[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]
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