[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 88 (Friday, May 6, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27444-27445]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-10624]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-0804]


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 5, 
2016. 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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    OMB Control Number: 3060-0804.
    Title: Universal Service--Rural Health Care Program.
    Form Numbers: FCC Forms 460, 461, 462, 463, 465, 466, and 467.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit; not-for-profit 
institutions; federal government; and state, local, or Tribal 
governments.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 18,534 respondents; 134,912 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.1-40 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion, one-time, annual, quarterly, 
and monthly reporting requirements.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for this collection of information is contained in 
sections 1, 4(i), 4(j), 201-205, 214, 254, and 403 of the 
Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 151-154, 201-205, 
218-220, 254, 303(r), 403 and 405.
    Total Annual Burden: 287,817 hours.

[[Page 27445]]

    Total Annual Cost: No Cost.
    Privacy Impact Assessment: No Impact(s).
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: The Commission is not 
requesting that the respondents submit confidential information to the 
Commission. Respondents may, however, request confidential treatment 
for information they believe to be confidential under 47 CFR 0.459 of 
the Commission's rules. We note that the universal service 
administrator, the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), 
must preserve the confidentiality of all data obtained from respondents 
and contributors to the universal service support program mechanism; 
must not use the data except for purposes of administering the 
universal service support program; and must not disclose data in 
company-specific form unless directed to do so by the Commission.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission is seeking Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) approval to revise the information collection requirements 
contained in this collection. There is a change in the reporting and 
recordkeeping requirements.
    This collection is utilized for the rural health care (RHC) support 
mechanism of the Commission's universal service fund (USF). The 
collection of the information is necessary so that the Commission and 
USAC will have sufficient information to determine if entities are 
eligible for funding pursuant to the RHC universal service support 
mechanism, to determine if entities are complying with the Commission's 
rules, and to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. In addition, the 
information is necessary in order to allow the Commission to evaluate 
the extent to which the RHC Programs are meeting the statutory 
objectives specified in section 254(h) of the 1996 Act, and the 
Commission's own performance goals for the Healthcare Connect Fund. 
This information collection is being revised to: (1) Eliminate the 
information requirement for the Internet Access Program; (2) extend 
some of the existing collection requirements for the Healthcare Connect 
Fund, the Skilled Nursing Facilities Pilot Program, the 2006 Pilot 
Program, and the Telecommunications Program; and (3) revise some of the 
existing information collection requirements for the Healthcare Connect 
Fund and the Telecommunications Programs. This information collection 
is organized by program indicating which information collection 
requirements are being eliminated, extended, and/or revised for each 
RHC Program. The Healthcare Connect Fund includes FCC Forms 460, 461, 
462, and 463, and the Telecommunications Program includes FCC Forms 
465, 466, 467. At the time of the Commission's last information 
collection submission, 2006 Pilot Program participants were using the 
FCC Forms for the Telecommunications and Internet Access Programs. 2006 
Pilot Program participants and former 2006 Pilot Program participants, 
however, can now seek funding from the Healthcare Connect Fund and the 
Telecommunications Programs using the forms for those programs. The 
revisions to these FCC Forms, where applicable, are intended to make 
the RHC Program information requests consistent between the programs, 
to the extent possible. Since the last revision to this information 
collection, USAC has upgraded its information technology environment to 
create an integrated online application and administrative process for 
the Healthcare Connect Fund and all Healthcare Connect Fund forms are 
being submitted and processed via the online portal. Similarly, the 
information collection requirements associated with the 
Telecommunications Program have also been placed online. Taken as a 
whole, the implementation of these automated systems should reduce 
administrative burdens and costs for applicants, service providers, and 
USAC. Since the application processes have now been automated, the 
Commission will, in this information collection request, submit 
templates describing the type of information that will be requested 
from RHC Program participants, rather than submitting paper forms. As 
part of this information collection, we propose to make the revisions 
to this information collection and all RHC forms processed via the 
online portal effective January 1, 2017. The current FCC Forms will 
remain in effect until that date.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-10624 Filed 5-5-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6712-01-P