[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 187 (Friday, September 25, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60465-60466]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-21176]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-1202; FRS 17096]


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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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 October 26, 
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: 3060-1202.
    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

[[Page 60466]]

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 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. 2020-21176 Filed 9-24-20; 8:45 am]
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