[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 76 (Monday, April 20, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21853-21855]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-07839]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[3060-1252; FRS 16655]


Information Collection Being Submitted for Review and Approval to 
Office of Management and Budget

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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[[Page 21854]]

SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, 
as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the Federal 
Communications Commission (FCC or the Commission) invites the general 
public and other Federal Agencies to take this opportunity to comment 
on the following information collection. Pursuant to the Small Business 
Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, the FCC seeks specific comment on how it 
might ``further reduce the information collection burden for small 
business concerns with fewer than 25 employees.''
    The Commission 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 comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be submitted on or before May 20, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting 
``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using 
the search function. Your comment must be submitted into 
www.reginfo.gov per the above instructions for it to be considered. In 
addition to submitting in www.reginfo.gov also send a copy of your 
comment on the proposed information collection to Nicole Ongele, FCC, 
via email to [email protected] and to [email protected]. Include in the 
comments the OMB control number as shown in the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or copies 
of the information collection, contact Nicole Ongele at (202) 418-2991. 
To view a copy of this information collection request (ICR) submitted 
to OMB: (1) Go to the web page http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain, (2) look for the section of the web page called ``Currently 
Under Review,'' (3) click on the downward-pointing arrow in the 
``Select Agency'' box below the ``Currently Under Review'' heading, (4) 
select ``Federal Communications Commission'' from the list of agencies 
presented in the ``Select Agency'' box, (5) click the ``Submit'' button 
to the right of the ``Select Agency'' box, (6) when the list of FCC 
ICRs currently under review appears, look for the Title of this ICR and 
then click on the ICR Reference Number. A copy of the FCC submission to 
OMB will be displayed.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As part of its continuing effort to reduce 
paperwork burdens, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), the FCC invited the general public and 
other Federal Agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the 
following information collection. Comments are requested concerning: 
(a) 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; (b) the accuracy 
of the Commission's burden estimates; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information collected; and (d) 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. Pursuant to the Small Business 
Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, Public Law 107-198, see 44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(4), the FCC seeks specific comment on how it might ``further 
reduce the information collection burden for small business concerns 
with fewer than 25 employees.''
    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

[[Page 21855]]

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.
Cecilia Sigmund,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-07839 Filed 4-17-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6712-01-P