[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 83 (Monday, May 3, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23365-23366]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-09225]


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FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request

AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Trade Commission (``FTC'' or ``Commission'') 
requests that the Office of Management and Budget (``OMB'') extend for 
an additional three years the current Paperwork Reduction Act (``PRA'') 
clearance pertaining to the Commission's administrative activities, 
consisting of: (a) Responding to applications to the Commission 
pursuant to the Commission's Rules of Practice (Parts 1 and 4); (b) the 
FTC's consumer reporting systems; and (c) the FTC's program evaluation 
activities. That clearance expires on May 31, 2021.

DATES: Comments must be filed by June 2, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under Review--Open for 
Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kenny Wright, Attorney, Office of the 
General Counsel, (202) 326-2907, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, 
DC 20580.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title of Collection: FTC Administrative Activities.
    OMB Control Number: 3084-0169.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Affected Public: Private Sector: Businesses and other for-profit 
entities.
    Abstract: The FTC collects information to carry out its 
administrative responsibilities pursuant to its Rules of Practice. Any 
person, partnership, or corporation may request advice from the 
Commission or FTC staff regarding a course of action the requester 
contemplates. The Commission's rules require requesters to provide the 
information necessary to facilitate resolution of the requests, 
including information on the question to be resolved, the identity of 
the companies or persons involved, and other material facts. See FTC 
Rule 1.2, 16 CFR 1.2. In addition, the FTC's ethics regulations require 
former employees who are seeking ethical clearance to participate in 
FTC matters to submit screening affidavits to facilitate resolution of 
their requests. See FTC Rule 4.1(b), 16 CFR 4.1(b). These requirements 
prevent the improper use of confidential nonpublic information acquired 
while working at the FTC. The Commission's Rules of Practice also 
authorize outside parties to request employee testimony, through 
compulsory process or otherwise, and to request documentary material 
through compulsory process in cases or matters to which the agency is 
not a party. See FTC Rule 4.11(e), 16 CFR 4.11(e). These rules require 
persons seeking testimony or material from the Commission to submit a 
statement in support of the request setting forth the party's interest 
in the case or matter, the relevance of the desired testimony or 
material, and a discussion of whether it is reasonably available from 
other sources.
    The FTC also allows consumers to report fraud, identity theft, 
National Do Not Call Registry violations, and other violations of law 
through telephone hotlines and three online consumer report forms. 
Consumers may call a hotline phone number or log on to the FTC's 
website to report violations using the applicable reporting forms. The 
provision of this information is voluntary. The FTC also conducts 
customer satisfaction surveys regarding the support that the 
Commission's Consumer Response Center provides to consumers to obtain 
information about the overall effectiveness of the call center and 
online complaint intake forms.
    The FTC also conducts evaluations of its competition advocacy 
program and the effectiveness of its merger divestiture orders. The 
FTC's Competition Advocacy Program draws on the Commission's expertise 
in competition and consumer protection matters to encourage federal and 
state legislatures, courts, and other state and federal agencies to 
consider the effects of proposed actions on consumers and competition. 
Statutory authority for the advocacy program is found in part in 
sections 6(a) and (f) of the FTC Act. 15 U.S.C. 46(a) and (f). In 
addition, following an order of divestiture in a merger matter, the 
FTC's Bureau of Competition's Compliance Division conducts brief calls 
with acquirers of divested assets to assess the effectiveness of these 
divestitures.

[[Page 23366]]

    Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 452,318 hours.
    Estimated Annual Labor Costs: $26,890.
    Estimated Annual Non-Labor Costs: $0.
    Request for Comment: On January 11, 2021, the Commission sought 
comment on the information collection requirements associated with the 
FTC's Administrative Activities. 86 FR 1971 (Jan. 11, 2021). No 
relevant comments were received. Pursuant to the OMB regulations, 5 CFR 
part 1320, the FTC is providing this second opportunity for public 
comment while seeking OMB approval to renew clearance for the Rule's 
information collection requirements.
    Your comment--including your name and your state--will be placed on 
the public record of this proceeding. Because your comment will be made 
public, you are solely responsible for making sure that your comment 
does not include any sensitive personal information, like anyone's 
Social Security number, date of birth, driver's license number or other 
state identification number or foreign country equivalent, passport 
number, financial account number, or credit or debit card number. You 
are also solely responsible for making sure that your comment does not 
include any sensitive health information, like medical records or other 
individually identifiable health information. In addition, do not 
include any ``[t]rade secret or any commercial or financial information 
which is . . . privileged or confidential'' as provided in Section 6(f) 
of the FTC Act 15 U.S.C. 46(f), and FTC Rule 4.10(a)(2), 16 CFR 
4.10(a)(2). In particular, do not include competitively sensitive 
information such as costs, sales statistics, inventories, formulas, 
patterns devices, manufacturing processes, or customer names.

Josephine Liu,
Assistant General Counsel for Legal Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2021-09225 Filed 4-30-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6750-01-P