Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission

AGENCY:

Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

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 PRA comments should be submitted on or before December 24, 2019. 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 contact listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES:

Direct all PRA comments to Cathy Williams, FCC, via email to PRA@fcc.gov and to Cathy.Williams@fcc.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For additional information about the information collection, contact Cathy Williams at (202) 418-2918.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OMB Control Number: 3060-1167.

Title: Accessible Telecommunications and Advanced Communications Services and Equipment.

Form Number: N/A.

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Individuals or households; business or other for-profit entities; not-for-profit institutions.

Number of Respondents and Responses: 3,541 respondents; 42,106 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: .50 hours (30 minutes) to 40 hours.

Frequency of Response: Annual, one time, and on occasion reporting requirements; recordkeeping requirement; third-party disclosure requirement.

Obligation to Respond: Mandatory. Statutory authority for this information collection is contained in sections 1-4, 255, 303(r), 403, 503, 716, 717, and 718 of the Communications Act, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 151-154, 255, 303(r), 403, 503, 617, 618, and 619.

Total Annual Burden: 120,999 hours.

Total Annual Cost: $17,800.

Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Confidentiality is an issue to the extent that individuals and households provide personally identifiable information, which is covered under the FCC's system of records notice (SORN), FCC/CGB-1, “Informal Complaints, Inquiries and Requests for Dispute Assistance,” which became effective on September 24, 2014. In addition, upon the service of an informal or formal complaint, a service provider or equipment manufacturer must produce to the Commission, upon request, records covered by 47 CFR 14.31(a) of the Commission's rules that are directly relevant to the equipment or service that is the subject of such complaint and may assert a statutory request for confidentiality for these records. All other information submitted to the Commission pursuant to Subpart D of Part 14 of the Commission's rules or to any other request by the Commission may be submitted pursuant to a request for confidentiality in accordance with 47 CFR 0.459 of the Commission's rules.

Privacy Impact Assessment: The FCC completed a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) on June 28, 2007. The PIA may be reviewed at https://www.fcc.gov/general/privacy-act-information. The FCC is in the process of updating the PIA to incorporate various revisions made to the SORN.

Needs and Uses: In 2011, in document FCC 11-151, the FCC adopted rules to implement sections 716 and 717 of the Communications Act of 1934 (the Act), as amended, which were added to the Act by the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA). See Public Law 111-260, 104. Section 716 of the Act requires providers of advanced communications services and manufacturers of equipment used for advanced communications services to make their services and equipment accessible to individuals with disabilities, unless doing so is not achievable. 47 U.S.C. 617. Section 717 of the Act established new recordkeeping requirements and enforcement procedures for service providers and equipment manufacturers that are subject to sections 255, 716, and 718 of the Act. 47 U.S.C. 618. Section 255 of the Act requires telecommunications and interconnected VoIP services and equipment to be accessible to individuals with disabilities, if readily achievable. 47 U.S.C. 255. Section 718 of the Act requires internet browsers built into mobile phones to be accessible to and usable by individuals who are blind or have a visual impairment, unless doing so is not achievable. 47 U.S.C. 619.

In document FCC 11-151, the Commission adopted rules relating to the following:

(a) Service providers and equipment manufacturers that are subject to sections 255, 716, and 718 of the Act must ensure that the information and documentation that they provide is accessible to individuals with disabilities.

(b) Service providers and equipment manufacturers may seek waivers from the accessibility obligations of section 716 of the Act for services or equipment that are designed for multiple purposes, including advanced communications services, but are designed primarily for purposes other than using advanced communications services.

(c) Service providers and equipment manufacturers that are subject to sections 255, 716, and 718 of the Act must maintain records of their efforts to implement those sections.

(d) Service providers and equipment manufacturers that are subject to sections 255, 716, and 718 of the Act must certify annually to the Commission that records are kept in accordance with the recordkeeping requirements. The certification must include contact details of the person(s) authorized to resolve accessibility complaints and the agent designated for service of process.

(e) The Commission established procedures to facilitate the filing of formal and informal complaints alleging violations of sections 255, 716, or 718 of the Act. Those procedures include a nondiscretionary pre-filing notice procedure to facilitate dispute resolution, that is, as a prerequisite to filing an informal complaint, complainants must first request dispute assistance from the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau's Disability Rights Office.

In 2013, in document FCC 13-57, the FCC adopted rules to implement section 718 of the Act.

In 2015, in document FCC 15-24, the FCC reclassified broadband internet access service (BIAS) as a telecommunications service that is subject to the Commission's regulatory authority under Title II of the Act and applying section 255 of the Act and the Commission's implementing rules to providers of BIAS and manufacturers of equipment used for BIAS. In 2017, in document FCC 17-166, the Commission reinstated the information service classification of BIAS. Therefore, the Commission extracted those burdens from the collection found in OMB control number 3060-1167.