[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 50 (Thursday, March 14, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9339-9340]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-04726]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
[OMB 3060-0804, OMB 3060-1096]
Information Collections 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 of 1995 (PRA), the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) invites the
general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to
comment on the following information collections. 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 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 PRA comments should be submitted on or before May 13,
2019. 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, (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: 20,314 respondents; 117,042
responses.
Estimated Time per Response: 0.1-40 hours.
Frequency of Response: On occasion and one-time annual reporting
requirements, and recordkeeping requirement.
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: 275,090 hours.
Total Annual Cost: No Cost.
Privacy Act 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 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 seeks Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) approval of a revision (change in reporting and
recordkeeping requirements) to this information collection. This
collection is utilized for the rural health care support mechanism (RHC
Program) of the Commission's universal service fund (USF). Section
254(h)(A)(1) of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (1996 Act), 47
U.S.C. 254(h)(A)(1), mandates that telecommunications carriers provide
telecommunications services for health care purposes to eligible rural
public or non-profit health care providers at rates that are
``reasonably comparable'' to rates in urban areas. In addition, section
254(h)(2)(A) of the 1996 Act, 47 U.S.C. 254(h)(2)(A), directs the
Commission to establish competitively neutral rules to enhance, to the
extent technically feasible and economically reasonable, access to
``advanced telecommunications and information services'' for public and
non-profit health care providers.
Based on this legislative mandate, the Commission established the
two components of the RHC Program--the Telecommunications (Telecom)
Program and the Healthcare Connect Fund Program. Additionally, in 2006,
the Commission established the Pilot Program which provided funding for
a limited time (through funding year 2012). At the time of the
Commission's last revision of this information collection, while no new
funding was available under Pilot Program, some projects were still
spending funds previously committed as part of the Pilot Program. Since
that time, all invoicing under the Pilot Program has been completed and
there are no remaining funds to be disbursed under the Pilot Program.
This revised collection is therefore necessary to eliminate the
requirements associated with this program. Additionally, this
collection of information is necessary so that the Commission and the
Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), the administrator of
the USF program, will have sufficient information to determine if
entities are eligible for funding pursuant to the RHC Program, to
determine if entities are complying with the Commission's rules, and to
prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.
This information is also necessary in order to allow the Commission
to evaluate the extent to which the RHC Program is meeting the
statutory objectives specified in section 254(h) of the 1996 Act, and
the Commission's performance goals for the Healthcare Connect Fund
Program. Accordingly, this information collection is being revised to:
(1) Eliminate the requirements for the Pilot Program and (2) extend the
existing information
[[Page 9340]]
collection requirements for the Healthcare Connect Fund and Telecom
Programs.
This submission is organized by program indicating which
information collection requirements are being eliminated or extended
for each RHC program. The Healthcare Connect Fund includes FCC Forms
460, 461, 462, and 463, and the Telecom Program includes FCC Forms 465,
466, 467.
OMB Control Number: 3060-1096.
Title: Prepaid Calling Card Service Provider Certification, WC
Docket No. 05-68.
Form Number: N/A.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.
Number of Respondents and Responses: 121 respondents; 1,452
responses.
Estimated Time per Response: 2.5 hours-20 hours.
Frequency of Response: Quarterly reporting requirement, third party
disclosure requirement and recordkeeping requirement.
Obligation to Respond: Mandatory. Statutory authority for this
information collection is contained in 47 U.S.C. 151, 152, 154(i), 201,
202 and 254 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
Total Annual Burden: 12,100 hours.
Total Annual Cost: No cost.
Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: The Commission does not
anticipate providing confidentiality of the information submitted by
prepaid calling card providers. Particularly, the prepaid calling card
providers must send reports to their transport providers. Additionally,
the quarterly certifications sent to the Commission will be made public
through the Commission's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS)
process. These certifications will be filed in the Commission's docket
associated with this proceeding. If the respondents submit information
they believe to be confidential, they may request confidential
treatment of such information under 47 CFR 0.459 of the Commission's
rules.
Needs and Uses: Prepaid calling card service providers must report
quarterly the percentage of interstate, intrastate and international
access charges to carriers from which they purchase transport services.
Prepaid calling card providers must also file certifications with the
Commission quarterly that include the above information and a statement
that they are contributing to the federal Universal Service Fund based
on all interstate and international revenue, except for revenue from
the sale of prepaid calling cards by, to, or pursuant to contract with
the Department of Defense (DoD) or a DoD entity.
Federal Communications Commission.
Katura Jackson,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-04726 Filed 3-13-19; 8:45 am]
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