[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 124 (Friday, June 26, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 38335-38336]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-13632]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 54

[WC Docket Nos. 10-90, 14-58, 07-135, CC Docket No. 01-92; FCC 18-176, 
FCC 19-8; FRS 16878]


Connect America Fund, ETC Annual Reports and Certifications, 
Establishing Just and Reasonable Rates for Local Exchange Carriers, 
Developing a Unified Intercarrier Compensation Regime

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule; announcement of effective date.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Federal Communications Commission 
(Commission) announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
has approved, for a period of three years, an information collection 
associated with the rules for the Connect America Fund contained in the 
Commission's Rate-of-Return Order, FCC 18-176 and the Connect America 
Fund (CAF) Phase II Transitions Order, FCC 19-8. This document is 
consistent with the Rate-of-Return and CAF Phase II Transitions Orders, 
which stated that the Commission would publish a document in the 
Federal Register announcing the effective date of the new information 
collection requirements.

DATES: The amendments to Sec.  54.313(f)(1)(i) and (m) published at 84 
FR 4711, February 19, 2019, and 84 FR 8619, March 11, 2019, are 
effective June 26, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alexander Minard, Wireline Competition 
Bureau at (202) 418-7400 or TTY (202) 418-0484. For additional 
information concerning the Paperwork Reduction Act information 
collection requirements contact Nicole Ongele at (202) 418-2991 or via 
email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commission submitted revised information 
collection requirements for review and approval by OMB, as required by 
the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, on May 13, 2020, which were 
approved by OMB on June 15, 2020. The information collection 
requirements are contained in the Commission's Rate-of-Return Order, 
FCC 18-176 published at 84 FR 4711, February 19, 2019 and CAF Phase II 
Transitions Order, FCC 19-8 published at 84 FR 8619, March 11, 2019. 
The OMB Control Number is 3060-0986. If you have any comments on the 
burden estimates listed in the following, or how the Commission can 
improve the collections and reduce any burdens caused thereby, please 
contact Nicole Ongele, Federal Communications Commission, Room 1-A620, 
445 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20554. Please include the OMB 
Control Number, 3060-0986, in your correspondence. The Commission will 
also accept your comments via email at [email protected].
    To request materials in accessible formats for people with 
disabilities (braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), 
send an email to [email protected] or call the Consumer and Governmental 
Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (TTY).

Synopsis

    As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3507), the Commission is notifying the public that it received OMB 
approval on June 15, 2020 for the information collection requirements 
contained in 47 CFR 54.313(f)(1)(i) and (m) published at 84 FR 4711, 
February 19, 2019 and 84 FR 8619, March 11, 2019. Under 5 CFR part 
1320, an agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information 
unless it displays a current, valid OMB Control Number.
    No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply 
with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act 
that does not display a current, valid OMB Control Number. The OMB 
Control Number is 3060-0986.
    The foregoing notice is required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, Public Law 104-13, October 1, 1995, and 44 U.S.C. 3507.
    The total annual reporting burdens and costs for the respondents 
are as follows:
    OMB Control Number: 3060-0986.
    OMB Approval Date: June 15, 2020.
    OMB Expiration Date: June 30, 2023.
    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

[[Page 38336]]

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: 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 (76 FR 73830 (Nov. 29, 
2011) and 76 FR 78384 (Dec. 16, 2011)) (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 (77 FR 30904 (May 
24, 2012)) (2012); Connect America Fund et al., WC Docket No. 10-90 et 
al., Order, 27 FCC Rcd 605 (77 FR 14297 (March 9, 2012)) (Wireline 
Comp. Bur. 2012); Connect America Fund et al., WC Docket No. 10-90 et 
al., Fifth Order on Reconsideration, 27 FCC Rcd 14549 (78 FR 3837 (Jan. 
17, 2013)) (2012); Connect America Fund et al., WC Docket No. 10-90 et 
al., Order, 28 FCC Rcd 2051 (78 FR 22198 (April 15, 2013)) (Wireline 
Comp. Bur. 2013); Connect America Fund et al., WC Docket No. 10-90 et 
al., Order, 28 FCC Rcd 7227 (78 FR 70881 (Nov. 27, 2013)) (Wireline 
Comp. Bur. 2013); Connect America Fund, WC Docket No. 10-90, Report and 
Order, 28 FCC Rcd 7766 (78 FR 38227 (June 26, 2013)) (Wireline Comp. 
Bur. 2013); Connect America Fund, WC Docket No. 10-90, Report and 
Order, 28 FCC Rcd 7211 (78 FR 32991 (June 3, 2013)) (Wireline Comp. 
Bur. 2013); Connect America Fund, WC Docket No. 10-90, Report and 
Order, 28 FCC Rcd 10488 (78 FR 48622 (Aug. 9, 2013)) (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 (81 FR 24282 (April 25, 2016) 
and 81 FR 21511 (April 12, 2106)) (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 (81 FR 
69696 (Oct. 7, 2016) and 81 FR 69772 (Oct. 7, 2016)) (2016); Connect 
America Fund; ETC Annual Reports and Certifications, WC Docket Nos. 10-
90, 14-58, Report and Order, 32 FCC Rcd 5944 (82 FR 39966 (Aug. 23, 
2017)) (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 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) (81 FR 
44414 (July 7, 2016) and 81 FR 40235 (June 21, 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 (84 FR 4711 (Feb. 19, 2019) and 84 FR 
2132 (Feb. 6, 2019)) (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 (84 FR 8619 (March 11, 2019)) (Feb. 15, 2019).
    The Commission therefore revises this information collection, as 
well as Form 481 and its accompanying instructions, to reflect these 
new and revised requirements. We also increased the burdens associated 
with existing reporting requirements to account for additional carriers 
that will be subject to those requirements.

Federal Communications Commission.
Cecilia Sigmund,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-13632 Filed 6-25-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P