Improving 9-1-1 Reliability; Reliability and Continuity of Communications Networks, Including Broadband Technologies, 61785-61786 [2014-24474]

Agencies

• FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 199 (Wednesday, October 15, 2014)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 61785-61786]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-24474]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 12

[PS Docket Nos. 13-75, 11-60; FCC 13-158]


Improving 9-1-1 Reliability; Reliability and Continuity of 
Communications Networks, Including Broadband Technologies

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule; announcement of effective date.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Commission announces that the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) has approved, for a period of three years, 
an information collection associated with the Commission's Report and 
Order, FCC 13-158, published at 79 FR 3123 on January 17, 2014, and at 
79 FR 7589 on February 10, 2014. This notice is consistent with the 
Report and Order, which stated that the Commission would publish a 
document in the Federal Register announcing OMB approval and the 
effective date of requirements subject to OMB approval. Specifically, 
this document announces the effective date of initial and annual 
reliability certification requirements for covered 911 service 
providers, including any associated record retention requirements.

DATES: 47 CFR 12.4(c), 12.4(d)(1), and 12.4(d)(3) are effective October 
15, 2014. The effective date of 47 CFR 4.9(h), which requires a 
modification of existing OMB information collection 3060-0484, will be 
published separately in the Federal Register once approved by OMB.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information contact 
Cathy Williams, Cathy.Williams@fcc.gov, (202) 418-2918.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This document announces that, on October 1, 
2014, OMB approved information collection requirements contained in the 
Commission's Report and Order, FCC

[[Page 61786]]

13-158, Improving 9-1-1 Reliability; Reliability and Continuity of 
Communications Networks, Including Broadband Technologies, published at 
79 FR 3123 on January 17, 2014 and at 79 FR 7589 on February 10, 2014. 
These requirements involve initial and annual reliability 
certifications for covered 911 service providers and associated record 
retention requirements. The OMB Control Number is 3060-1202. The 
Commission publishes this notice as an announcement of the effective 
date of the certification requirements.
    The Report and Order also amended Sec.  4.9 of the Commission's 
rules regarding outage notification to public safety answering points 
(PSAPs). The effective date of 47 CFR 4.9(h), which requires a 
modification of existing OMB information collection 3060-0484, will be 
published separately in the Federal Register once approved by OMB.
    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. 
Please include the OMB Control Number, 3060-1202, in your 
correspondence. The Commission will also accept your comments via the 
Internet if you send them to 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), (202) 418-0432 (TTY).

Synopsis

    As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3507), the FCC is notifying the public that it received OMB approval on 
October 1, 2014, for new information collection requirements contained 
in the Commission's rules at 47 CFR 12.4(c), 12.4(d)(1), and 
12.4(d)(3). Under 5 CFR 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 OMB Control Number is 3060-1202. The foregoing notice is 
required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 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: 3060-1202.
    OMB Approval Date: October 1, 2014.
    OMB Expiration Date: October 31, 2017.
    Title: Improving 9-1-1 Reliability, Reliability and Continuity of 
Communications Including Networks, Broadband Technologies.
    Form Number: Not applicable (annual online certification).
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities; not-for-profit 
institutions.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 1,000 respondents, 1,000 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: Varies by respondent. Average of 170 
hours per annual certification.
    Frequency of Response: Annual reporting requirement and 
recordkeeping requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Mandatory. The statutory authority for the 
collection of this information is contained in sections 1, 4(i), 4(j), 
4(o), 201(b), 214(d), 218, 251(e)(3), 301, 303(b), 303(g), 303(r), 307, 
309(a), 316, 332, 403, 615a-1, and 615c of the Communications Act of 
1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 151, 154(i)-(j) & (o), 201(b), 214(d), 218, 
251(e)(3), 301, 303(b), 303(g), 303(r), 307, 309(a), 316, 332, 403, 
615a-1, and 615c.
    Total Annual Burden: 169,982 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: $0.
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: The Commission will treat as 
presumptively confidential and exempt from routine public disclosure 
under the federal Freedom of Information Act: (1) Descriptions and 
documentation of alternative measures to mitigate the risks of 
nonconformance with certification standards; (2) information detailing 
specific corrective actions taken; and (3) supplemental information 
requested by the Commission or Bureau with respect to a certification. 
The Commission does not consider confidential the fact of filing a 
certification or the responses provided on the face of the 
certification.
    Privacy Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Needs and Uses: On December 12, 2013, the Commission released a 
Report and Order, PS Docket Nos. 13-75, 11-60; FCC 13-158 (the Report 
and Order) adopting rules. These rules are codified at 47 CFR 12.4. The 
Report and Order requires covered 911 service providers, defined in 
Sec.  12.4(a)(4), to certify annually whether they comply with 
specified best practices with respect to critical 911 circuit 
diversity, central office backup power, and diverse network monitoring. 
If a covered 911 service provider does not comply with specific 
certification elements set forth in Sec.  12.4(c), it must provide a 
brief explanation of what alternative measures it has taken, in light 
of the provider's particular facts and circumstances, to ensure 
reliable 911 service with respect to those elements. A service provider 
may also respond by demonstrating that a particular certification 
element is not applicable to its network, but must include a brief 
explanation of why the element does not apply.
    The information will be collected through an online system 
administered by the Commission's Public Safety and Homeland Security 
Bureau for review and analysis to verify that covered 911 service 
providers are taking reasonable measures to maintain reliable 911 
service, as required under Sec.  12.4(b). In certain cases, based on 
the information included in the certifications and on subsequent 
coordination with individual providers, the Commission may require 
remedial action to correct vulnerabilities in a service provider's 911 
network if it determines that the service provider has not, in fact, 
adhered to the best practices incorporated in the certification, or in 
the case of providers employing alternative measures, that those 
measures were not reasonably sufficient to mitigate the associated 
risks of failure in these key areas.
    The purpose of this information collection is to verify that 
covered 911 service providers are taking reasonable measures to provide 
reliable service, as evidenced by their certification of compliance 
with specified best practices or reasonable alternative measures. The 
Commission adopted these rules in light of widespread 911 outages 
during the June 2012 derecho storm in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic 
states, which revealed that multiple service providers did not take 
adequate precautions to maintain reliable service. By holding covered 
911 service providers accountable for reliable service, the Commission 
seeks to ensure that all Americans have access to critical 911 
communications during emergencies and other times of need.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-24474 Filed 10-14-14; 8:45 am]
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