[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 147 (Wednesday, August 4, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41970-41971]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-16636]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-0999; FR ID 41410]


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 
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 September 3, 
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 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 No.: 3060-0999.
    Title: Hearing Aid Compatibility Status Report and Section 20.19, 
Hearing Aid-Compatible Mobile Handsets (Hearing Aid Compatibility Act).
    Form Numbers: FCC Form 655 and FCC Form 855.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.
    Number of Respondents: 934 respondents; 934 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 13.9710921 hours per response 
(average).
    Frequency of Response: On occasion and annual reporting 
requirements, recordkeeping requirements, and third-party disclosure 
requirements.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 47 
U.S.C. 151, 154(i), 157, 160, 201, 202, 214, 301, 303, 308, 309(j), 310 
and 610 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
    Total Annual Burden: 13,049 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No cost.
    Privacy Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Information requested in the 
reports and certifications may include confidential information. 
However, covered entities are allowed to request that such materials 
submitted to the Commission be withheld from public inspection.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission will submit the revised information 
collection to OMB to obtain a full three-year clearance. The changes 
being made to the information collect concern the Commission's wireless 
hearing aid compatibility rules as they relate to the obligations of 
wireless handset manufacturers and wireless service providers to: (1) 
Label and disclose certain information related to handset packaging; 
(2) post certain information on their publicly accessible websites; and 
(3) file annual status reports and certifications. No changes are being 
made to the information collection as related to standards development 
and the approved number of estimated respondents and responses.
    The revisions to the information collection are necessitated by a 
Report and Order in WT Docket No. 20-3, FCC 21-28, adopted on February 
16, 2021. In this Report and Order, the Commission adopted a new 
technical standard for determining hearing aid compatibility

[[Page 41971]]

between hearing aids and wireless handsets and made other corresponding 
and implementation changes. In addition, the Commission revised the 
information that handset manufacturers and service providers must 
include on hearing aid-compatible wireless handset package labels and 
in the related package inserts or user manuals. The Commission revised 
the labeling rule in order to streamline the rule and remove outdated 
requirements. The new rule requires that the package label provide the 
volume control capabilities of a hearing aid-compatible handset that 
meets volume control requirements, and it maintains the requirement 
that a hearing aid-compatible handset's package label state that the 
handset is hearing aid-compatible. The new rule still requires hearing 
aid-compatible handsets to list the handset's hearing aid-compatible 
rating, but moves the location in which it is required to be listed 
from the package label to the package insert or user manual. The other 
requirements for package inserts and user manuals have not changed, but 
the requirements have been reorganized to make them easier to follow. 
The Commission's labeling revisions continue to allow consumers to 
access the information that they need to understand the hearing aid 
compatibility of handsets they are considering for purchase. At the 
same time, the labeling revisions give handset manufacturers and 
service providers flexibility in designing package labels and conveying 
supplemental information.
    The Report and Order also revised website posting requirements for 
handset manufacturers and service providers. The revised rule requires 
handset manufacturers and service providers to post to their publicly 
accessible websites the technical standard used to determine hearing 
aid compatibility in addition to the information that handset 
manufacturers and service providers are presently required to post. 
Since handset manufacturers and service providers are already required 
to include the technical standard used to determine hearing aid 
compatibility in package inserts or user manuals for hearing aid-
compatible handsets, this change will not substantially impact the 
existing paperwork burden estimates that OMB has already approved for 
this information collection. Further, the website posting requirement 
has been revised to eliminate the requirement that service providers 
post to their publicly accessible websites the different levels of 
functionality of the hearing aid-compatible handsets that they offer to 
the public. This change offsets any burden added by the requirement 
that service providers post the technical standard used to determine 
hearing aid compatibility.
    Finally, the Report and Order addressed the status reporting and 
certification requirements for handset manufacturers and service 
providers. The Report and Order revised the dates that service 
providers must file their FCC Form 855 certifications and handset 
manufacturers must file their FCC Form 655 status reports. The forms 
were due January 15 and July 15 each year, respectfully, and now are 
due by January 31 and July 31. These changes were made to accommodate 
Federal holidays at the start of January and July and to make sure the 
forms contain information for the full preceding 12-month periods. The 
Commission uses these forms as the principal way to ensure compliance 
with its wireless hearing aid compatibility requirements. The 
Commission is also revising the forms to reflect the Commission's 
current hearing aid compatibility de minimis provisions and to reflect 
the Commission's new mailing address.
    The changes the Commission is making will not affect the number of 
respondents or responses, burden hours, or costs presently approved by 
OMB for this information collection. The Commission requests that OMB 
approve the proposed revisions to the currently approved information 
collection in order to implement the changes the Commission adopted in 
the Report and Order. These changes benefit handset manufacturers and 
service providers by reducing regulatory burden while continuing to 
ensure that the Commission can fulfill its statutory obligation to 
monitor compliance with its hearing aid compatibility rules and make 
more complete and accessible information available to consumers. All 
other paperwork burden requirements previously approved by OMB for this 
information collection remain unchanged.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-16636 Filed 8-3-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P