[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 152 (Wednesday, August 11, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44019-44020]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-17114]



[[Page 44019]]

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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-1228; FR ID 42331]


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 October 
12, 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 Nicole Ongele, FCC, via email 
[email protected] and to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information about the 
information collection, contact Nicole Ongele, (202) 418-2991.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Control Number: 3060-1228.
    Title: Connect America Fund--High Cost Portal Filing.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit, not-for-profit 
institutions.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 2,024 unique respondents; 
4,644 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 8 hours-60 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion, quarterly reporting 
requirements, annual reporting requirements, and recordkeeping 
requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 47 
U.S.C. 151-154, 155, 201-206, 214, 218-220, 251, 252, 254, 256, 303(r), 
332, 403, 405, 410, and 1302.
    Total Annual Burden: 86,727 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No cost.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Except for the middle-mile 
maps for Alaska Plan carriers, and the coverage maps and information 
for Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and Connect USVI Fund Stage 2 mobile 
support recipients, the Commission is not requesting respondents to 
submit confidential information to the Commission. We note that the 
Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) must preserve the 
confidentiality of all data obtained from respondents and contributors 
to the universal service support program mechanism; must not use the 
data except for purposes of administering the universal service support 
program; and must not disclose data in company-specific form unless 
directed to do so by the Commission. Also, respondents may request 
materials or information submitted to the Commission or to the 
Administrator believed confidential to be withheld from public 
inspection under 47 CFR 0.459 of the FCC's rules.
    Needs and Uses: Through several orders, the Commission has recently 
changed or modified reporting obligations for high-cost support. 
Pursuant to the following orders, this collection includes location 
reporting and related certification requirements of high-cost support 
recipients: Connect America Fund et al., Report and Order, Order and 
Order on Reconsideration, and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 31 
FCC Rcd 3087 (2016) (2016 Rate-of-Return Order); Connect America Fund 
et al., Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 31 
FCC Rcd 5949 (2016) (Phase II Auction Order); Connect America Fund et 
al., Order, 31 FCC Rcd 12086 (2016) (ACS Phase II Order); Connect 
America Fund et al., Report and Order and Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking, 29 FCC Rcd 876 (2014) (Rural Broadband Experiments Order); 
Connect America Fund et al., Report and Order, 29 FCC Rcd 15644 (2014) 
(Price Cap Order); Technology Transitions et al., Order et al., 29 FCC 
Rcd 1433 (2014) (Tech Transitions Order); Connect America Fund et al., 
Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 31 FCC Rcd 
10139 (2016) (Alaska Plan Order); Connect America Fund et al., Order, 
32 FCC Rcd 968 (2017) (New York Auction Order); Connect America Fund et 
al., Report and Order, Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, and Order 
on Reconsideration, 33 FCC Rcd 11-893 (2018) (2018 Rate-of-Return 
Order); Uniendo a Puerto Rico and Connect USVI Fund et al., Report and 
Order and Order on Reconsideration, 34 FCC Rcd 9109 (2019) (PR-USVI 
Stage 2 Order); Rural Digital Opportunity Fund et al., Report and 
Order, 35 FCC Rcd 686 (2020) (2020 Rural Digital Opportunity Fund 
Order).
    This information collection addresses the requirement that certain 
carriers with high-cost reporting obligations must file information 
about the locations to which they have deployed broadband service 
meeting applicable public interest requirements (location information). 
A web-based portal, the High-Cost Universal Broadband Portal (HUBB or 
portal), is used to accept this information. The Commission and USAC 
will use this information to monitor the deployment progress of 
reporting carriers and to verify the reporting carriers' claims of 
service at the reported locations. Such activities help the Commission 
ensure that support is being used as intended. In addition, because 
data filed in the HUBB is publicly accessible, the reporting helps 
ensure public accountability and transparency.
    In the 2019 PR-USVI Stage 2 Order, the Commission created a 
competitive process to determine support recipients for the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As a result, 
carriers receiving support in these areas are subject to specific 
public interest obligations related to speed, usage, latency, and price 
as well as certain deployment milestones. Specifically, the Commission 
imposed defined deployment obligations and associated HUBB reporting 
requirements (annual location reporting and build-out certifications) 
for all Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and Connect USVI Fund Stage 2 fixed 
support recipients as well as annual reporting and certification

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requirements for all Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and Connect USVI Fund 
Stage 2 mobile support recipients.
    Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and Connect USVI Fund Stage 2 mobile 
support recipients will also file network coverage and other data as 
required by the Commission's orders. The Commission and USAC will use 
this information to monitor the deployment progress of mobile carriers 
and to verify that carriers meet the public interest obligations for 4G 
LTE and 5G mobile broadband and voice services in the Commonwealth of 
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Instead of filing in the HUBB 
portal, mobile support recipients will submit their reports 
electronically as part of a web form accessed via the Commission's Form 
477 portal (477 Portal) and the Electronic Comment Filing System 
(ECFS). This collection mechanism is being used to reduce the 
technological burden on the public and the Commission, as carriers and 
the public are familiar with both of these systems. The Commission's 
Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) will specify the filing process by 
which Stage 2 mobile support recipients must file their reports in the 
477 Portal prior to the filing deadlines.
    In the 2020 Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Order, the Commission 
adopted a support mechanism to provide funding through a competitive 
auction to connect rural homes and businesses to high-speed broadband 
networks. The Commission established specific public interest 
obligations and deployment milestones for all carriers receiving this 
support. Specifically, the Commission imposed defined deployment 
obligations and associated HUBB reporting requirements (annual location 
reporting and build-out certifications) for all support recipients. We 
therefore propose to revise this information collection. Finally, we 
propose to increase the burdens associated with existing and new 
reporting requirements to account for additional carriers that will be 
subject to these requirements.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-17114 Filed 8-10-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P