/A (annual on-line certification).
    Type of Review: New information collection.
    Respondents: Business or for-profit entities; Not-for-profit 
institutions.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 1,000 respondents, 1,000 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: Varies by respondent. Average of 170 
hours per annual certification.
    Total Annual Burden: 169,982 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Annual reporting requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Mandatory. The statutory authority for the 
collection of this information is contained in sections 1, 4(i), 4(j), 
4(o), 201(b), 214(d), 218, 251(e)(3), 301, 303(b), 303(g), 303(r), 307, 
309(a), 316, 332, 403, 615a-1, and 615c of the Communications Act of 
1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 151, 154(i)-(j) & (o), 201(b), 214(d), 218, 
251(e)(3),301, 303(b), 303(g), 303(r), 307, 309(a), 316, 332, 403, 
615a-1, and 615c.
    Total Annual Cost: $0.
    Privacy Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: The Commission does not 
consider the fact of filing a certification to be confidential or the 
responses provided on the face of the certification. The Commission 
will treat as presumptively confidential and exempt from routine public 
disclosure under the federal Freedom of Information Act: (1) 
Descriptions and documentation of alternative measures to mitigate the 
risks of nonconformance with certification standards; (2) information 
detailing specific corrective actions taken; and (3) supplemental 
information requested by the Commission or Bureau with respect to a 
certification.
    Needs and Uses: This information collection is necessary to ensure 
that all Americans have access to reliable and resilient 911 
communications, particularly in times of emergency, by requiring 
certain 911 service providers to certify implementation of key best 
practices or reasonable alternative measures. The information will be 
collected in the form of an electronically-filed, annual certification 
from each Covered 911 Service Provider, as defined in the Commission's 
Report and Order, FCC 13-158,, in which the provider will indicate 
whether it has implemented certain industry-backed best practices. 
Providers that are able to respond in the affirmative to all elements 
of the certification will be deemed to satisfy the ``reasonable 
measures'' requirement in Section 12.4(b) of the Commission's rules. If 
a provider does not certify in the affirmative with respect to one or 
more elements of the certification, it must provide a brief explanation 
of what alternative measures it has taken, in light of the provider's 
particular facts and circumstances, to ensure reliable 911 service with 
respect to that element(s). Similarly, a service provider may also 
respond by demonstrating that a particular certification element is not 
applicable to its networks and must include a brief explanation of why 
the element(s) does not apply.
    The information will be collected by the Public Safety and Homeland 
Security Bureau, FCC, for review and analysis, to verify that Covered 
911 Service Providers are taking reasonable measures to maintain 
reliable 911 service. In certain cases, based on the information 
included in the certifications and subsequent coordination with the 
provider, the Commission may require remedial action to correct 
vulnerabilities in a service provider's 911 network if it determines 
that (a) the service provider has not, in fact, adhered to the best 
practices incorporated in the FCC's rules, or (b) in the case of 
providers employing alternative measures, that those measures were not 
reasonably sufficient to mitigate the associated risks of failure in 
these key areas. The Commission delegated authority to the Bureau to 
review certification information and follow up with service providers 
as appropriate to address deficiencies revealed by the certification 
process.
    The purpose of the collection of this information is to verify that 
Covered 911 Service Providers are taking reasonable measures such that 
their networks comply with accepted best practices, and that, in the 
event they are not able to certify adherence to specific best 
practices, that they are taking reasonable alternative measures. The 
Commission adopted these rules in light of widespread 911 outages 
during the June 2012 derecho storm in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic 
states, which revealed that multiple service providers did not take 
adequate precautions to maintain reliable service.


[[Page 14040]]


Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Office of Managing Director.
[FR Doc. 2014-05395 Filed 3-11-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P