[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 228 (Wednesday, November 25, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75321-75322]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-26095]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-1166; FRS 17255]


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 January 
25, 2021. 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 Cathy Williams, FCC, via email to 
[email protected] and to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information about the 
information collection, contact Cathy Williams at (202) 418-2918.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    OMB Control Number: 3060-1166.
    Title: Section 1.21001, Participation in Competitive Bidding for 
Support;

[[Page 75322]]

Section 1.21002, Prohibition of Certain Communications During the 
Competitive Bidding Process.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities, not-for-profit 
institutions, and state, local or tribal governments.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 750 respondents and 750 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 1.5 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for this information collection 47 U.S.C. 154, 254 
and 303(r).
    Total Annual Burden: 1,125 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No cost.
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Information collected in each 
application to participate in an auction for universal service support 
will be made available for public inspection, and the Commission is not 
requesting that respondents submit confidential information to the 
Commission as part of the pre-auction application process. However, to 
the extent that a respondent seeks to have certain information 
collected in an application to participate in an auction for universal 
service support or in a report of a prohibited communication withheld 
from public inspection, the respondent may request confidential 
treatment of such information pursuant to section 0.459 of the 
Commission's rules, 47 CFR Section 0.459.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Needs and Uses: The information required by section 1.21001 of the 
Commission's rules that is collected under this information collection 
is used by the Commission to determine whether applicants are eligible 
to participate in auctions for Universal Service Fund support. The 
reports of prohibited communications made or received by an auction 
applicant required by section 1.21002 of the Commission's rules that 
are collected under this information collection enable the Commission 
to ensure that no bidder gains an unfair advantage over other bidders 
in its auctions for universal service support and thus enhance the 
competitiveness and fairness of Commission's auctions for universal 
service support.
    On November 18, 2011, the Commission released an order 
comprehensively reforming and modernizing the universal service and 
intercarrier compensation systems to ensure that robust, affordable 
voice and broadband service, both fixed and mobile, are available to 
Americans throughout the nation. Connect America Fund et al., Order and 
Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 11-161 (USF/ICC 
Transformation Order). In the USF/ICC Transformation Order, the 
Commission, among other things, created (1) the Connect America Fund 
(CAF), to help make broadband available to homes, businesses, and 
community anchor institutions in areas that do not, or would not 
otherwise, have broadband, (2) the Mobility Fund, to ensure the 
availability of mobile broadband networks in areas where a private-
sector business case, (3) the Remote Areas Fund (RAF), to ensure that 
Americans living in the most remote areas in the nation, where the cost 
of deploying traditional terrestrial broadband networks is extremely 
high, can obtain affordable access through alternative technology 
platforms, including satellite and unlicensed wireless services. The 
USF/ICC Transformation Order directed that support under CAF Phase II, 
the Mobility Fund, and the RAF be awarded by competitive bidding. The 
Commission adopted rules to implement the reforms it adopted in the 
USF/ICC Transformation Order, including rules in Part 1, Subpart AA of 
the Commission's rules governing competitive bidding for universal 
service support generally. See 47 CFR 1.21001-1.21004.
    On October 27, 2020, the Commission adopted a Report and Order in 
which it, among other things, amended its existing Part 1, Subpart AA 
general universal service competitive bidding rules to codify policies 
and procedures applicable to the universal service auction application 
process that have been adopted in its recent universal service 
auctions, better align provisions in the universal service competitive 
bidding rules with like provisions in the Commission's spectrum auction 
rules, and make other updates for consistency, clarification, and other 
purposes that would apply in all universal service auctions. 
Establishing a 5G Fund for Rural America, Report and Order, FCC 20-150 
(5G Fund Report and Order). The amended Part 1, Subpart AA rules 
adopted in the 5G Fund Report and Order apply to applicants seeking to 
participate in future Commission auctions for universal service 
support.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-26095 Filed 11-24-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P