[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 130 (Tuesday, July 7, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40624-40625]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-14545]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; NTIA internet Use Survey

AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information 
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information 
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The 
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment 
preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before September 8, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Rafi Goldberg, Telecommunications Policy Analyst, NTIA, via email at 
[email protected]. Please reference OMB Control Number 0660-0021 in 
the subject line of your comments. Do not submit Confidential Business 
Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed 
to Rafi Goldberg, Telecommunications Policy Analyst, NTIA, at (202) 
482-4375 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    NTIA seeks renewed approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) 
to add 66 questions to a future edition of the U.S. Census Bureau's 
Current Population Survey (CPS). This collection of questions is known 
as the NTIA internet Use Survey, and is also referred to as the CPS 
Computer and internet Use Supplement. NTIA has sponsored fifteen such 
surveys since 1994, and previously used the current iteration of the 
survey instrument in 2017 and 2019.
    As the digital economy's accelerating growth reinforces the 
internet's

[[Page 40625]]

importance to the nation's economic prosperity, policymakers, 
businesses, non-profits, communities, and other stakeholders 
increasingly rely on data about whether and how Americans use broadband 
in their routine activities. Digitally-connected Americans provide the 
modern workforce, creative innovation, and growing customer base to 
help sustain our nation's global competitiveness; the NTIA internet Use 
Survey will yield data that can inform investment decisions and 
resource allocations to advance full participation in the digital 
economy. The research and policy analysis enabled by this data 
collection are particularly important as the nation recovers from a 
pandemic that has further highlighted the importance of the internet in 
daily life.
    NTIA is working with Congress, the Federal Communications 
Commission (FCC), other federal agencies, state and local governments, 
as well as with industry and nonprofits to develop and promote policies 
that foster broadband deployment and adoption. These policies help to 
ensure that the nation's businesses and consumers can obtain 
competitively priced high-speed internet access and that everyone is 
able to gain the skills necessary to use the technology. Collecting 
current, systematic, and comprehensive information on broadband use and 
non-use by U.S. households is critical to enabling policymakers to 
gauge progress made to date, and also to identify specific areas and 
demographic groups in which broadband adoption is a concern with a 
specificity that permits carefully targeted and cost-effective 
responses.
    The U.S. Census Bureau is widely regarded as a premier data 
collector based on centuries of experience and rigorous scientific 
methods. Collection of NTIA's requested broadband usage data will occur 
in conjunction with a future edition of the U.S. Census Bureau's CPS, 
thereby significantly reducing the potential burdens on the U.S. Census 
Bureau and on surveyed households.
    The U.S. government has an increasingly pressing need for 
comprehensive broadband data. The U.S. Government Accountability Office 
(GAO), NTIA, and the FCC have issued reports noting the importance of 
useful broadband adoption data for policymakers. Moreover, Congress 
passed legislation--the Broadband Data Improvement Act in 2008 and the 
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009--wholly or in part to 
address this deficiency. Modifying the CPS to include NTIA's requested 
broadband questions will enable the Commerce Department and NTIA to 
respond to congressional concerns and directives.
    NTIA has made a copy of the proposed information collection 
instrument available at https://www.ntia.gov/files/ntia/blogimages/november_2019_cps_supplement_-_final.pdf.

II. Method of Collection

    The NTIA internet Use Survey will be administered by the U.S. 
Census Bureau as a supplement to the CPS. Data will be collected 
through personal visits and live telephone interviews using computer-
assisted telephone interviewing and computer-assisted personal 
interviewing.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0660-0021.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission (Extension of a current 
information collection).
    Affected Public: Individuals and households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 54,000 households.
    Estimated Time per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 9,000.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: 47 U.S.C. 902(b)(2)(M), (P).

IV. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting public comments to permit NTIA to: (a) Evaluate 
whether the proposed information collection is necessary for the proper 
functions of the Department, including whether the information will 
have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of 
the time and cost burden for this proposed collection, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) Evaluate ways to 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden on those who are to 
respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone 
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in 
your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including 
your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available 
at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your 
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2020-14545 Filed 7-6-20; 8:45 am]
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