[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 35 (Tuesday, February 22, 2022)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 9453-9454]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-03647]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 54

[WC Docket No. 10-90; FCC 19-95, FCC 20-5; FR ID 72341]


Connect America Fund

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule; announcement of effective date.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Federal Communications Commission 
(Commission) announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
has approved, for a period of three years, an information collection 
associated with the rules for the Connect America Fund contained in the 
Commission's Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and the Connect USVI Fund, FCC 
19-95 and the 2020 Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Order, FCC 20-5. This 
document is consistent with the Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and the 
Connect USVI Fund Order and the 2020 Rural Digital Opportunity Fund 
Order, which stated that the Commission would publish a document in the 
Federal Register announcing the effective date of the revised 
information collection requirements.

DATES: The amendments to Sec. Sec.  54.316(a)(7) and (b)(7), 54.1503, 
54.1513, and 54.1514, published at 84 FR 59937, November 7, 2019, and 
Sec.  54.316(a)(8), (b)(5), and (c)(1) published at 85 FR 13773, March 
10, 2020, are effective February 22, 2022.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jesse Jachman, Wireline Competition 
Bureau at (202) 418-7400. For additional information concerning the 
Paperwork Reduction Act information collection requirements contact 
Nicole Ongele at (202) 418-2991 or via email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commission submitted revised information 
collection requirements for review and approval by OMB, as required by 
the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, on October 19, 2021. OMB 
approved the revised information collection requirements on January 5, 
2022. The information collection requirements are contained in the 
Commission's Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and the Connect USVI Fund 
Order, FCC 19-95, published at 84 FR 59937, November 7, 2019 and the 
2020 Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Order, FCC 20-5, published at 85 FR 
13773, March 10, 2020. The OMB Control Number is 3060-1228. The 
Commission publishes this document as an announcement of the effective 
date of the rules published on November 7, 2019 and March 10, 2020. If 
you have any comments on the burden estimates listed in the following, 
or how the Commission can improve the collections and reduce any 
burdens caused thereby, please contact Nicole Ongele, Federal 
Communications Commission, 45 L Street NE, Washington, DC 20554. Please 
include the OMB Control Number, 3060-1228, in your correspondence. The 
Commission will also accept your comments via email at [email protected]. To 
request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities 
(Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an email 
to [email protected] or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau 
at (202) 418-0530.

Synopsis

    As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3507), the Commission is notifying the public that it received OMB 
approval on January 5, 2022, for the amendments to 47 CFR 54.316(a)(7) 
and (b)(7), 54.1503, 54.1513 and 54.1514 published at 84 FR 59937, 
November 7, 2019 and 47 CFR 54.316(a)(8), (b)(5) and (c)(1) published 
at 85 FR 13773, March 10, 2020. Under 5 CFR part 1320, an agency may 
not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a 
current, valid OMB Control Number. No person shall be subject to any 
penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information subject 
to the Paperwork Reduction Act that does not display a current, valid 
OMB Control Number. The OMB Control Number is 3060-1228. The foregoing 
notice is required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 
104-13, October 1, 1995, and 44 U.S.C. 3507.
    The total annual reporting burdens and costs for the respondents 
are as follows:
    OMB Control Number: 3060-1228.
    OMB Approval Date: January 5, 2022.
    OMB Expiration Date: January 31, 2025.
    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. The Commission notes 
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

[[Page 9454]]

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 
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. 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 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.
    The Commission therefore revises this information collection 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.
[FR Doc. 2022-03647 Filed 2-18-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P