[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 106 (Friday, June 2, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36282-36283]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-11726]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; NTIA Internet Use Survey

AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA), Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to comment on proposed and continuing information 
collections to help us assess the impact of our information collection 
requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of 
this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment preceding 
submission of the collection to OMB.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before August 1, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Rafi Goldberg, Senior Policy Advisor, Digital Equity, NTIA, 1401 
Constitution

[[Page 36283]]

Avenue NW, Suite 4725, Washington, DC 20230, or via email at 
[email protected]. Please reference OMB Control Number 0660-0021 in 
the subject line of your comments. Do not submit Confidential Business 
Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed 
to Rafi Goldberg, Senior Policy Advisor, Digital Equity, NTIA, 1401 
Constitution Avenue NW, Suite 4725, Washington, DC 20230, at (202) 482-
4375 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    NTIA seeks approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) to add 
65 questions to the November 2023 edition of the U.S. Census Bureau's 
Current Population Survey (CPS). This collection of questions is known 
as the NTIA Internet Use Survey and is also referred to as the CPS 
Computer and Internet Use Supplement. NTIA has sponsored sixteen such 
surveys since 1994.
    President Biden has made clear the Administration's goal to ensure 
that ``every community in America has access to affordable, high-speed 
internet.'' \1\ Digitally connected Americans populate the modern 
workforce, drive creative innovation throughout the economy, and ensure 
a growing customer base to help sustain our nation's global 
competitiveness; data from the NTIA Internet Use Survey will inform 
policies aimed at achieving digital equity so that the internet's 
benefits are accessible to all Americans. The research and policy 
analysis enabled by this data collection are particularly important in 
light of the historic investments being made through the Biden-Harris 
Administration's internet for All programs, and following a pandemic 
that has further highlighted the importance of the internet in daily 
life.
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    \1\ ``Remarks by President Biden in State of the Union Address, 
February 7, 2023,'' available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/02/07/remarks-by-president-biden-in-state-of-the-union-address-2/.
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    NTIA is working with Congress, the Federal Communications 
Commission (FCC), other federal agencies, state and local governments, 
industry, and nonprofits to develop and promote policies that foster 
ubiquitous broadband deployment, adoption, and effective use. These 
policies help to ensure that families and businesses can obtain 
competitively priced high-speed internet service, and that everyone is 
able to gain the skills necessary to use the technology. Collecting 
current, systematic, and comprehensive information on internet use and 
non-use by U.S. households is critical to enabling policymakers to 
gauge progress made to date and identify specific areas and demographic 
groups in which adoption is a concern with a specificity that permits 
carefully targeted and cost-effective responses.
    The U.S. Census Bureau is widely regarded as a premier data 
collector based on centuries of experience and rigorous scientific 
methods. Collection of NTIA's requested internet usage data will occur 
in conjunction with a future edition of the U.S. Census Bureau's CPS, 
thereby significantly reducing the potential burdens on the U.S. Census 
Bureau and on surveyed households.
    The U.S. government has a pressing need for comprehensive data in 
this area. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), NTIA, and 
the FCC have issued reports noting the importance of useful broadband 
data for policymakers. Moreover, Congress has passed legislation--
including the Broadband Data Improvement Act, the American Recovery and 
Reinvestment Act, the Broadband DATA Act, the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2021, and most recently, the Infrastructure 
Investment and Jobs Act--wholly or in part to facilitate data 
collection, research, and policy analysis in this area. Modifying the 
CPS to include NTIA's requested internet use questions will enable the 
Commerce Department and NTIA to respond to congressional concerns and 
directives. It will also enable NTIA to continue using timely data in 
the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program, which employs a 
funding formula that by law must be based in part on estimates from the 
NTIA Internet Use Survey.\2\
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    \2\ 47 U.S.C. 1723(d)(3)(A)(i).
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    NTIA has made a copy of the proposed information collection 
instrument available at https://www.ntia.gov/federal-register-notice/2023/2023-internet-use-survey-information-collection.

II. Method of Collection

    The NTIA internet Use Survey will be administered by the U.S. 
Census Bureau as a supplement to the CPS. Data will be collected 
through personal visits and live telephone interviews using computer-
assisted telephone interviewing and computer-assisted personal 
interviewing.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0660-0021.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission; Revision of a current 
information collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals and households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 50,000 households.
    Estimated Time per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 8,334.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: 47 U.S.C. 902(b)(2)(M), (P).

IV. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting public comments to permit NTIA to: (a) Evaluate 
whether the proposed information collection is necessary for the proper 
functioning of the Department, including whether the information will 
have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of 
the time and cost burden for this proposed collection, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) Evaluate ways to 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden on those who are to 
respond, including via the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone 
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in 
your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including 
any personal identifying information that you include--may be made 
publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to 
withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we 
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023-11726 Filed 6-1-23; 8:45 am]
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