[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 207 (Friday, October 25, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57421-57423]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-23328]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
[OMB 3060-1167]
Information Collection 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 December
24, 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 Cathy Williams, FCC, via email to
[email protected] and to [email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information about the
information collection, contact Cathy Williams at (202) 418-2918.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
OMB Control Number: 3060-1167.
Title: Accessible Telecommunications and Advanced Communications
Services and Equipment.
Form Number: N/A.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Respondents: Individuals or households; business or other for-
profit entities; not-for-profit institutions.
Number of Respondents and Responses: 3,541 respondents; 42,106
responses.
Estimated Time per Response: .50 hours (30 minutes) to 40 hours.
Frequency of Response: Annual, one time, and on occasion reporting
requirements; recordkeeping requirement; third-party disclosure
requirement.
Obligation to Respond: Mandatory. Statutory authority for this
information collection is contained in sections 1-4, 255, 303(r), 403,
503, 716, 717, and 718 of the Communications Act, as amended, 47 U.S.C.
151-154, 255, 303(r), 403, 503, 617, 618, and 619.
Total Annual Burden: 120,999 hours.
Total Annual Cost: $17,800.
Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Confidentiality is an issue
to the extent that individuals and households provide personally
identifiable information, which is covered under the FCC's system of
records notice (SORN), FCC/CGB-1, ``Informal Complaints, Inquiries and
Requests for Dispute Assistance,'' which became effective on September
24, 2014. In addition, upon the service of an informal or formal
complaint, a service provider or equipment manufacturer must produce to
the Commission, upon request, records covered by 47 CFR 14.31(a) of the
Commission's rules that are directly relevant to the equipment or
service that is the subject of such complaint and may assert a
statutory request for confidentiality for these records. All other
information submitted to the Commission pursuant to Subpart D of Part
14 of the Commission's rules or to any other request by the Commission
may be submitted pursuant to a request for confidentiality in
accordance with 47 CFR 0.459 of the Commission's rules.
Privacy Impact Assessment: The FCC completed a Privacy Impact
Assessment (PIA) on June 28, 2007. The PIA may be reviewed at https://www.fcc.gov/general/privacy-act-information. The FCC is in the process
of updating the PIA to incorporate various revisions made to the SORN.
Needs and Uses: In 2011, in document FCC 11-151, the FCC adopted
rules to implement sections 716 and 717 of the Communications Act of
1934 (the Act), as amended, which were added to the Act by the Twenty-
First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010
(CVAA). See Public Law 111-260, 104. Section 716 of the Act requires
providers of advanced communications services and manufacturers of
equipment used for advanced communications services to make their
services and equipment accessible to individuals with disabilities,
unless doing so is not achievable. 47 U.S.C. 617. Section 717 of the
Act established new recordkeeping requirements and enforcement
procedures for service providers and equipment manufacturers that are
subject to sections 255, 716, and 718 of the Act. 47 U.S.C. 618.
Section 255 of the Act requires telecommunications and interconnected
VoIP services and equipment to be accessible to individuals with
disabilities, if readily achievable. 47 U.S.C. 255. Section 718 of the
Act requires internet browsers built into mobile phones to be
accessible to and usable by individuals who are blind or have a visual
impairment, unless doing so is not achievable. 47 U.S.C. 619.
In document FCC 11-151, the Commission adopted rules relating to
the following:
(a) Service providers and equipment manufacturers that are subject
to sections 255, 716, and 718 of the Act must ensure that the
information and documentation that they provide is accessible to
individuals with disabilities.
(b) Service providers and equipment manufacturers may seek waivers
from the accessibility obligations of section 716 of the Act for
services or equipment that are designed for multiple purposes,
including advanced communications services, but are designed primarily
for purposes other than using advanced communications services.
(c) Service providers and equipment manufacturers that are subject
to sections 255, 716, and 718 of the Act must maintain records of their
efforts to implement those sections.
(d) Service providers and equipment manufacturers that are subject
to sections 255, 716, and 718 of the Act must certify annually to the
Commission that records are kept in accordance with the recordkeeping
requirements. The certification must include contact details of the
person(s) authorized to resolve accessibility complaints and the agent
designated for service of process.
(e) The Commission established procedures to facilitate the filing
of formal and informal complaints alleging violations of sections 255,
716, or 718 of the Act. Those procedures include a nondiscretionary
pre-filing notice procedure to facilitate dispute resolution, that is,
as a prerequisite to filing an informal complaint, complainants must
first request dispute assistance from the Consumer and Governmental
Affairs Bureau's Disability Rights Office.
In 2013, in document FCC 13-57, the FCC adopted rules to implement
section 718 of the Act.
In 2015, in document FCC 15-24, the FCC reclassified broadband
internet access service (BIAS) as a telecommunications service that is
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subject to the Commission's regulatory authority under Title II of the
Act and applying section 255 of the Act and the Commission's
implementing rules to providers of BIAS and manufacturers of equipment
used for BIAS. In 2017, in document FCC 17-166, the Commission
reinstated the information service classification of BIAS. Therefore,
the Commission extracted those burdens from the collection found in OMB
control number 3060-1167.
Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-23328 Filed 10-24-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P