[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 165 (Monday, August 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68436-68438]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-19121]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-0484; FR ID 240721]


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.''

[[Page 68437]]

    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 September 25, 
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 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: 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: 3060-0484.
    Title: Part 4 of the Commission's Rules Concerning Disruptions to 
Communications.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit; Not-for-profit 
institutions; State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 3,224 respondents; 201,848 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 1 hour-2 hours (average per response).
    Frequency of Response: On occasion and Annual Reporting 
Requirements and Recordkeeping Requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Mandatory and Voluntary. Statutory authority 
for this collection is contained in sections 1, 4(i), 4(j), 4(n), 4(o), 
201(b), 214, 218, 251(e)(3), 251(e)(4), 254, 301, 303(b), 303(g), 
303(r), 307, 309(a), 309(j), 316, 332, and 403 of the Communications 
Act of 1934, as amended, and section 706 of the Telecommunications Act 
of 1996, 47 U.S.C. 151, 154(i)-(j), (n), & (o), 201(b), 214, 218, 
251(e)(3), 251(e)(4), 254, 301, 303(b), 303(g), 303(r), 307, 309(a), 
332, 403, 615, 615a-1, and 1302.
    Total Annual Burden: 398,319 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No Cost.
    Needs and Uses: The general purpose of the Commission's Part 4 
rules is to gather sufficient information regarding disruptions to 
telecommunications to facilitate FCC monitoring, analysis, and 
investigation of the reliability and security of voice, paging, and 
interconnected Voice over internet Protocol (interconnected VoIP) 
communications services, and to identify and act on potential threats 
to our Nation's telecommunications infrastructure. The Commission uses 
this information collection to identify the duration, magnitude, root 
causes, and contributing factors with respect to significant outages, 
and to identify outage trends; support service restoration efforts; and 
help coordinate with public safety officials during times of crisis. 
The Commission also maintains an ongoing dialogue with reporting 
entities, as well as with the communications industry at large, 
generally regarding lessons learned from the information collection in 
order to foster a better understanding of the root causes of 
significant outages and to explore preventive measures in the future so 
as to mitigate the potential scale and impact of such outages.
    In a Second Report and Order adopted on November 18, 2022, as FCC 
22-88, the Commission adopted rules harmonizing its 911 special 
facility notifications rules such that outage notifications from 
covered 911 service providers and originating service providers (OSPs) 
will include the same notification content, be transmitted by the same 
means, and with the same timing and frequency. In addition, in a Report 
and Order adopted on July 20, 2023, as FCC 23-57. the Commission 
extended outage reporting and notification requirements to outages 
affecting 988 special facilities in order to ensure that officials 
responsible for overseeing the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988 
Lifeline), which is a 24/7 hotline available to people in suicidal 
crisis and mental health distress, receive timely and actionable 
information about 988 service outages. The Commission's existing Part 4 
rules allow certain federal, state, and Tribal Nation agencies 
(Participating Agencies) to access to certain geographically relevant 
outage reports filed in the Commission's Network Outage Reporting 
System (NORS).
    The information collections and record keeping provisions adopted 
in the 2022 Second Report and Order will harmonize and standardize 911 
outage reporting, which assists 911 special facilities in receiving and 
responding to service outage notification, and the information we are 
requiring to be contained in the reports will improve the speed and 
accuracy of responses to service outages by 911 service providers, 
which promotes public safety.
    The information collections adopted in the 2023 988 Report and 
Order will allow the Department of Health and Human Services' Substance 
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the 
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the 988 Lifeline 
administrator, which are the entities responsible for overseeing the 
988 Lifeline, to provide the public with notice of outages impacting 
988 services, and information how they can access the 988 Lifeline 
despite the

[[Page 68438]]

outage. SAMHSA, the VA, and the 988 Lifeline administrator can also 
take steps to reroute 988 calls to available crisis centers and take 
other steps to reduce the amount of time that individuals would need to 
wait before they receive assistance. Notice about outages will allow 
SAMHSA, the VA, and the Lifeline administrator to continue meeting the 
immediate health needs of people in suicidal crisis and mental health 
distress. The Commission will also be able to improve 988 reliability 
by using this information to analyze outage trends and identify best 
practices to prevent and mitigate outages.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-19121 Filed 8-23-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P