[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 21 (Wednesday, January 31, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4481-4482]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-01804]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-XXXX]


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 March 2, 2018. 
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 Nicole Ongele, 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 Nicole Ongele at (202) 418-2991. 
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,

[[Page 4482]]

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-XXXX.
    Title: Application to Participate in Connect America Fund Phase II 
Auction, FCC Form 183.
    Form Number: FCC Form 183.
    Type of Review: New collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities, not-for-profit 
institutions, and state, local or tribal governments.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 500 respondents and 500 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 7 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 47 
U.S.C. 154(i), 214, 254, and 303(r).
    Total Annual Burden: 3,500 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No cost.
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality Although most information 
collected in FCC Form 183 will be made available for public inspection, 
the Commission will withhold certain information collected in FCC Form 
183 from routine public inspection. Specifically, the Commission will 
treat certain technical information submitted in FCC Form 183 as 
confidential and as though the applicant has requested that this 
information be treated as confidential trade secrets and/or commercial 
information. In addition, an applicant may use the abbreviated process 
under 47 CFR 0.459(a)(4) to request confidential treatment of certain 
financial information contained in its FCC Form 183 application. 
However, if a request for public inspection for this technical or 
financial information is made under 47 CFR 0.461, and the applicant has 
any objections to disclosure, the applicant will be notified and will 
be required to justify continued confidential treatment of its request. 
To the extent that a respondent seeks to have other information 
collected in FCC Form 183 withheld from public inspection, the 
respondent may request confidential treatment pursuant to 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 the 
Connect America Fund Phase II auction (CAF-II auction). On November 18, 
2011, the Commission released the USF/ICC Transformation Order and 
Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, WC Docket No. 10-90 et al., FCC 
11-161, which comprehensively reformed and modernized the high-cost 
program within the universal service fund to focus support on networks 
capable of providing voice and broadband services. The Commission 
created the Connect America Fund (CAF) and concluded that support in 
price cap areas would be provided through a combination of ``a new 
forward-looking model of the cost of constructing modern multi-purpose 
networks'' and a competitive bidding process (the CAF-II auction). The 
Commission also sought comment on proposed rules governing the CAF-II 
auction, including options regarding basic auction design and the 
application process.
    In the CAF-II auction, service providers will compete to receive 
support of up to $1.98 billion to offer voice and broadband service in 
unserved high-cost areas. To implement reform and conduct the CAF-II 
auction, the Commission adopted new rules for the CAF-II auction which 
include new information collections. In the April 2014 Connect America 
Order, WC Docket No. 10-90 et al., FCC 14-54, the Commission adopted 
certain rules regarding participation in the CAF-II auction, the term 
of support, and the ETC designation process. In the Phase II Auction 
Order, WC Docket No. 10-90 et al., FCC 16-64, the Commission adopted 
rules to implement the CAF-II auction, including the adoption of a two-
stage application process. Based on the Commission's experience with 
auctions and consistent with the record, this two-stage collection of 
information balances the need to collect information essential to 
conduct a successful auction with administrative efficiency.
    Under this information collection, the Commission will collect 
information that will be used to determine whether an applicant is 
legally qualified to participate in an auction for Connect America Fund 
Phase II support (CAF-II support). To aid in collecting this 
information, the Commission has created FCC Form 183, which the public 
will use to provide the necessary information and certifications. 
Commission staff will review the information collected on FCC Form 183 
as part of the pre-auction process, prior to the start of the auction, 
and determine whether each applicant satisfies the Commission's 
requirements to participate in an auction for CAF-II support. Without 
the information collected on FCC Form 183, the Commission will not be 
able to determine if an applicant is legally qualified to participate 
in the auction and has complied with the various applicable regulatory 
and statutory auction requirements for such participation. This 
approach provides an appropriate screen to ensure serious participation 
without being unduly burdensome.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-01804 Filed 1-30-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6712-01-P