[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 9, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54120-54121]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-21991]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Commercial 
Remote Sensing

AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed and/or continuing 
information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995.

DATES: To ensure consideration, written or on-line comments must be 
submitted on or before December 9, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Adrienne Thomas, PRA Officer, 
NOAA, 151 Patton Avenue, Room 159, Asheville, NC 28801 (or at 
[email protected]). All comments received are part of the public 
record. Comments will generally be posted without change. All 
Personally Identifiable Information (for example, name and address) 
voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do 
not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or 
protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to Tahara Dawkins, Director, Commercial Remote Sensing 
Regulatory Affairs, 1335 East-West Highway, G101, Silver Spring, 
Maryland 20910; 301-713-3385; [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The information is being collected as a necessary step to regulate 
the private space-based remote sensing industry, which involves issuing 
licenses to applicants and ensuring their compliance with license 
terms. The Department of Commerce (DOC), through the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has the authority to regulate 
private space-based remote sensing under the Land Remote Sensing Policy 
Act of 1992, 51 U.S.C. 60101 et seq. (the Act) and regulations at 15 
CFR part 960. The regulations facilitate the development of the U.S. 
private remote sensing industry and thus promote the collection and 
widespread availability of remote sensing data, while preserving 
essential U.S. national security interests and observing international 
obligations.
    Applications are made in response to the requirements in the Act, 
as amended, and no collection forms are used. The application 
information received is used to determine if the applicant meets the 
legal criteria for issuance of a license to operate a private remote 
sensing space system i.e., the proposed system will be operated in 
accordance with the Act, U.S. national security concerns and 
international obligations. Application information includes: Corporate 
information; launch segment information; space segment information; 
ground segment information; plans and/or pricing policy for providing 
access to or distributing the unenhanced data generated by the system; 
and the plan for post-mission disposition of any Remote Sensing 
satellites.
    Once an applicant holds a license, he/she is subject to amendment 
filings and notification requirements concerning an executive summary 
of the licensed system, foreign agreements, deviation in orbits, 
planned disposition of the spacecraft, data protection plans, 
preliminary design reviews, critical design reviews, certification of 
launch contract and pre-ship review of the satellite; and notification 
of system demise or decision to discontinue operations. The licensee is 
required to provide NOAA an executive summary that can be provided to 
the public within 30 days of obtaining a NOAA license.
    Monitoring and compliance information is used to ascertain that the 
licensee's activities meet the requirements of the Act, applicable 
regulations, and license conditions. The following information 
collections serve as part of the monitoring and compliance function: 
Annual compliance audits; data collection restriction plans; operation 
plans for restricting collection and dissemination of imaging Israeli 
territory; data flow diagrams; satellite sub-system diagrams and 
imaging system specification sheets; operational declarations; 
quarterly reports; purge notifications; and annual operational audits.

II. Method of Collection

    Information is collected primarily via email and sometimes by mail.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0174.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Business or other not-for-profit.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 50.
    Estimated Time per Response: 40 hours for the submission of a 
license application; 10 hours for the submission of a data protection 
plan; 5 hours for the submission of a plan describing how the licensee 
will comply with data collection restrictions; 3 hours for the 
submission of an operations plan for restricting collection or 
dissemination of imagery of Israeli territory; 3 hours for submission 
of a data flow diagram; 2 hours for the submission of satellite 
subsystems drawings; 3 hours for the submission of a final imaging 
system specifications document; 2 hours for the submission of a public 
summary for a licensed system; 2 hours for the submission of a 
preliminary design review; 2 hours for the submission of a critical 
design review; 1 hour for notification of a binding launch services 
contract; 1 hour for notification of completion of pre-ship review; 10 
hours for the submission of a license amendment; 2 hours for the 
submission of a foreign agreement notification; 2 hours for the 
submission of spacecraft operational information submitted when a 
spacecraft becomes operational; 2 hours for notification of deviation 
in orbit or spacecraft disposition; 2 hours for notification of any 
operational deviation; 2 hours for notification of planned purges of 
information to the National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive; 
3 hours for the submission of an operational quarterly report; 8 hours 
for an annual compliance audit; 10 hours for an

[[Page 54121]]

annual operational audit; and 2 hours for notification of the demise of 
a system or a decision to discontinue system operations.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,533
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $2,777 in recordkeeping/
reporting costs.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental Lead PRA Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, 
Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2019-21991 Filed 10-8-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-HR-P