[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 104 (Wednesday, May 30, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24800-24801]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-11534]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-0986]


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 June 29, 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

[[Page 24801]]

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: 3060-0986.
    Title: High-Cost Universal Service Support.
    Form Number: FCC Form 481, FCC Form 505, and FCC Form 525.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit, not-for-profit 
institutions and state, local or tribal government.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 1,877 respondents; 14,335 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.5-15 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion, quarterly and annual reporting 
requirements, recordkeeping requirement and third party disclosure 
requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 47 
U.S.C. 151-154, 155, 201-206, 214, 218-220, 251, 252, 254, 256, 303(r), 
332, 403, 405, 410, and 1302.
    Total Annual Burden: 63,486 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No Cost.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: The Commission notes that 
USAC must preserve the confidentiality of all data obtained from 
respondents; must not use the data except for purposes of administering 
the universal service programs; and must not disclose data in company-
specific form unless directed to do so by the Commission. Privately-
held rate-of-return carriers may file the financial information they 
disclose in FCC Form 481 pursuant to a protective order.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission is requesting the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) approval for this revised information 
collection. On November 18, 2011, the Commission adopted an order 
reforming its high-cost universal service support mechanisms. Connect 
America Fund; A National Broadband Plan for Our Future; Establish Just 
and Reasonable Rates for Local Exchange Carriers; High-Cost Universal 
Service Support; Developing a Unified Intercarrier Compensation Regime; 
Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service; Lifeline and Link-Up; 
Universal Service Reform--Mobility Fund, WC Docket Nos. 10-90, 07-135, 
05-337, 03-109; GN Docket No. 09-51; CC Docket Nos. 01-92, 96-45; WT 
Docket No. 10-208, Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 26 
FCC Rcd 17663 (2011) (USF/ICC Transformation Order), and the Commission 
and Wireline Competition Bureau have since adopted a number of orders 
that implement the USF/ICC Transformation Order; see also Connect 
America Fund et al., WC Docket No. 10-90 et al., Third Order on 
Reconsideration, 27 FCC Rcd 5622 (2012); Connect America Fund et al., 
WC Docket No. 10-90 et al., Order, 27 FCC Rcd 605 (Wireline Comp. Bur. 
2012); Connect America Fund et al., WC Docket No. 10-90 et al., Fifth 
Order on Reconsideration, 27 FCC Rcd 14549 (2012); Connect America Fund 
et al., WC Docket No. 10-90 et al., Order, 28 FCC Rcd 2051 (Wireline 
Comp. Bur. 2013); Connect America Fund et al., WC Docket No. 10-90 et 
al., Order, 28 FCC Rcd 7227 (Wireline Comp. Bur. 2013); Connect America 
Fund, WC Docket No. 10-90, Report and Order, 28 FCC Rcd 7766 (Wireline 
Comp. Bur. 2013); Connect America Fund, WC Docket No. 10-90, Report and 
Order, 28 FCC Rcd 7211 (Wireline Comp. Bur. 2013); Connect America 
Fund, WC Docket No. 10-90, Report and Order, 28 FCC Rcd 10488 (Wireline 
Comp. Bur. 2013); Connect America Fund et al., WC Docket No. 10-90 et 
al., Report and Order, Order and Order on Reconsideration and Further 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 31 FCC Rcd 3087 (2016). The Commission 
has received OMB approval for most of the information collections 
required by these orders. At a later date, the Commission plans to 
submit additional revisions for OMB review to address other reforms 
adopted in the orders (e.g., 47 CFR 54.313(a)(6)).
    More recently, on August 23, 2016, the Commission adopted the 
Alaska Plan Order. See Connect America Fund et al., WC Docket Nos. 10-
90, 16-271; WT Docket No. 10-208, Report and Order and Further Notice 
of Proposed Rulemaking, 31 FCC Rcd 10139 (2016) (Alaska Plan Order). In 
that order, the Commission adopted a plan for providing Alaskan rate-
of-return carriers and competitive eligible telecommunications carriers 
(ETCs) the option to obtain a fixed level of funding for a defined term 
in exchange for committing to deployment obligations that are tailored 
to each Alaskan carrier's circumstances. ETCs receiving support 
pursuant to the Alaska Plan must comply with the Commission's existing 
high-cost reporting and oversight mechanisms, with certain exceptions 
and modifications.
    On July 7, 2017, the Commission adopted the ETC Reporting 
Streamlining Order. See Connect America Fund; ETC Annual Reports and 
Certifications, WC Docket Nos. 10-90, 14-58, Report and Order, 32 FCC 
Rcd 5944 (2017) (ETC Reporting Streamlining Order). In that order, the 
Commission streamlined the annual reporting requirements for ETCs by 
eliminating rules duplicative of other reporting requirements or that 
are no longer necessary.
    Further, since the previous filing deadline associated with this 
collection, changing circumstances have made filing certain information 
no longer necessary or required under the rules. For instance, the 
final Connect America Phase I incremental support deployment deadlines 
were in early 2017, so there are no longer any reporting obligations 
associated with that support. Moreover, because the Connect America 
Phase II challenge process has ended, the Commission proposes to remove 
Form 505 from this collection. The Commission also proposes to move FCC 
Form 507, FCC Form 508, FCC Form 509 and the accompanying instructions 
to information collection 3060-0233.
    The Commission therefore proposes to revise this information 
collection, as well as Form 481 and its accompanying instructions, to 
reflect these new or modified requirements. The Commission also 
proposes a number of non-substantive changes to the Form 481 and 
accompanying instructions. Any increased burdens for particular 
reporting requirements are associated with ETCs newly subject to those 
requirements as a condition of receiving high-cost support.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-11534 Filed 5-29-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6712-01-P