[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 124 (Thursday, June 29, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42070-42072]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-13841]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-0917; OMB 3060-1270; FR ID 150641]


Information Collections 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 
might ``further reduce the information collection burden for small 
business concerns with fewer than 25 employees.'' 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.

DATES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be submitted on or before July 31, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting 
``Currently under

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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 Nicole Ongele, 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 Nicole Ongele at (202) 418-2991. 
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: 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 Number: 3060-0917.
    Title: CORES Registration Form, FCC Form 160.
    Form Number: FCC Form 160.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Businesses or other for-profit entities; individuals 
or households; not-for-profit institutions; and State, local, or Tribal 
governments.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 145,726 respondents; 145,726 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 10 minutes (0.167 hours).
    Frequency of Response: One-time reporting requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for this information collection is contained in the 
Debt Collection Act of 1996 (DCCA), Public Law 104-134, chapter 10, 
section 31001.
    Total Annual Burden: 24,336 hours.
    Total Annual Costs: No cost.
    Needs and Uses: Respondents use FCC Form 160 to register in FCC's 
Commission Registration System (CORES). Entities must register in CORES 
to do regulatory transactions with FCC, including receiving licenses, 
paying fees, participating in auctions, etc. Without this collection of 
information, FCC would not have a database of the identity and contact 
information of the entities it does regulatory business with.
    OMB Control Number: 3060-1270.
    Title: Protecting National Security Through FCC Programs.
    Form Number: FCC Form 5640.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently-approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for profit entities.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 3,500 respondents; 6,584 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.5-12 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Annual, semiannual, and recordkeeping 
requirements.
    Obligation to Respond: Mandatory and required to obtain or retain 
benefits. Statutory authority for this information collection is 
contained in 47 U.S.C. 1603-1604.
    Total Annual Burden: 20,236 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: $472,500.
    Needs and Uses: The Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 
requires the ``preservation and advancement of universal service.'' 47 
U.S.C. 254(b). The information collection requirements reported under 
this collection are the result of the Commission's actions to promote 
the Act's universal service goals.
    On November 22, 2019, the Commission adopted the Protecting Against 
National Security Threats to the Communications Supply Chain Through 
FCC Programs, WC Docket No. 18-89, Report and Order, Order, and Further 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 34 FCC Rcd 11423 (2019) (Report and 
Order). The Report and Order prohibits future use of Universal Service 
Fund (USF) monies to purchase, maintain, improve, modify, obtain, or 
otherwise support any equipment or services produced or provided by a 
company that poses a national security threat to the integrity of 
communications networks or the communications supply chain.
    On March 12, 2020, the President signed into law the Secure and 
Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 (Secure Networks Act), 
Public Law 116-124, 133 Stat. 158 (2020) (codified as amended at 47 
U.S.C. 1601-1609), which, among other measures, directs the FCC to 
establish the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement 
Program (Reimbursement Program). This program is intended to provide 
funding to providers of advanced communications service for the 
removal, replacement and disposal of certain communications equipment 
and services that poses an unacceptable national security risk (i.e., 
covered equipment and services) from their networks. The Commission has 
designated two entities--Huawei Technologies Company (Huawei) and ZTE 
Corporation (ZTE), along with their affiliates, subsidiaries, and 
parents--as covered companies posing such a national security threat. 
See Protecting Against National Security Threats to the Communications 
Supply Chain Through FCC Programs--Huawei Designation, PS Docket No. 
19-351, Memorandum Opinion and Order, 35 FCC Rcd 14435 (2020); 
Protecting Against National Security Threats to the Communications 
Supply Chain Through FCC Programs--ZTE Designation, PS Docket No. 19-
352, Memorandum Opinion and Order, DA 20-1399 (PSHSB rel. Nov. 24, 
2020).
    On December 10, 2020, the Commission adopted the Second Report and 
Order implementing the Secure Networks Act, which contained new 
information collection requirements. See Protecting Against National 
Security Threats to the Communications Supply Chain Through FCC 
Programs, WC Docket No. 18-89, Second Report and Order, 35 FCC Rcd 
14284 (2020) (Second Report and Order). These requirements allow the 
Commission to receive, review and make eligibility determinations and 
funding decisions on applications to participate in the

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Reimbursement Program that are filed by certain providers of advanced 
communications service. These information collection requirements also 
assist the Commission in processing funding disbursement requests and 
in monitoring and furthering compliance with applicable program 
requirements to protect against waste, fraud, and abuse. Participation 
in the Reimbursement Program is voluntary, but compliance with the 
information collection requirements is required to obtain Reimbursement 
Program support.
    On August 3, 2021, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) 
released a Public Notice adopting procedures for filing and processing 
applications submitted for the Reimbursement Program. These procedures 
largely tracked the procedural rules previously adopted by the 
Commission in the Second Report and Order, but also adopted a new 
requirement that Reimbursement Program participants notify the 
Commission of changes in ownership, to ensure accurate information is 
on file for participants and to help protect the Reimbursement Program 
against waste, fraud, and abuse.
    This submission proposes to revise this currently-approved 
collection by deleting an existing question on FCC Form 5640 and 
replacing it with a more detailed query. The new question will ask 
program participants to describe in detail how they have spent 
Reimbursement Program funds. The addition of this question will allow 
the Bureau to satisfy its statutory obligations to collect information 
about how Reimbursement Program funds have been spent, including 
detailed accounting of the covered communications equipment and 
services permanently removed and disposed of, and the replacement 
equipment or services purchased, rented, leased, or otherwise obtained 
using Reimbursement Program funds, as well as to combat waste, fraud, 
and abuse, as required under the Secure Networks Act. The Bureau 
determined that FCC Form 5640 required this revision in order to elicit 
the information necessary for the Bureau to better satisfy its 
statutory obligations.
    This proposed addition will increase the information collected, and 
will impose an additional burden on respondents, which will vary with 
the number of invoices respondents submit during the relevant reporting 
period. However, this submission also reflects a decrease in the 
estimated total annual responses, total annual burden hours, and total 
annual costs for this collection. These adjustments are due to a 
reduction of the number of respondents for several categories of 
information to be collected on Form 5640, based on the Bureau's 
experience with the Reimbursement Program since this collection was 
first approved.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-13841 Filed 6-28-23; 8:45 am]
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