[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 215 (Wednesday, November 8, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77093-77094]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-24647]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-0484; FR ID 183694]


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 (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. 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.

DATES: Written PRA comments should be submitted on or before January 8, 
2024. 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: The FCC may not conduct or sponsor a 
collection of information unless it displays a currently valid 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 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number.
    OMB Control Number: 3060-0484.
    Title: Part 4 of the Commission's Rules Concerning Disruptions to 
Communications.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit; not-for-profit 
institutions; State, local or Tribal government.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 3,224 respondents; 201,848 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 1 hour-2 hours (average per response).
    Frequency of Response: On occasion and annual reporting 
requirements and recordkeeping requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Mandatory and Voluntary. Statutory authority 
for this collection is contained in sections 1, 4(i), 4(j), 4(n), 4(o), 
201(b), 214, 218, 251(e)(3), 251(e)(4), 254, 301, 303(b), 303(g), 
303(r), 307, 309(a), 309(j), 316, 332, and 403 of the Communications 
Act of 1934, as amended, and section 706 of the Telecommunications Act 
of 1996, 47 U.S.C. 151, 154(i)-(j), (n), & (o), 201(b), 214, 218, 
251(e)(3), 251(e)(4), 254, 301, 303(b), 303(g), 303(r), 307, 309(a), 
332, 403, 615, 615a-1, and 1302.
    Total Annual Burden: 170,802 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No cost.
    Needs and Uses: The general purpose of the Commission's Part 4 
rules is to gather sufficient information regarding disruptions to 
telecommunications to facilitate FCC monitoring, analysis, and 
investigation of the reliability and security of voice, paging, and 
interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (interconnected VoIP) 
communications services, and to identify and act on potential threats 
to our Nation's telecommunications infrastructure. The Commission uses 
this information collection to identify the duration, magnitude, root 
causes, and contributing factors with respect to significant outages, 
and to identify outage trends; support service restoration efforts; and 
help coordinate with public safety officials during times of crisis. 
The Commission also maintains an ongoing dialogue with reporting 
entities, as well as with the communications industry at large, 
generally regarding lessons learned from the information collection in 
order to foster a better understanding of the root causes of 
significant outages and to explore preventive measures in the future so 
as to mitigate the potential scale and impact of such outages.
    In a Second Report and Order adopted on November 18, 2022, as FCC 
22-88, the Commission adopted rules harmonizing its 911 special 
facility notifications rules such that outage notifications from 
covered 911 service providers and originating service providers (OSPs) 
will include the same notification content, be transmitted by the same 
means, and with the same timing and frequency. In addition, in a Report 
and Order adopted on July 20, 2023, as FCC 23-57. the Commission 
extended outage reporting and notification requirements to outages 
affecting 988 special facilities in order to ensure that officials 
responsible for overseeing the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988 
Lifeline), which is a 24/7 hotline available to people in suicidal 
crisis and mental health distress, receive timely and actionable 
information about 988 service outages. The Commission's existing Part 4 
rules allow certain federal, state, and Tribal Nation agencies 
(Participating Agencies) to access to certain geographically relevant 
outage reports filed in the Commission's Network Outage Reporting 
System (NORS).
    The information collections and record keeping provisions adopted 
in the 2022 Second Report and Order will harmonize and standardize 911 
outage reporting, which assists 911 special facilities in receiving and 
responding to service outage notification, and the information we are 
requiring to be contained in the reports will improve the speed and 
accuracy of responses to service outages by 911 service providers, 
which promotes public safety.
    The information collections adopted in the 2023 988 Report and 
Order will allow the Department of Health and Human Services' Substance 
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the 
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the 988 Lifeline 
administrator, which are the entities responsible for overseeing the 
988 Lifeline, to provide the public with notice of outages impacting 
988 services, and information how they can access the 988 Lifeline 
despite the outage. SAMHSA, the VA, and the 988 Lifeline administrator 
can also take steps to reroute 988 calls to available crisis centers 
and take other steps to reduce the amount of time that individuals 
would need to wait before they receive assistance. Notice about outages 
will allow SAMHSA, the VA, and the Lifeline administrator to continue 
meeting the immediate health needs of people in suicidal crisis and 
mental health distress. The Commission will also be able to improve 988

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reliability by using this information to analyze outage trends and 
identify best practices to prevent and mitigate outages.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-24647 Filed 11-7-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P