[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 139 (Monday, July 20, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43836-43837]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-15665]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-1202; FRS 16928]


Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal 
Communications Commission

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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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 September 
18, 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: 3060-1202.
    Title: Improving 9-1-1 Reliability; Reliability and Continuity of 
Communications Networks, Including Broadband Technologies.
    Form Number: Not Applicable (annual on-line certification).
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit; not-for-profit 
institutions.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 200 respondents; 200 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 834 hours (average). Varies by 
respondent.
    Total Annual Burden: 166,350 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Annual reporting requirement and 
recordkeeping requirement.
    Obligation To Respond: Mandatory. The statutory authority for this 
collection of information is contained in sections 1, 4(i), 4(j), 4(o), 
201(b), 214(d), 218, 251(e)(3), 301, 303(b), 303(g), 303(r), 307, 
309(a), 316, 332, 403, 615a-1, and 615c of the Communications Act of 
1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 151, 154(i)-(j) & (o), 201(b), 214(d), 218, 
251(e)(3),301, 303(b), 303(g), 303(r), 307, 309(a), 316, 332, 403, 
615a-1, and 615c.
    Total Annual Cost: No Cost.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: The Commission does not 
consider the fact of filing a certification to be confidential or the 
responses provided on the face of the certification. The Commission 
will treat as presumptively confidential and exempt from routine public 
disclosure under the federal Freedom of Information Act: (1) 
Descriptions and documentation of alternative measures to mitigate the 
risks of nonconformance with certification standards; (2) information 
detailing specific corrective actions taken; and (3) supplemental 
information requested by the Commission or Bureau with respect to a 
certification.
    Needs and Uses: This is a renewal of an information collection 
necessary to ensure that all Americans have access to

[[Page 43837]]

reliable and resilient 911 communications, particularly in times of 
emergency, by requiring certain 911 service providers to certify 
implementation of key best practices or reasonable alternative 
measures. The information will be collected in the form of an 
electronically-filed, annual certification from each covered 911 
service provider, as defined in the Commission's 2013 Report and Order, 
in which the provider will indicate whether it has implemented certain 
industry-backed best practices. Providers that are able to respond in 
the affirmative to all elements of the certification will be deemed to 
satisfy the ``reasonable measures'' requirement in Section 9.19(b) of 
the Commission's rules. If a provider does not certify in the 
affirmative with respect to one or more elements of the certification, 
it must provide a brief explanation of what alternative measures it has 
taken, in light of the provider's particular facts and circumstances, 
to ensure reliable 911 service with respect to that element(s). 
Similarly, a service provider may also respond by demonstrating that a 
particular certification element is not applicable to its networks and 
must include a brief explanation of why the element(s) does not apply.
    The information will be collected by the Public Safety and Homeland 
Security Bureau, FCC, for review and analysis, to verify that covered 
911 service providers are taking reasonable measures to maintain 
reliable 911 service. In certain cases, based on the information 
included in the certifications and subsequent coordination with the 
provider, the Commission may require remedial action to correct 
vulnerabilities in a service provider's 911 network if it determines 
that (a) the service provider has not, in fact, adhered to the best 
practices incorporated in the FCC's rules, or (b) in the case of 
providers employing alternative measures, that those measures were not 
reasonably sufficient to mitigate the associated risks of failure in 
these key areas. The Commission delegated authority to the Bureau to 
review certification information and follow up with service providers 
as appropriate to address deficiencies revealed by the certification 
process.
    The purpose of the collection of this information is to verify that 
covered 911 service providers are taking reasonable measures such that 
their networks comply with accepted best practices, and that, in the 
event they are not able to certify adherence to specific best 
practices, that they are taking reasonable alternative measures. The 
Commission adopted these rules in light of widespread 911 outages 
during the June 2012 derecho storm in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic 
states, which revealed that multiple service providers did not take 
adequate precautions to maintain reliable service.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-15665 Filed 7-17-20; 8:45 am]
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