[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 163 (Friday, August 21, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51700-51702]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-18315]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-0463; 3060-1124; FRS 17012]


Information Collections 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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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 
can further reduce the information collection burden for small business 
concerns with fewer than 25 employees.

DATES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be submitted on or before September 21, 
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 Cathy Williams, 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 Cathy Williams at (202) 418-
2918. 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: 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. 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

[[Page 51701]]

it might ``further reduce the information collection burden for small 
business concerns with fewer than 25 employees.''
    OMB Control Number: 3060-0463.
    Title: Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech 
Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities; 
Structure and Practices of the Video Relay Service Program; Misuse of 
internet Protocol (IP) Captioned Telephone Service, CG Docket Nos. 03-
123, 10-51, and 13-24.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities; Individuals or 
household; State, Local and Tribal Government.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 5,072 respondents; 7,989 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.1 hours (6 minutes) to 80 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Annually, semi-annually, monthly, on 
occasion, and one-time reporting requirements; Recordkeeping and Third-
Party Disclosure requirements.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefit. The 
statutory authority for the information collection requirements is 
found at section 225 of the Communications Act, 47 U.S.C. 225. The law 
was enacted on July 26, 1990, in Title IV of the Americans with 
Disabilities Act of 1990, Public Law 101-336, 104 Stat. 327, 366-69.
    Total Annual Burden: 14,445 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: $291,700.
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Confidentiality is an issue 
to the extent that individuals and households provide personally 
identifiable information, which is covered under the FCC's updated 
system of records notice (SORN), FCC/CGB-1, ``Informal Complaints, 
Inquiries, and Requests for Dispute Assistance.'' As required by the 
Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. 552a, the Commission also published a SORN, FCC/
CGB-1 ``Informal Complaints, Inquiries, and Requests for Dispute 
Assistance,'' in the Federal Register on August 15, 2014 (79 FR 48152) 
which became effective on September 24, 2014.
    Privacy Impact Assessment: The FCC completed a Privacy Impact 
Assessment (PIA) on June 28, 2007. It may be reviewed at https://www.fcc.gov/general/privacy-act-information#pia. The Commission is in 
the process of updating the PIA to incorporate various revisions to it 
as a result of revisions to the SORN.
    Needs and Uses: On December 21, 2001, the Commission released the 
2001 TRS Cost Recovery Order, document FCC 01-371, published at 67 FR 
4203, January 29, 2002, in which the Commission, among other things:
    (1) Required internet-based TRS providers to submit certain 
projected TRS-related cost and demand data to the TRS Fund 
administrator to be used to calculate the rate; and
    (2) directed the TRS Fund administrator to expand its data 
collection forms accordingly.
    In 2003, the Commission released the 2003 Second Improved TRS 
Order, published at 68 FR 50973, August 25, 2003, which among other 
things required that TRS providers offer certain local exchange carrier 
(LEC)-based improved services and features where technologically 
feasible, including a speed dialing requirement which may entail 
voluntary recordkeeping for TRS providers to maintain a list of 
telephone numbers. See also 47 CFR 64.604(a)(3)(vi)(B).
    In 2007, the Commission released the Section 225/255 VoIP Report 
and Order, published at 72 FR 43546, August 6, 2007, extending the 
disability access requirements that apply to telecommunications service 
providers and equipment manufacturers under 47 U.S.C. 225, 255 to 
interconnected voice over internet protocol (VoIP) service providers 
and equipment manufacturers. As a result, under rules implementing 
section 225 of the Act, interconnected VoIP service providers are 
required to publicize information about telecommunications relay 
services (TRS) and 711 abbreviated dialing access to TRS. See also 47 
CFR 64.604(c)(3). In 2007, the Commission also released the 2007 Cost 
Recovery Report and Order and Declaratory Ruling, published at 73 FR 
3197, January 17, 2008, in which the Commission:
    (1) Adopted a new cost recovery methodology for interstate 
traditional TRS and interstate STS based on the Multi-state Average 
Rate Structure (MARS) plan, under which interstate TRS compensation 
rates are determined by weighted average of the states' intrastate 
compensation rates, and which includes for STS additional compensation 
approved by the Commission for STS outreach;
    (2) adopted a new cost recovery methodology for interstate 
captioned telephone service (CTS), as well as internet Protocol 
captioned telephone service (IP CTS), based on the MARS plan;
    (3) adopted a cost recovery methodology for internet Protocol (IP) 
Relay based on a price cap like methodology;
    (4) adopted a cost recovery methodology for VRS that adopted tiered 
rates based on call volume;
    (5) clarified the nature and extent that certain categories of 
costs are compensable from the Fund; and
    (6) addressed certain issues concerning the management and 
oversight of the Fund, including prohibiting financial incentives 
offered to consumers to make relay calls.
    The 2007 TRS Cost Recovery Order requires that state relay 
administrators and TRS providers submit to the TRS Fund administrator 
the following information annually, for intrastate traditional TRS, 
STS, and CTS:
    (1) The per-minute compensation rate(s) and other compensation 
received for the provision of TRS;
    (2) whether the rate applies to session minutes or conversation 
minutes, which are a subset of session minutes;
    (3) the number of intrastate session minutes; and
    (4) the number of intrastate conversation minutes.
    Also, STS providers must file a report annually with the TRS Fund 
administrator and the Commission on their specific outreach efforts 
directly attributable to the additional compensation approved by the 
Commission for STS outreach.
    In 2011, to help prevent waste, fraud, and abuse, the Commission 
adopted three VRS orders to curtail these harmful practices. Each of 
these orders (collectively, the 2011 VRS Orders) included information 
collection requirements.
    On April 6, 2011, in document FCC 11-54, the Commission released 
the 2011 Fraud Prevention Order, published at 76 FR 30841, May 27, 
2011, which included several measures designed to eliminate the waste, 
fraud and abuse, while ensuring that VRS remains a viable and a 
valuable communication tool for Americans who use it on a daily basis.
    On July 28, 2011, in document FCC 11-118 the Commission released 
the VRS Certification Order, published at 76 FR 47469, August 5, 2011, 
amending its rules for certifying internet-based TRS providers as 
eligible for payment from the Interstate TRS Fund (Fund) for their 
provision of internet-based TRS.
    On October 17, 2011, in document FCC 11-155, the Commission 
released the Second VRS Certification Order, published at 76 FR 67070, 
October 31, 2011, addressing three petitions related to the VRS 
Certification Order by revising the burdens contained in the 
requirements for the submission of documentation of a provider's VRS 
equipment and technologies and the

[[Page 51702]]

submission of documentation regarding sponsorship arrangements.
    The following are the final information collection requirements 
contained in the 2011 VRS Orders:
    (1) The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Financial Officer 
(CFO), or other senior executive of a TRS provider shall certify, under 
penalty of perjury, that: (1) Minutes submitted to the Interstate TRS 
Fund (Fund) administrator for compensation were handled in compliance 
with the Commission's rules and are not the result of impermissible 
financial incentives to generate calls, and (2) cost and demand data 
submitted to the Fund administrator related to the determination of 
compensation rates are true and correct.
    (2) VRS providers shall: (a) Submit to the Commission and the TRS 
Fund administrator a call center report twice a year and (b) notify the 
Commission and the TRS Fund administrator at least 30 days prior to any 
change to their call centers' locations.
    (3) VRS providers shall submit detailed call data records (CDRs) 
and speed of answer compliance data to the Fund administrator.
    (4) TRS providers shall use an automated record keeping system to 
capture the CDRs and shall submit such data electronically in 
standardized form to the TRS Fund administrator.
    (5) internet-based TRS providers shall retain the CDRs that are 
used to support payment claims submitted to the Fund administrator for 
a minimum of five years, in an electronic format.
    (6) VRS providers shall: (a) Maintain copies of all third-party 
contracts or agreements and make them available to the Commission and 
the TRS Fund administrator upon request; and (b) describe all 
agreements in connection with marketing and outreach activities in 
their annual submissions to the TRS Fund administrator.
    (7) TRS providers shall provide information about their TRS 
whistleblower protections to all employees and contractors, in writing.
    In 2018, the Commission released the IP CTS Modernization Order, 
published at 83 FR 30082, June 27, 2018, in which the Commission:
    (1) Determined that it would transition the methodology for IP CTS 
cost recovery from the MARS plan to cost-based rates and adopted 
interim rates; and
    (2) added two cost reporting requirements for IP CTS providers: (i) 
In annual cost data filings and supplementary information provided to 
the TRS Fund administrator, IP CTS providers that contract for the 
supply of services used in the provision of TRS, shall include 
information about payments under such contracts, classified according 
to the substantive cost categories specified by the TRS Fund 
administrator; and (ii) in the course of an audit or otherwise upon 
demand, IP CTS providers must make available any relevant 
documentation. 47 CFR 64.604(c)(5)(iii)(D)(1), (6).
    OMB Control No.: 3060-1124.
    Title: 80.231, Technical Requirements for Class B Automatic 
Identification System (AIS) Equipment.
    Form No.: Not applicable.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.
    Number of Respondents: 20 respondents; 50,020 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 1 hour per requirement.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting 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. 154, 303, 307(e), 309 and 332 of the Communications Act of 1934, 
as amended.
    Total Annual Burden: 50,020 hours.
    Annual Cost Burden: $25,000.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: There is no need for 
confidentiality with this collection of information.
    Needs and Uses: On September 19, 2008, the Commission adopted a 
Second Report and Order, FCC 08-208, which added a new section 80.231, 
which requires that manufacturers of Class B Automatic Identification 
Systems (AIS) transmitters for the Marine Radio Service include with 
each transmitting device a statement explaining how to enter static 
information accurately and a warning statement that entering inaccurate 
information is prohibited. The Commission is seeking to extend this 
collection in order to obtain the full three-year clearance from OMB. 
Specifically, the information collection requires that manufacturers of 
AIS transmitters label each transmitting device with the following 
statement: WARNING: It is a violation of the rules of the Federal 
Communications Commission to input an MMSI that has not been properly 
assigned to the end user, or to otherwise input any inaccurate data in 
this device. Additionally, prior to submitting a certification 
application (FCC Form 731, OMB Control Number 3060-0057) for a Class B 
AIS device, the following information must be submitted in duplicate to 
the Commandant (CG-521), U.S. Coast Guard, 2100 2nd Street SW, 
Washington, DC 20593-0001: (1) The name of the manufacturer or grantee 
and the model number of the AIS device; and (2) copies of the test 
report and test data obtained from the test facility showing that the 
device complies with the environmental and operational requirements 
identified in IEC 62287-1. After reviewing the information described in 
the certification application, the U.S. Coast Guard will issue a letter 
stating whether the AIS device satisfies all of the requirements 
specified in IEC 62287-1. A certification application for an AIS device 
submitted to the Commission must contain a copy of the U.S. Coast Guard 
letter stating that the device satisfies all of the requirements 
specified in IEC-62287-1, a copy of the technical test data and the 
instruction manual(s).
    These reporting and third-party disclosure requirements aid the 
Commission monitoring advance marine vessel tracking and navigation 
information transmitted from Class B AIS devices to ensure that they 
are accurate and reliable, while promoting marine safety.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-18315 Filed 8-20-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P