[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 244 (Thursday, December 21, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 88391-88392]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28097]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-XXXX; FR ID 191715]


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 of 1995 (PRA), the 
Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) invites the 
general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to 
comment on the following information collections. 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.
    The FCC 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 PRA comments should be submitted on or before February 
20, 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 Cathy Williams, FCC, via email to 
[email protected] and to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information about the 
information collection, contact Cathy Williams at (202) 418-2918.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    OMB Control Number: 3060-XXXX.
    Title: Application to Participate in a 5G Fund Auction, FCC Form 
184.

[[Page 88392]]

    Form Number: FCC Form 184.
    Type of Review: New collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities, not-for-profit 
institutions, and state, local or tribal governments.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 300 respondents and 300 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 7 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for this information collection 47 U.S.C. 154, 254 
and 303(r).
    Total Annual Burden: 2,100 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No cost.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission will use the information collected 
under this information collection to determine whether applicants are 
qualified to participate in a 5G Fund auction.
    In its November 2011 USF/ICC Transformation Order, the Commission 
took numerous steps to comprehensively reform and modernize the 
universal service program to ensure that robust, affordable fixed and 
mobile voice and broadband service are available to those in rural, 
insular, and high cost areas of the country. Connect America Fund et 
al., Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 11-161 (USF/
ICC Transformation Order). Among other things, the Commission (1) 
established a two-phased Mobility Fund to award universal service 
support for mobile services in a cost-effective manner to no more than 
one provider per area in areas where a private-sector business case was 
lacking, (2) directed that universal service support under the Mobility 
Fund be awarded by competitive bidding, (3) adopted the rules and 
framework for Mobility Fund Phase I, and (4) sought comment on the 
rules and proposed framework for Mobility Fund Phase II. In its 
February 2017 Mobility Fund Phase II Report and Order, the Commission 
adopted the rules and framework for Mobility Fund Phase II to provide 
ongoing universal service support over a ten-year term to areas of the 
country unlikely to receive 4G LTE service absent subsidies, along with 
the framework for a challenge process to resolve disputes about areas 
that were found to be presumptively ineligible for support. Connect 
America Fund; Universal Service Reform--Mobility Fund II, Report and 
Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 17-11. However, in 
its October 2020 5G Fund Report and Order, the Commission established 
the 5G Fund as a replacement for Mobility Fund Phase II, and adopted 
the framework and rules for the 5G Fund to award universal service 
support in two phases through separate reverse auctions to ensure the 
deployment of high-speed, 5G mobile service in areas unlikely to see 
such service absent subsidies. Establishing a 5G Fund for Rural 
America, Report and Order, FCC 20-150 (5G Fund Report and Order). In 
the 5G Fund Report and Order, the Commission, among other things, 
adopted a two-stage application process for 5G Fund auctions consisting 
of pre-auction requirements for applicants seeking to participate in a 
5G Fund auction and post-auction requirements for winning bidders 
applying for 5G Fund support. The Commission decided that applicants 
seeking to participate in a 5G Fund auction would be required to 
provide both the information required by section 1.21001(b) of the 
Commission's existing Part 1, Subpart AA universal service competitive 
bidding rules, 47 CFR 1.21001(b), and the additional application 
disclosures and certifications specific to the 5G Fund required by 
section 54.1014(a) of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 54.1014(a).
    Under this new information collection, the Commission will collect 
the information, disclosures, and certifications required by sections 
1.21001(b) and 54.1014(a) of the Commission's rules from each applicant 
seeking to participate in a 5G Fund auction, and will use the 
information, disclosures, and certifications to determine whether an 
applicant is legally, technically, and financially qualified to 
participate in a 5G Fund auction. To aid in collecting this 
information, the Commission has created FCC Form 184, which will be 
used to provide the information, disclosures, and certifications 
required by sections 1.21001(b) and 54.1014(a). Commission staff will 
review the information, disclosures, and certifications collected on 
FCC Form 184 as part of the pre-auction process, prior to the start of 
the auction, and determine whether each applicant satisfies the 
Commission's requirements to participate in an auction for 5G Fund 
support. Without the information collected on FCC Form 184, the 
Commission will not be able to determine if an applicant is legally 
qualified to participate in a 5G Fund auction and has complied with the 
various applicable regulatory and statutory auction requirements for 
such participation. This approach provides an appropriate screen to 
ensure serious participation without being unduly burdensome.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-28097 Filed 12-20-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P