Advanced Methods To Target and Eliminate Unlawful Robocalls

AGENCY:

Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION:

Final rule; announcement of compliance date.

SUMMARY:

In this document, the Commission announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved the information collection associated with rules governing information to be provided to the Reassigned Numbers Database in the 2018 Second Report and Order, FCC 18-177, in CG Docket No. 17-59. The Commission also announces that compliance with the rules for aging numbers and maintaining records of the most recent date of permanent disconnection is now required. The Commission will publish another document in the Federal Register announcing the compliance date for reporting the information. This document is consistent with the 2018 Second Report and Order, which states the Commission will publish a document in the Federal Register announcing a compliance date for the rule sections and revise the rules accordingly.

DATES:

Compliance with 47 CFR 52.15(f)(1)(ii) and (f)(8), 52.103(d), and 64.1200(l)(1), published at 84 FR 11226 on March 26, 2019 is required as of July 27, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Karen Schroeder of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Consumer Policy Division, at (202) 418-0654 or Karen.Schroeder@fcc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This document announces that OMB approved the information collection requirement in §§ 52.15(f)(1)(ii) and (f)(8), 52.103(d), and 64.1200(l)(1) and (2) on June 2, 2020.

The Commission publishes this document as an announcement of the compliance date of the rules. If you have any comments on the burden estimates listed below, or how the Commission can improve the collections and reduce any burdens caused thereby, please contact Cathy Williams, Federal Communications Commission, Room 1-C823, 445 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20554, regarding OMB Control Number 3060-1273. Please include the applicable OMB Control Number in your correspondence. The Commission will also accept your comments via email at PRA@fcc.gov.

To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an email to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice).

Synopsis

As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3507), the FCC is notifying the public that it received final OMB approval on June 2, 2020, for the information collection requirements contained in §§ 52.15(f)(1)(ii) and (f)(8), 52.103(d), and 64.1200(l)(1) and (2). Under 5 CFR part 1320, an agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a current, valid OMB Control Number.

No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act that does not display a current, valid OMB Control Number.

The foregoing notice is required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13, October 1, 1995, and 44 U.S.C. 3507.

The total annual reporting burdens and costs for the respondents are as follows:

OMB Control Number: 3060-1273.

OMB Approval Date: June 2, 2020.

OMB Expiration Date: June 30, 2023.

Title: Advanced Methods to Target and Eliminate Unlawful Robocalls, CG Docket No. 17-59.

Form Number: N/A.

Type of Review: New collection.

Respondents: Businesses or other for-profit entities; not-for-profit institutions; Federal Government; State, Local or Tribal Government.

Number of Respondents and Responses: 3,666 respondents; 15,375,326 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: .004 hours (15 seconds) to 32 hours.

Frequency of Response: Monthly, one time, and on-occasion reporting requirements; recordkeeping requirement.

Obligation to Respond: Mandatory. Statutory authority for this information collection is contained in sections 227 and 251(e)(1) of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Total Annual Burden: 290,233 hours.

Total Annual Cost: None.

Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: An assurance of confidentiality is not offered because this information collection does not require the collection of personally identifiable information from individuals.

Privacy Impact Assessment: No impact(s).

Needs and Uses: On December 12, 2018, the Commission adopted rules in FCC 18-177, 2018 Second Report and Order, published at 84 FR 11226, March 26, 2019, which contain new information collection requirements. Specifically, the Commission concluded that the obligation to provide permanent disconnect information will apply to all reporting carriers as defined in the Commission's numbering rules, which include wireless, wireline, and interconnected Voice over internet Protocol providers that obtain numbers from the North American Numbering Plan Administrator. As part of the Commission reporting requirements, reporting carriers must provide, among other things, the most recent date each North American Numbering Plan telephone number allocated or ported to the reporting carrier was permanently disconnected. The telephone number and date of permanent disconnection will allow voluntary users of the database to determine whether a number has been permanently disconnected prior to calling that number, thereby protecting against unwanted calls to consumers and potential Telephone Consumer Protection Act liability for callers. Reporting carriers and voluntary users of the reassigned numbers database may also need to provide contact information, including names, address, and telephone number, to enable the database administrator to contact the reporting carrier in case there are any issues with their submission.

The Commission has referred to the North American Numbering Council the development of a technical requirements document for the reassigned numbers database for review by the Commission. The technical requirements document will contain a single, unified set of functional and interface requirements for: Technical interoperability and operational standards; the user interface specifications and data format for service providers to report to the Administrator; the user interfaces and other means by which callers may submit queries, including providing callers the abilities for high-volume and batch processing or to submit individual queries; appropriate safeguards to protect the privacy and security of subscribers, protect the database from unauthorized access, and ensure the security and integrity of the data; and keeping records of service providers' reporting and accounting.