[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 2, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78-80]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28819]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-XXXX, 3060-1248; FR ID 194708]


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.''

DATES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be submitted on or before February 1, 
2024.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting 
``Currently under 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 Cathy Williams, 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 Cathy Williams at (202) 418-
2918. To view a copy of this information collection request (ICR) 
submitted to OMB: (1) go to the web page http://www.reginfo.gov/

[[Page 79]]

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: 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.
    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-XXXX.
    Title: Targeting and Eliminating Unlawful Text Messages.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: New information collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities, and state, 
local, or tribal government.
    Number of Respondents: 2,893 respondents; 34,716 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 1 hour.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for this of information is contained in sections 
4(i), 4(j), 227, 301, 303, 307, and 316 of the Communications Act of 
1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 154(i), 154(j), 227, 301, 303, 307, and 
316.
    Total Annual Burden: 34,716 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No cost.
    Needs and Uses: This notice and request for comments seeks to 
establish a new information collection as it pertains to the Targeting 
and Eliminating Unlawful Text Messages, Rules and Regulations 
Implementing the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991, CG Docket 
No. 21-402, CG Docket No. 02-278, Report and Order and Further Notice 
of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 23-21, (rel. Mar. 17, 2023) (Text Blocking 
Report and Order). Text message-based scams can include links to well-
designed phishing websites that appear identical to the website of a 
legitimate company and can fool a victim into providing personal or 
financial information. Texted links can also load unwanted software 
onto a device, including malware that steals passwords, credentials, or 
other personal information. The Federal Communications Commission 
(Commission) is therefore, for the first time, requiring all mobile 
wireless providers to block certain text messages that are highly 
likely to be illegal, so that all subscribers have a basic level of 
protection. In the Text Blocking Report and Order, adopted on March 16, 
2023 and released on March 17, 2023, the Commission is requiring mobile 
wireless providers to block certain text messages that are highly 
likely to be illegal. The Commission is requiring mobile wireless 
providers to block--at the network level--texts purporting to be from 
North American Numbering Plan (NANP) numbers on a reasonable Do-Not-
Originate (DNO) list, which include numbers that purport to be from 
invalid, unallocated, or unused numbers, and NANP numbers for which the 
subscriber to the number has requested that texts purporting to 
originate from that number be blocked.
    Text Blocking Report and Order, FCC 23-21, para. 16.
    We adopt our proposal to require mobile wireless providers to block 
text messages at the network level (i.e., without requiring consumer 
opt in or opt out). The rule we adopt requires that they block texts 
purporting to be from numbers on a reasonable DNO list. As the 
Commission determined with calls, we find that no reasonable consumer 
would wish to receive text messages that spoof a number that is not in 
operation or, worse, purports to be from a well-known, trusted 
organization that does not send text messages and thus is highly likely 
to be a scam. Our requirement to block texts that purport to be from 
numbers on a reasonable DNO list does not include text messages from 
short codes.
    The new information collection for which OMB approval is sought 
comes from the affirmative obligation adopted in the Text Blocking 
Report and Order that all mobile wireless providers must block calls 
using a reasonable DNO list. Currently, the Commission requires gateway 
providers to block voice calls purporting to originate on a reasonable 
DNO list, under section 47 CFR 64.1200(o) of the Commission's rules, 
but this is the first time that the Commission has required mobile 
wireless providers to block texts. The Commission is also ensuring that 
any erroneous blocking can be quickly remedied by requiring mobile 
wireless providers and other entities to maintain a point of contact 
for texters to report erroneously blocked texts.
    OMB Control Number: 3060-1248.
    Title: Transition from TTY to Real-Time Text Technology, CG Docket 
No. 16-145 and GN Docket No. 15-178.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Businesses or other for-profit entities.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 600 respondents; 4,358 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.2 hours (12 minutes) to 60 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Annual, ongoing, and semiannual reporting 
requirements; recordkeeping requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefit. The 
statutory authority can be found at Sec. Sec.  4(i), 225, 255, 301, 
303(r), 316, 403, 715, and 716 of the Communications Act of 1934, as 
amended, and Sec.  106 of the Twenty-First Century Communications and 
Video Accessibility Act of 2010, 47 U.S.C. 154(i), 225, 255, 301, 
303(r), 316, 403, 615c, 616, 617; Public Law 111-260, 106, 124 Stat. 
2751, 2763 (2010).
    Total Annual Burden: 71,142 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No cost.
    Needs and Uses: Text telephone (TTY) technology provides a way for 
people with disabilities to send and receive text communications over 
the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Changes to communications 
networks, particularly ongoing technology transitions from circuit

[[Page 80]]

switched to IP-based networks and from copper to wireless and fiber 
infrastructure, have affected the quality and utility of TTY 
technology, prompting discussions on transitioning to an alternative 
advanced communications technology for text communications. 
Accordingly, on December 16, 2016, the Commission released Transition 
from TTY to Real-Time Text Technology, Report and Order, document FCC 
16-169, 82 FR 7699, January 23, 2017, amending its rules that govern 
the obligations of wireless service providers and manufacturers to 
support TTY technology to permit such providers and manufacturers to 
provide support for real-time text (RTT) over wireless IP-based 
networks to facilitate an effective and seamless transition to RTT in 
lieu of continuing to support TTY technology.
    In document FCC 16-169, the Commission adopted measures requiring 
the following:
    (a) Each wireless provider and manufacturer that voluntarily 
transitions from TTY technology to RTT over wireless IP-based networks 
and services is encouraged to develop consumer and education efforts 
that include (1) the development and dissemination of educational 
materials that contain information pertinent to the nature, purpose, 
and timelines of the RTT transition; (2) internet postings, in an 
accessible format, of information about the TTY to RTT transition on 
the websites of covered entities; (3) the creation of a telephone 
hotline and an online interactive and accessible service that can 
answer consumer questions about RTT; and (4) appropriate training of 
staff to effectively respond to consumer questions. All consumer 
outreach and education should be provided in accessible formats 
including, but not limited to, large print, Braille, videos in American 
Sign Language and that are captioned and video described, emails to 
consumers who have opted to receive notices in this manner, and printed 
materials. Service providers and manufacturers are also encouraged to 
coordinate with consumer, public safety, and industry stakeholders to 
develop and distribute education and outreach materials. The 
information will inform consumers of alternative accessible technology 
available to replace TTY technology that may no longer be available to 
the consumer through their provider or on their device.
    (b) Each wireless provider that requested or will request and 
receive a waiver of the requirement to support TTY technology over 
wireless IP-based networks and services must apprise its customers, 
through effective and accessible channels of communication, that (1) 
until TTY is sunset, TTY technology will not be supported for calls to 
911 services over IP-based wireless services, and (2) there are 
alternative PSTN-based and IP-based accessibility solutions for people 
with disabilities to reach 911 services. These notices must be 
developed in coordination with public safety answering points (PSAPs) 
and national consumer organizations, and include a listing of text-
based alternatives to 911, including, but not limited to, TTY 
capability over the PSTN, various forms of PSTN-based and IP-based TRS, 
and text-to-911 (where available). The notices will inform consumers on 
the loss of the use of TTY for completing 911 calls over the provider's 
network and alert them to alternatives service for which TTY may be 
used.
    (c) Once every six months, each wireless provider that requests and 
receives a waiver of the requirement to support TTY technology must 
file a report with the Commission and inform its customers regarding 
its progress toward and the status of the availability of new IP-based 
accessibility solutions. Such reports must include (1) information on 
the interoperability of the provider's selected accessibility solution 
with the technologies deployed or to be deployed by other carriers and 
service providers, (2) the backward compatibility of such solution with 
TTYs, (3) a showing of the provider's efforts to ensure delivery of 911 
calls to the appropriate PSAP, (4) a description of any obstacles 
incurred towards achieving interoperability and steps taken to overcome 
such obstacles, and (5) an estimated timetable for the deployment of 
accessibility solutions. The information will inform consumers of the 
progress towards the availability of alternative accessible means to 
replace TTY, and the Commission will be able to evaluate the reports to 
determine if any changes to the waivers are warranted or of any 
impediments to progress that it may be in a position to resolve.

Federal Communications Commission.
Katura Jackson,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-28819 Filed 12-29-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P