[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 5, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6543-6544]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-02273]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-1252; FRS 16465]


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

[[Page 6544]]

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 April 6, 
2020. 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: 3060-1252.
    Title: Application to Participate in Rural Digital Opportunity Fund 
Auction, FCC Form 183.
    Form Number: FCC Form 183.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved 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, 254 and 303(r) of the Communications Act of 1934, as 
amended.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 3,500 hours.
    Total Annual Costs: 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 and financial 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 
Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction. On January 30, 2020 the 
Commission adopted the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Order, WC Docket 
Nos. 19-126, 10-90, FCC 20-5 which will commit up to $20.4 billion over 
the next decade to support up to gigabit speed broadband networks in 
rural America. The funding will be allocated through a multi-round, 
reverse, descending clock auction that favors faster services with 
lower latency and encourages intermodal competition in order to ensure 
that the greatest possible number of Americans will be connected to the 
best possible networks, all at a competitive cost.
    To implement the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction, the 
Commission adopted new rules for the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund 
auction, including the adoption of a two-stage application process. For 
the Connect America Fund Phase II auction, applicants that wanted to 
qualify to bid in the auction were required to submit the FCC Form 183 
short-form application. Because the Connect America Fund Phase II 
auction has ended, the Commission intends to repurpose the FCC Form 183 
for the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction. Any entity that wishes 
to participate in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction will be 
required to submit the FCC Form 183 short-form application to 
demonstrate its qualifications to bid. Accordingly, the Commission 
proposes to revise this collection to indicate that it now intends to 
collect this information pursuant to section 54.804(a) of the 
Commission's rules, replacing section 54.315(a) of the Commission's 
rules. 47 CFR 54.315(a), 54.804(a). The Commission also intends to make 
several revisions to FCC Form 183, including text changes to reflect 
the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction. 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 Rural Digital 
Opportunity Fund support. To aid in collecting this information, the 
Commission will use 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 Rural Digital Opportunity Fund 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 is an appropriate assessment of providers for ensuring 
serious participation without being unduly burdensome.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-02273 Filed 2-4-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P