[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 187 (Friday, September 25, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60483-60484]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-21188]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

[Docket No. CISA-2020-0010]


SAFECOM Membership Questionnaire

AGENCY: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), 
Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

ACTION: 60-Day Notice and request for comments; New collection (Request 
for a new OMB Control Number, 1670-NEW.

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SUMMARY: DHS CISA Emergency Communications Division (ECD) will submit 
the following Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until November 24, 
2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number CISA-
2020-0010, by one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Please follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Email: [email protected]. Please include docket 
number CISA-2020-0010 in the subject line of the message.
     Mail: Written comments and questions about this 
Information Collection Request should be forwarded to DHS/CISA/ECD, 
ATTN: 1670-NEW, 245 Murray Lane SW, Mailstop 0613, Washington, DC 
20598-0613.
     Faxed: CISA ECD--ATTN: Robert Rhoads c/o Ralph Barnett III 
at (703) 705-6130.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the words 
``Department of Homeland Security'' and the docket number for this 
action. Comments received will be posted without alteration at http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice may be made available 
to the public through relevant websites. For this reason, please do not 
include in your comments information of a confidential nature, such as 
sensitive personal information or proprietary information. If you send 
an email comment, your email address will be automatically captured and 
included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket and 
made available on the internet. Please note that responses to this 
public comment request containing any routine notice about the 
confidentiality of the communication will be treated as public comments 
that may be made available to the public notwithstanding the inclusion 
of the routine notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Ralph Barnett III at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 16, 2018, Congress passed Public 
Law 115-278, to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101 
et seq.), enacted and authorized the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure 
Security Agency (CISA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). 
Statue 4173 Sec.  (f)(3) under title XVIII mandated CISA to construct 
the Emergency Communications Division as one of three components. 
Furthermore, Statue 4173 Sec.  (f)(3) calls for the Emergency 
Communications Division to be headed by the Assistant Director. Statue 
4175 Sec.  (c)(1)(2) (6 U.S.C. 571 note.) re-designated the Office of 
Emergency Communications to become the Emergency Communications 
Division, headed by the Assistant Director. In accordance with Statue 
4179 Sec.  1801 (6 U.S.C. 571)(b) title XVIII, the Assistant Director 
for the Emergency Communications Division is required to report to the 
Director of CISA. Section 2202 (6 U.S.C. 652)(b)(1) specifies for the 
head of CISA to be re-designated as the Director, who is required to 
report to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
    CISA enhances public safety interoperable communications at all 
levels of government to help partners across the country develop their 
emergency communications capabilities. Working with stakeholders across 
the country, CISA conducts extensive, nationwide outreach to support 
and promote the ability of emergency response providers and relevant 
government officials to continue to communicate in the event of a 
natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other man-made disaster. Public 
Law 109-296, Title VI, Sec.  671(b), Title XVIII, Sec.  1801(c)(2) 
mandates DHS through CISA to administrate and manage SAFECOM, a state, 
local, tribal, and territorial stakeholder-driven public

[[Page 60484]]

safety communications program. In an effort to resolve major 
communications issues identified during the September 11, 2001, 
terrorist attacks, SAFECOM was created as a Presidential E-Government 
Initiative to improve interoperability, allowing emergency responders 
to communicate more effectively before, during, and after emergencies 
and disasters.
    Through collaboration with emergency responders and elected 
officials across all levels of government, SAFECOM works to improve 
emergency response providers' inter-jurisdictional and 
interdisciplinary emergency communications interoperability across 
local, regional, tribal, State, territorial, international borders, and 
with Federal government entities. SAFECOM works with existing Federal 
communications programs and key emergency response stakeholders to 
address the need to develop better technologies and processes for the 
coordination of existing communications systems and future networks.
    The SAFECOM Membership Questionnaire is an internal SAFECOM 
document disseminated only to active SAFECOM Members. SAFECOM uses the 
Questionnaire to identify membership gaps, obtain updated information 
on SAFECOM's membership body (e.g., public safety communications 
experience, accolades, acquired skills/certifications, etc.), update 
SAFECOM marketing materials, and to assist SAFECOM when responding 
General Accounting Office (GAO) inquiries.
    The DHS/CISA/ECD will disseminate the SAFECOM Membership 
Questionnaire to active SAFECOM Members as a fillable PDF document. 
SAFECOM intends to use the Questionnaire to examine its Membership 
body, identify membership gaps obtain updated information on SAFECOM's 
membership body (e.g., public safety communications experience, 
accolades, acquired skills/certifications, etc.), update SAFECOM 
marketing materials, and to assist SAFECOM when responding General 
Accounting Office (GAO) inquiries.
    The Questionnaire will encompass eight interdependent sections of 
questions. The SAFECOM Internal Membership section requests each Member 
to provide their name, state of residence, and the number of hours per 
month he/she contributes SAFECOM led initiatives (e.g., conference 
calls and deliverable development). SAFECOM consists of public safety 
association representatives and at-large members. The Association 
Representative Information section pertains to public safety 
associations represented in SAFECOM. Association Representatives 
serving in SAFECOM are asked to provide the name of their Association, 
approximate Association size, Association contact, and addition 
Association point-of-contact (POC) information. At-large members are 
instructed to skip to the next section. Public Safety Service section 
will focus on questions related to each Member's public safety and 
first responder career. Members are asked to designate their current 
public safety status (i.e., active, retired, other), to identify their 
public safety discipline(s), to provide level of government for current 
employment (e.g., state, local, tribal, territorial, federal), to 
provide years of service, to list current agency and agency's contact 
information, to provide a brief description on their current role and 
responsibilities, to select the population range that best describes 
the population of your current organization's jurisdiction serviced, to 
indicate the number of public safety personnel employed at your current 
organization, to indicate the number of responses your current 
organization responds to each year, and if current position entails 
collaborating with Tribal Nations. The Volunteer Experience section 
asks Members to provide details on their volunteer experience. The 
Public Safety Experience section asks Members to identify the public 
safety events he/she responded to throughout their career, and to 
identify the communications technology he/she has used. The Education 
section focuses on the education (e.g., which is an optional question), 
proficiencies, and professional certifications. External Conference 
Attendance section focuses on Member's experience at public safety 
conferences as well as their interest in representing SAFECOM in the 
future at a conference. The final section focuses on Members public 
safety usage.
    This is a NEW collection of information.
    OMB is particularly interested in comments that:
    1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submissions of responses.
    Title of Collection: SAFECOM Membership Questionnaire.
    OMB Control Number: 1670-NEW.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Affected Public: State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Governments.
    Number of Annualized Respondents: 50.
    Estimated Time per Respondent: 0.25 hours.
    Total Annualized Burden Hours: 12.5 hours.
    Total Annualized Respondent Opportunity Cost: $0.
    Total Annualized Respondent Out-of-Pocket: $0.
    Total Annualized Government Cost: $984.96.

Richard S. Libby,
Deputy Chief Information Officer, Department of Homeland Security, 
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
[FR Doc. 2020-21188 Filed 9-24-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-9P-P