[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 89 (Friday, May 8, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26560-26561]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-11091]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-1200]


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 (FCC or the 
Commission) invites the general public and other Federal agencies to 
take this opportunity to comment on the following information 
collection. 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 July 7, 
2015. 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 Nicole Ongele, FCC, via email 
[email protected] and to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information about the 
information collection, contact Nicole Ongele at (202) 418-2991.
    OMB Control Number: 3060-1200.
    Title: Rural Broadband Experiments and Post-Selection Review of 
Rural Broadband Experiment Winning Bidders.
    Form Number: FCC Form 5620.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit, and not-for-profit 
institutions.
    Number of Respondents: 47 respondents; 135 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 2 to 20 hours.
    Frequency of Response: One-time and occasional reporting 
requirements; annual recordkeeping requirements.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 47 
U.S.C. 151-154 and 254.
    Total Annual Burden: 1,834 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No cost(s).
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Information collected in FCC 
Form 5620 will be confidential. Information reported in the November 
interim progress report and the build-out milestone certifications will 
be made publicly available.
    Needs and Uses: On January 31, 2014, the Commission released the 
Tech Transitions et al., GN Docket No. 13-5 et al., 29 FCC Rcd 1433 
(2014) (Tech Transitions Order), that adopted targeted experiments to 
explore the impact of technology transitions on rural Americans, 
including those living on Tribal lands. On July 14, 2014, the 
Commission released Connect America Fund et al., WC Docket No. 10-90 et 
al., Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 
14-98 (rel. July 14, 2014) (Rural Broadband Experiments Order), which 
established certain parameters and requirements for the rural broadband 
experiments adopted by the Commission in the Tech Transitions Order.
    This information collection addresses requirements to carry out the 
rural broadband experiments the Commission adopted in the Tech 
Transitions Order and the Rural Broadband Experiments Order. The 
Commission has received OMB approval for most of the information 
collections required by the orders. At a later date, the Commission 
plans to submit additional revisions to a separate information 
collection for OMB's review to address other reporting requirements 
adopted in the Rural Broadband Experiments Order. For this revision, 
subject to OMB approval, the Commission proposes to incorporate the 
November interim progress report, build-out milestone certifications, 
and recordkeeping requirements that the Commission adopted in the Rural

[[Page 26561]]

Broadband Experiments Order. If approved, recipients of the rural 
broadband experiments will be required to submit a one-time report on 
November 1st after they begin receiving support. This report must 
describe the status of the recipient's experiment as of September 30th 
immediately preceding the report (i.e., whether vendors have been 
hired, permits have been obtained, and construction has begun), and 
include evidence demonstrating which locations if any the recipient has 
built out to in its project areas and evidence demonstrating that the 
recipient is meeting the public service obligations for the relevant 
experiment category, including a certification that demonstrates the 
service the recipient offers complies with the Commission's latency 
requirements. Rural broadband experiment recipients will also be 
required to certify that they have met the build-out milestones adopted 
in the Rural Broadband Experiments Order. These certifications will be 
due for all recipients by the end of the third year and fifth year of 
support. Recipients that have chosen to receive 30 percent of their 
support upfront will also be required to submit a build-out milestone 
certification within 15 months of their first disbursement. Recipients 
that are determined to not be in compliance with the terms and 
conditions of the rural broadband experiments during their support term 
will also be required to submit a certification to demonstrate that 
they have come into compliance. All of these certifications must be 
accompanied by the same types of evidence required for the November 
interim progress report. This report and certifications will enable the 
Commission to monitor the progress of the rural broadband experiments 
and ensure that the support is being used for its intended purposes. 
Finally, rural broadband experiment recipients will be subject to a 10-
year record retention requirement and must make those documents and 
records available to the Commission, any of its Bureaus or Offices, the 
Universal Service Administrative Company, and their respective auditors 
to aid these entities in overseeing the recipients' compliance with the 
terms and conditions of rural broadband experiment support. The 
Commission also proposes to eliminate FCC Form 5610 that is a part of 
this information collection. The deadline to file FCC Form 5610 with 
the Commission was November 7, 2014. Because the Commission does not 
anticipate holding another round of bidding, no additional entities 
will be required to file FCC Form 5610. There are no proposed changes 
to the currently approved FCC Form 5620 which is also a part of this 
information collection. However, the Commission proposes to increase 
the number of respondents involved in the post-selection review because 
more winning bidders were provisionally selected than the Commission 
anticipated.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Office of the Managing Director.
[FR Doc. 2015-11091 Filed 5-7-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6712-01-P