[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 10, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25264-25266]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-07550]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-0422; FR ID 213219]


Information Collection 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 May 10, 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/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

[[Page 25265]]

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: 3060-0422.
    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 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.

[[Page 25266]]

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. 2024-07550 Filed 4-9-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P