[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 6 (Monday, January 11, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1968-1969]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-00193]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-0761, 3060-1171; FRS 17367]


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 February 10, 
2021.

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

[[Page 1969]]

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: 3060-0761.
    Title: Section 79.1, Closed Captioning of Video Programming, CG 
Docket No. 05-231.
    Form No.: N/A.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities; Individuals or 
households; and Not-for-profit entities.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 64,218 respondents; 521,074 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.5 (30 minutes) to 30 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Annual reporting requirement; Third party 
disclosure requirement; Recordkeeping requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The 
statutory authority for this obligation is found at section 713 of the 
Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 613, and implemented 
at 47 CFR 79.1.
    Total Annual Burden: 727,143 hours.
    Annual Cost Burden: $34,350,444.
    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 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, published at 79 FR 48152, which 
became effective on September 24, 2014.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: Yes.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission seeks to extend existing information 
collection requirements in its closed captioning rules (47 CFR 79.1), 
which require that, with some exceptions, all new video programming, 
and 75 percent of ``pre-rule'' programming, be closed captioned. The 
existing collections include petitions by video programming providers, 
producers, and owners for exemptions from the closed captioning rules, 
responses by commenters, and replies; complaints by viewers alleging 
violations of the closed captioning rules, responses by video 
programming distributors (VPDs) and video programmers, recordkeeping in 
support of complaint responses, and compliance ladder obligations in 
the event of a pattern or trend of violations; recordkeeping of 
monitoring and maintenance activities; caption quality best practices 
procedures; making video programming distributor contact information 
available to viewers in phone directories, on the Commission's website 
and the websites of video programming distributors (if they have them), 
and in billing statements (to the extent video programming distributors 
issue them); and video programmers filing of contact information and 
compliance certifications with the Commission.
    On February 19, 2016, the Commission adopted the Closed Captioning 
Quality Second Report and Order, published at 81 FR 57473, August 23, 
2016, amending its rules to allocate the responsibilities of VPDs and 
video programmers with respect to the provision and quality of closed 
captioning. The Commission took the following actions, among others:
    (a) Required video programmers to file certifications with the 
Commission that (1) the video programmer (i) is in compliance with the 
rules requiring the inclusion of closed captions, and (ii) either is in 
compliance with the captioning quality standards or has adopted and is 
following related Best Practices; or (2) is exempt from the captioning 
obligation and specifies the exemption claimed.
    (b) Revised the procedures for receiving, serving, and addressing 
television closed captioning complaints in accordance with a burden-
shifting compliance model.
    (c) Established a compliance ladder for the Commission's television 
closed captioning quality requirements.
    (d) Required VPDs to use the Commission's web form when providing 
contact information to the VPD registry.
    (e) Required video programmers to register their contact 
information with the Commission for the receipt and handling of written 
closed captioning complaints.
    OMB Control Number: 3060-1171.
    Title: Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (``CALM'') Act; 
73.682(e) and 76.607(a).
    Form Number: Not applicable.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 2,937 respondents and 4,868 
responses.
    Frequency of Response: Recordkeeping requirement; Third party 
disclosure requirement; On occasion reporting requirement.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.25-80 hours.
    Total Annual Burden: 6,036 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No cost.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The 
statutory authority for this collection of information is contained in 
47 U.S.C. 151, 152, 154(i) and (j), 303(r) and 621.
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: There is no assurance of 
confidentiality provided to respondents with this collection of 
information.
    Privacy Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Needs and Uses: The Commission will use this information to 
determine compliance with the CALM Act. The CALM Act mandates that the 
Commission make the Advanced Television Systems Committee (``ATSC'') A/
85 Recommended Practice mandatory for all commercial TV stations and 
cable/multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs).

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-00193 Filed 1-8-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P