[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 35 (Wednesday, February 21, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13081-13082]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-03447]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-1283; FR ID 201899]


Information Collection Being Submitted for Review and Approval to 
Office of Management and Budget

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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.'' 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.

DATES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be submitted on or before March 22, 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 Nicole Ongele, 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 Nicole Ongele at (202) 418-2991. 
To view a copy of this information collection request (ICR) submitted 
to OMB: (1) go to the web page https://www.reginfo.gov/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: 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: 3060-1283.
    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 Exec. Order No. 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

[[Page 13082]]

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. 2024-03447 Filed 2-20-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P