[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 169 (Friday, September 1, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41622-41623]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-18542]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-1166]


Information Collection Being Submitted for Review and Approval to 
the Office of Management and Budget

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, 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 Commission may not conduct or sponsor a collection of 
information unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) 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 OMB control number.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted on or before October 2, 
2017. 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 contacts listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Direct all PRA comments to Nicholas A. Fraser, OMB, via 
email [email protected]; and to Cathy Williams, FCC, via 
email [email protected] and to [email protected]. Include in the 
comments the OMB control number as shown in the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or copies 
of the information collection, contact Cathy Williams at (202) 418-
2918. To view a copy of this information collection request (ICR) 
submitted to OMB: (1) Go to the Web page <http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain>, (2) look for the section of the Web page called 
``Currently Under Review,'' (3) click on the downward-pointing arrow in 
the ``Select Agency'' box below the ``Currently Under Review'' heading, 
(4) select ``Federal Communications Commission'' from the list of 
agencies presented in the ``Select Agency'' box, (5) click the 
``Submit'' button to the right of the ``Select Agency'' box, (6) when 
the list of FCC ICRs currently under review appears, look for the OMB 
control number of this ICR and then click on the ICR Reference Number. 
A copy of the FCC submission to OMB will be displayed.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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.
    OMB Control Number: 3060-1166.
    Title: Section 1.21001, Participation in Competitive Bidding for 
Support; Section 1.21002, Prohibition of Certain Communications During 
the Competitive Bidding Process.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

[[Page 41623]]

    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities, not-for-profit 
institutions, and state, local or tribal governments.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 750 respondents and 750 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 1.5 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement.
    Obligation To Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for this information collection 47 U.S.C. 154, 254 
and 303(r).
    Total Annual Burden: 1,125 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No cost.
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: There is no need for 
confidentiality. Information collected in each application for 
universal service support will be made available for public inspection, 
and the Commission is not requesting that respondents submit 
confidential information to the Commission as part of the pre-auction 
application process. Respondents seeking to have information collected 
on an application for universal service support withheld from public 
inspection may request confidential treatment of such information 
pursuant to section 0.459 of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 0.459.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Needs and Uses: The Commission will use the information collected 
to determine whether applicants are eligible to participate in auctions 
for Universal Service Fund support. On November 18, 2011, the 
Commission released an order comprehensively reforming and modernizing 
the universal service and intercarrier compensation systems to ensure 
that robust, affordable voice and broadband service, both fixed and 
mobile, are available to Americans throughout the nation. Connect 
America Fund et al., Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 
26 FCC Rcd 17663 (2011) (USF/ICC Transformation Order). In adopting the 
USF/ICC Transformation Order, the Commission created the Connect 
America Fund (CAF) to help make broadband available to homes, 
businesses, and community anchor institutions in areas that do not, or 
would not otherwise, have broadband. In addition, the Commission 
created the Connect America Mobility Fund (MF) to ensure the 
availability of mobile broadband networks in areas where a private-
sector business case is lacking and a separate and complementary one-
time Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I to accelerate mobile voice and 
broadband availability in Tribal areas. Finally, the Commission created 
the Remote Areas Fund (RAF) to ensure that Americans living in the most 
remote areas in the nation, where the cost of deploying traditional 
terrestrial broadband networks is extremely high, can obtain affordable 
access through alternative technology platforms, including satellite 
and unlicensed wireless services.
    To implement these reforms and conduct competitive bidding for CAF, 
MF, and RAF support, the Commission adopted new rules containing 
information collection requirements that would be used to determine 
whether an applicant is generally qualified to bid for universal 
service support. The Commission also adopted rules containing 
information collection requirements that would be used to determine 
whether an applicant is specifically qualified to bid for Phase I of 
the Mobility Fund and Tribal Mobility Fund.
    Because support under Phase I of the Mobility Fund and Tribal 
Mobility Fund has been awarded, the Commission is revising the 
currently approved information collection to remove the information 
collections requirements that apply specifically to applicants seeking 
to participate in competitive bidding for Mobility Fund Phase I and 
Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I support and to retain only those 
information collections requirements that apply generally to applicants 
seeking to participate in competitive bidding for universal service 
support. The Commission also requests that the title of this 
information collection be changed to ``Section 1.21001, Participation 
in Competitive Bidding for Support; Section 1.21002, Prohibition of 
Certain Communications During the Competitive Bidding Process'' to 
reflect the revised information collection.

Federal Communications Commission.
Katura Jackson,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-18542 Filed 8-31-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P