[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 232 (Tuesday, December 5, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 84323-84324]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-26696]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-1283; FR ID 187764]


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

[[Page 84324]]

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 February 
5, 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: 3060-1283.
    Title: Improving Outage Reporting for Submarine Cables and Enhanced 
Submarine Outage Data.
    Form Number: Not applicable.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently information collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 85 respondents; 154 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 2 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Mandatory. Statutory authority for this 
information collection is contained in 47 U.S.C. 151, 154(i)-(j) & (o), 
405, and the Cable Landing License Act of 1921, 47 U.S.C. 34-39, and 3 
U.S.C. 301, and Executive Order 10530.
    Total Annual Burden: 308 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No Cost.
    Needs and Uses: Section 151 of the Communications Act of 1934 
(Act), as amended, requires the Commission to promote the safety of 
life and property through the use of wire and radio communications. 
Additionally, the Cable Landing License Act, (47 U.S.C. 34-39), and 
Executive Order 10530, provide the Commission with authority to grant, 
withhold, condition and revoke submarine cable landing licenses. 
Further, the Cable Landing License Act and Executive Order 10530 
provide that the Commission may place conditions on the grant of a 
submarine cable landing license in order to assure just and reasonable 
rates and service in the operation and use of cables so licensed. 
``Just and reasonable service'' entails assurance that the cable 
infrastructure will be reasonably available. Availability of submarine 
cables is also critically important for national security and the 
economy because submarine cables carry approximately 95 percent of 
international communications traffic and are the primary means of 
connectivity for numerous U.S. states and territories.
    This collection is part of the Commission's NORS outage reporting 
regime. As with the other information collection collected in NORS 
regarding other communications services (under OMB Control No. 3060-
0484), this collection facilitates FCC monitoring, analysis, and 
investigation of the reliability and security of submarine cable 
networks, and to identify and act on potential threats to our Nation's 
telecommunications infrastructure. Drawing from a decade of experience 
in outage reporting, the Commission will seek an ongoing dialogue with 
submarine cable licensees, as well as with the industry at large, 
regarding lessons learned from the new information collection. These 
efforts will help the Commission develop a better understanding of the 
root causes of significant outages, and to explore preventive measures 
to mitigate the impact of such outages on the Nation and the American 
public.
    Mandatory submarine cable outage data provides the Commission with 
greater visibility into the availability and health of these networks, 
allowing the Commission to better track and analyze submarine cable 
resiliency. This enhanced visibility into submarine cable network 
outages will allow the Commission to take appropriate actions to 
mitigate disruptions, if necessary, and to avoid the development of 
larger, more significant problems which could impact national security 
and public safety interests. Submarine cable outages do not typically 
occur with the same frequency as terrestrial outages, but when they do 
occur have a greater impact on the Nation's telecommunications due to 
the volume and nature of communications carried over such cables. 
Damages to submarine cables are usually caused by weather or 
inadvertent slicing by underseas equipment. However, submarine cables 
are also susceptible to intentional damage for nefarious purposes that 
could lead to a severe degradation of crucial government, as well as 
non-government, communications.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-26696 Filed 12-4-23; 8:45 am]
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