[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 42 (Tuesday, March 3, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12554-12555]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04332]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-0986; FRS 16525]


Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal 
Communications Commission

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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

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 4, 
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: 3060-0986.
    Title: High-Cost Universal Service Support.
    Form Number: FCC Form 481 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: 2,034 respondents; 12,729 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.1-15 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: 54,519 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No cost.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: The Commission notes that the 
Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) 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 
program; must not use the data except for purposes of administering the 
universal support program; and must not disclose data in company-
specific form unless directed to do so by the Commission. Parties may 
submit confidential information in relation pursuant to a protective 
order. Also, respondents may request materials or information submitted 
to the Commission or to the Administrator believed confidential to be 
withheld from public inspection under 47 CFR 0.459 of the FCC's rules.
    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); 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); Connect America Fund; ETC Annual Reports and Certifications, WC 
Docket Nos. 10-90, 14-58, Report and Order, 32 FCC Rcd 5944 (2017). The 
Commission has received OMB approval for most of the information 
collections required by these orders.
    More recently, through several orders, the Commission has changed 
or modified reporting obligations for high-cost support. In the CAF 
Phase II Auction Order, the Commission adopted rules requiring Connect 
America Phase

[[Page 12555]]

II auction support recipients to certify the networks they operated in 
the prior year meet the Commission's performance requirements, to 
identify the total amount of support, if any, that was used for capital 
expenditures in the previous calendar year, and to certify they have 
available funds for all project costs that will exceed the amount of 
support to be received from the authorization stemming from the Phase 
II auction for the next calendar year. Connect America Fund, et al., WC 
Docket No. 10-90, et al., Report and Order and Further Notice of 
Proposed Rulemaking, 31 FCC Rcd 5949 (2016) (CAF Phase II Auction 
Order).
    In the New York Waiver Order, the Commission extended to New York 
carriers who receive Connect America Phase II support in conjunction 
with the state's New NY Broadband Program the same annual reporting 
requirements adopted for Phase II auction recipients, as well as the 
requirement for the state public service commission to certify annually 
that those carriers' high cost support ``was used in the preceding 
calendar year and will be used in the coming calendar year only for the 
provision, maintenance, and upgrading of facilities and services for 
which the support is intended.'' Connect America Fund; ETC Annual 
Reports and Certifications, WC Docket Nos. 10-90, 14-58, Order, 32 FCC 
Rcd 968 (2017) (New York Waiver Order).
    In the December 2018 Rate-of-Return Order, the Commission modified 
the reasonable request certification rule applicable to rate-of-return 
ETCs to (1) require Connect America Fund-Alternative Connect America 
Cost Model (CAF-ACAM) support recipients to certify that they are 
meeting the relevant reasonable request standard and (2) require rate-
of-return ETCs receiving legacy high-cost support to certify that they 
are meeting a 25 Mbps/3 Mbps reasonable request standard. Connect 
America Fund et al., WC Docket No. 10-90 et al., Report and Order, 
Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, and Order on Reconsideration, 
FCC 18-176, at 19-20, para. 17 (Dec. 13, 2018) (December 2018 Rate-of-
Return Order). See also 47 CFR 54.313(f)(1)(i).
    In the CAF Phase II Transitions Order, the Commission adopted rules 
requiring price cap or fixed competitive eligible communications 
carriers receiving phase-down support to certify that the phase-down 
support they received in the previous year was used to provide voice 
service to high-cost and extremely high-cost census blocks where they 
continue to have federal obligation to provide such services. Connect 
America Fund, WC Docket 10-90, Report and Order, FCC 19-8, at 11, para. 
25 (Feb. 15, 2019).
    The Commission therefore proposes to revise this information 
collection, as well as Form 481 and its accompanying instructions, to 
reflect these new and revised requirements. We also propose to increase 
the burdens associated with existing reporting requirements to account 
for additional carriers that will be subject to those requirements.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-04332 Filed 3-2-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6712-01-P