[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 26 (Wednesday, February 7, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8426-8427]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-02370]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-0422; FR ID 201021]


Information Collections 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 comments should be submitted on or before April 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 contacts below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Direct all PRA comments to Cathy Williams, FCC, via email: 
[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: 3060-0422.
    Title: Hearing Aid Compatibility; Access to Telecommunications 
Equipment and Services by Persons with Disabilities; Section 68.5 
Waivers, CC Docket No. 87-124 and CG Docket No. 13-46.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities; not-for-profit 
entities.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 331 respondents; 2,512 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.25 hour (15 minutes) to 24 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Annual and on-occasion reporting 
requirements; Third party disclosure requirement; Recordkeeping 
requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The 
statutory authority for this information collection is found at section 
710 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 610.
    Total Annual Burden: 5,930 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: $375,000.
    Needs and Uses: This notice and request for comments pertains to 
the extension of the currently approved information collection 
requirements concerning hearing aid compatibility (HAC) for wireline 
handsets used with the legacy telephone network and with advanced 
communications services (ACS), such as Voice over internet Protocol 
(VoIP). The latter are known as ACS telephonic customer premises 
equipment (ACS telephonic CPE).
    Beginning in the 1980s, the Commission adopted a series of 
regulations to implement statutory directives in section 710(b) of the 
Communications Act of 1934 requiring wireline telephone handsets in the 
United States (for use with the legacy telephone network) to be hearing 
aid compatible. 47 U.S.C. 610. In 2010, the

[[Page 8427]]

Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA), 
Public Law 111-260, sec. 102, 710(b), 124 Stat. 2751, 2753 (CVAA) 
(codified at 47 U.S.C. 610(b)), amended by Public Law 111-265, 124 
Stat. 2795 (technical corrections to the CVAA), amended section 710(b) 
of the Communications Act of 1934, to apply the HAC requirements to ACS 
telephonic CPE, including VoIP telephones. In accordance with this 
provision, the Commission adopted Access to Telecommunications 
Equipment and Services by Persons with Disabilities et al., Report and 
Order and Order on Reconsideration, FCC 17-135, published at 83 FR 
8624, February 28, 2018, which amended the HAC rules to cover ACS 
telephonic CPE to the extent such devices are designed to be held to 
the ear and provide two-way voice communication via a built-in speaker.
    The information collections contain third-party disclosure and 
labeling requirements. The information is used to inform consumers who 
purchase or use wireline telephone equipment whether the telephone is 
hearing aid compatible; to ensure that manufacturers comply with 
applicable regulations and technical criteria; to ensure that 
information about ACS telephonic CPE is available in a database 
administered by the Administrative Council for Terminal Attachments 
(ACTA) (an organization, previously created pursuant to FCC 
regulations, whose key function is to maintain a database of telephone 
equipment); and to facilitate the filing of complaints about the ACS 
telephonic CPE.

Wireline Handsets Used With the Legacy Telephone Network

     47 CFR 68.224 requires that every non-hearing aid 
compatible wireline telephone used with the legacy wireline network 
that is offered for sale to the public contain in a conspicuous 
location on the surface of its packaging a statement that the telephone 
is not hearing aid compatible. If the handset is offered for sale 
without a surrounding package, then the telephone must be affixed with 
a written statement that the telephone is not hearing aid compatible. 
In addition, each handset must be accompanied by instructions in 
accordance with 47 CFR 62.218(b)(2).
     47 CFR 68.300 requires that all wireline telephones used 
with the legacy wireline network that are manufactured in the United 
States (other than for export) or imported for use in the United States 
and that are hearing aid compatible have the letters ``HAC'' 
permanently affixed.

ACS Telephonic CPE

     47 CFR 68.502(a) of the Commission's rules contains 
information collection requirements for ACS telephonic CPE that are 
similar to the HAC label and notice requirements in 47 CFR 68.224 and 
68.300 (discussed above), i.e., the ``HAC'' labeling requirement for 
hearing aid compatible equipment, and the package information for non-
hearing aid compatible equipment, apply to ACS telephonic CPE.
     47 CFR 68.501 of the Commission's rules requires 
responsible parties to obtain certifications of their equipment by 
using a third-party Telecommunications Certification Body (TCB) or a 
Supplier's Declaration of Conformity. (A responsible party is the 
party, such as the manufacturer, that is responsible for the compliance 
of ACS telephonic CPE with the hearing aid compatibility rules and 
other applicable technical criteria. A Supplier's Declaration of 
Conformity is a procedure whereby a responsible party makes 
measurements or takes steps to ensure that CPE complies with technical 
standards, which results in a document by the same name.) Section 
68.501 of the Commission's rules applies to ACS telephonic CPE the rule 
sections defining the roles of TCBs and the uses of Supplier's 
Declarations of Conformity for wireline handsets used with the legacy 
telephone network.
     47 CFR 68.504 of the Commission's rules requires 
information about ACS telephonic CPE to be included in a database 
administered by ACTA. In addition, ACS telephonic CPE must be labeled 
as required by ACTA.
     47 CFR 68.502(b)-(d) of the Commission's rules requires 
responsible parties to: warrant that ACS telephonic CPE complies with 
applicable regulations and technical criteria; give the user 
instructions required by ACTA for ACS telephonic CPE that is hearing 
aid compatible; give the user a notice for ACS telephonic CPE that is 
not hearing aid compatible; and notify the purchaser or user of ACS 
telephonic CPE whose approval is revoked, that the purchaser or user 
must discontinue its use.
     47 CFR 68.503 of the Commission's rules requires 
manufacturers of ACS telephonic CPE to designate an agent for service 
of process for complaints that may be filed at the FCC.

Applications for Waiver of HAC Requirements

     47 CFR 68.5 requires that telephone manufacturers seeking 
a waiver of 47 CFR 68.4(a)(1) (requiring that certain telephones be 
hearing aid compatible) demonstrate that compliance with the rule is 
technologically infeasible or too costly. Information is used by FCC 
staff to determine whether to grant or dismiss the request.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-02370 Filed 2-6-24; 8:45 am]
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