Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Community Connectivity Initiative Self-Assessment Tool, 41961-41963 [2016-15149]

Download as PDF asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 124 / Tuesday, June 28, 2016 / Notices or references to support this assertion. Mentions of the Kona population in the references cited in the petition only exist in relation to the catalog of photos identifying 146 manta rays from this population (citing www.mantapacific.org), which was used to compare against photos of individuals from the Maui reef manta ray population (Deakos 2010a; Deakos et al. 2011). In terms of discreteness, we do not consider the lack of photo-identification matches between the Maui population and the Kona population to be substantial evidence indicating that the Kona population may be discrete. As noted above, the Maui population study also included time-series information on re-sightings of individuals within the population, providing support for longterm site fidelity, as well as acoustic tracking of individuals (Deakos 2010a; Deakos et al. 2011). Similar information was not provided for the Kona population, nor do we have this information available in our files. Even if we were to consider that the Kona population may be discrete by using the information supporting the potential discreteness of the Maui population as a proxy (e.g., physical barriers, ecological and/or behavioral factors contributing to marked separation), the petition provides no information on the importance of the Kona population segment to the overall welfare of the species, nor do we have that information readily available in our files. Similar to the Maui population, the ecological setting that the Kona population occupies is similar to that of the rest of the species; loss of the population would not constitute a significant gap in the taxon’s extensive range; the Kona population does not represent the only surviving natural occurrence of M. alfredi within its historical range; and we have no available genetic or other data to suggest that the population may make a significant contribution to the adaptive, ecological, or genetic diversity of the taxon. Overall, based on the information in the petition and in our files, and guided by the DPS Policy criteria, we were unable to find evidence to suggest that the Kona reef manta ray population may be both discrete and significant. Thus, we conclude that the petition does not present substantial information to indicate that the Kona reef manta ray population may qualify as a DPS under the DPS Policy. information to indicate that the Maui and Kona reef manta ray populations may qualify as DPSs under the DPS Policy, the petitioned entities do not constitute ‘‘species’’ that are eligible for listing under the ESA. As such, we do not need to evaluate whether the information in the petition indicates that these populations face an extinction risk that is cause for concern. Petition Finding After reviewing the information contained in the petition, as well as information readily available in our files, and based on the above analysis, we conclude that the petition does not present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned action of identifying the Maui and Kona reef manta ray populations as DPSs may be warranted. As such, we find that the petition does not present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the Maui and Kona reef manta ray populations are ‘‘species’’ eligible for listing under the ESA. While this is a final action, and, therefore, we do not solicit comments on it, we note that we are currently conducting a status review of M. alfredi (which considers all global populations of reef manta rays, including the Maui and Kona populations) to determine whether the reef manta ray is in danger of extinction or likely to become so throughout all or a significant portion of its range. More information on that action can be found in the Federal Register notice (81 FR 8874; February 23, 2016) announcing the initiation of this status review. References Cited A complete list of references is available upon request to the NMFS Office of Protected Resources (see ADDRESSES). Authority The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Dated: June 20, 2016. Samuel D. Rauch III, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2016–15201 Filed 6–27–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P ESA Section 4(a)(1) Factors Because we concluded that the petition does not present substantial VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:49 Jun 27, 2016 Jkt 238001 PO 00000 Frm 00034 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 41961 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Telecommunications and Information Administration Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Community Connectivity Initiative Self-Assessment Tool National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Department of Commerce. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, invites the general public and other federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the proposed framework for the community connectivity selfassessment tool. This framework is an element of the Community Connectivity Initiative, which is one of the commitments of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) through its work with the Broadband Opportunity Council, which President Obama established to review actions the federal government could take to reduce regulatory barriers to broadband deployment, competition, investment, and adoption. The Community Connectivity Initiative will support communities across the country with tools to help accelerate local broadband planning and deployment efforts. The community connectivity self-assessment tool will provide a framework of benchmarks and indicators on broadband access, adoption, policy and use, helping community leaders identify critical broadband needs and connect them with expertise and resources. DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before August 29, 2016. ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 1401 and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at JJessup@doc.gov). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or copies of the information collection instruments and instructions should be sent to Laura Spining, Telecommunications Policy Specialist, Broadband USA, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Room 4878, Washington, DC SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\28JNN1.SGM 28JNN1 41962 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 124 / Tuesday, June 28, 2016 / Notices 20230 (or via email at lspining@ ntia.doc.gov). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Abstract asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES In March 2015, President Obama created the Broadband Opportunity Council (Council), composed of 25 federal departments and agencies, to determine what actions the federal government could take to eliminate regulatory barriers to broadband deployment and to encourage investment in broadband networks and services.1 The Departments of Commerce and Agriculture co-chair the Council. In parallel with the work of the Council, NTIA launched BroadbandUSA in January 2015 to help satisfy a demand from communities that realize broadband access and use are vital to their economic development, innovation, education, and healthcare needs. BroadbandUSA offers technical assistance, guidance, and resources to communities across the country seeking to expand local broadband deployment, investment, and adoption. In September 2015, the White House released the Council’s report, which describes 36 concrete steps the member agencies will take over the next 18 months to reduce barriers and promote broadband investment and adoption.2 The Community Connectivity Initiative is one of NTIA’s commitments outlined in the Council’s report.3 The purpose of the Community Connectivity Initiative is to empower communities with tools and resources to attract broadband investment and promote meaningful use. NTIA and the National Economic Council conducted outreach to more than 200 stakeholders and communities to seek input on the implementation of this action item. The initial findings of that outreach resulted in collaborators and communities assisting in the 1 The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, Presidential Memorandum—Expanding Broadband Deployment and Adoption by Addressing Regulatory Barriers and Encouraging Investment and Training (May 23, 2015), available at https:// www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/03/23/ presidential-memorandum-expanding-broadbanddeployment-and-adoption-addr. 2 Broadband Opportunity Council, Report and Recommendations Pursuant to the Presidential Memorandum on Expanding Broadband Deployment and Adoption by Addressing Regulatory Barriers and Encouraging Investment and Training (Aug. 20, 2015) at 12, available at https://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/ broadband_opportunity_council_report_final.pdf. 3 Id. at 19. The report tasked NTIA, in collaboration with the National Economic Council, to ‘‘convene stakeholders to design and launch a community connectivity index.’’ VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:49 Jun 27, 2016 Jkt 238001 creation of the framework for the Community Connectivity Initiative. The objectives of the Community Connectivity Initiative are: (1) To support communities as they convene, assess, and act to promote local priorities and advance broadband access, adoption, policies, and use; and (2) to increase the number of communities actively assessing connectivity impacts and investing to improve broadband outcomes. The Community Connectivity Initiative includes three resources for communities, including the community connectivity framework, an online selfassessment tool, and a report with recommendations for each participating community. The community connectivity framework provides a structure to engage local stakeholders in conversations about broadband access and community priorities. The online self-assessment tool will provide local leaders with a framework for assessing broadband needs in their communities. The tool will enable them to record their findings and integrate the assessments with national datasets on community broadband. Upon completion of the selfassessment tool, communities will receive a report that combines input from the self-assessment tool with other data sources, along with recommendations for resources that they could use to improve their broadband capabilities. NTIA is seeking input on the framework and types of questions that the self-assessment tool will ask local community leaders in order to help achieve local priorities and improve broadband planning efforts. NTIA will use the collection of information to support communities working to accelerate broadband deployment, deepen broadband adoption, strengthen local policies, and use broadband to advance local priorities. Through this effort, the Community Connectivity Initiative will produce improved broadband planning assets for communities, thereby increasing the number of communities actively investing to improve broadband access and digital inclusion. The community connectivity selfassessment tool will collect local input across four major areas, incorporate key local data from national data sources, and produce a report focused on actions communities can take to support broadband deployment and adoption. The four major categories covered in the self-assessment tool are: 1. Broadband Access and Assets (Access) 2. Digital Inclusion and Skills (Adoption) 3. Policy and Funding (Policy) 4. Community Priorities (Use) PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 The access category will include imported and user-provided data on wireline and fixed wireless broadband access, mobile broadband access, and community technology assets. Additionally, the self-assessment tool will ask community leaders about their communications resilience planning efforts, the availability of WiFi hot spots and public computing centers, and their experiences with the availability, affordability, and quality of broadband in their localities. The adoption category will include three sub-categories: broadband utilization, digital inclusion, and digital skills. The broadband utilization subcategory will ask about subscriptions to mobile data plans, connections to mobile data plans, and the number of internet-enabled devices owned by people in the community. The digital inclusion sub-category will include questions about the following: Outreach efforts to vulnerable populations; digital literacy training and support services; availability of discount and subsidy programs; device loan programs; and accessibility. The digital skills subcategory will ask community leaders about programs available to their populations that would provide advanced skills to prepare residents and businesses for the digital economy. This topic area includes: digital basics and work skills; digital participation and content creation; coding, computer science and application development; and privacy, security, and online safety. The policy category will include three sub-categories: leadership, funding, and use of public assets. The leadership subcategory will seek information on whether community leaders consider community connectivity a priority, allocate resources appropriately, and incorporate broadband planning and technology innovation across local agencies. The funding sub-category will ask how a community funds public access, digital inclusion, innovation, and technology as funding decisions reflect a community’s support for broadband deployment and digital equity. The use of public assets subcategory will ask about accessible inventory of public assets, regulations providing for fair use of assets, and processes enabling use and promoting accountability. The use category will include questions about a community’s use of broadband applications in the following areas: Government services and public safety; economic development and innovation; and education and health. The government services and public safety sub-category will ask about egovernment services, citizen E:\FR\FM\28JNN1.SGM 28JNN1 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 124 / Tuesday, June 28, 2016 / Notices engagement, safety communications, and network resilience and reliability. The economic development and innovation sub-category will ask about workforce development. The education and health sub-category will ask about student device ownership and support; broadband capacity to schools and libraries; electronic health records; telemedicine; and broadband capacity and connections to hospitals and clinics. Description of Proposed Use The community connectivity selfassessment tool will capture local information about broadband access, digital inclusion, adoption, policies, and priorities. The self-assessment tool will use the information input by the community leaders in combination with existing information from national data sources to create a report targeted to the needs of the local community. The resulting report will present the information that is relevant to the local community and provide recommendations for action along with references to BroadbandUSA and other resources. NTIA intends to use this selfassessment to support communities as they consider investments and actions to further align broadband access with community priorities. A primary strategy for reducing respondents’ burden in the selfassessment tool is to create the reports using existing national data sources, which may include data from the American Communities Survey produced by the U.S. Census Bureau and Broadband Deployment and Subscription data collected by the Federal Communications Commission. II. Method of Collection This will be administered as a voluntary online tool for communities. asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES III. Data OMB Control Number: None. Form Number(s): None. Type of Review: Regular submission; new collection. Affected Public: State, regional, local, and tribal government organizations. Frequency: Annually. Number of Respondents: 500. Average Time per Response: 12 hours. Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 6,000. Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $406,730. IV. Request for Comments 17:49 Jun 27, 2016 Dated: June 22, 2016. Glenna Mickelson, Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer. [FR Doc. 2016–15149 Filed 6–27–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE P COMMISSION OF FINE ARTS Notice of Meeting The next meeting of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts is scheduled for 21 July 2016, at 9:00 a.m. in the Commission offices at the National Building Museum, Suite 312, Judiciary Square, 401 F Street NW., Washington, DC 20001–2728. Items of discussion may include buildings, parks and memorials. Draft agendas and additional information regarding the Commission are available on our Web site: www.cfa.gov. Inquiries regarding the agenda and requests to submit written or oral statements should be addressed to Thomas Luebke, Secretary, U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, at the above address; by emailing cfastaff@cfa.gov; or by calling 202–504–2200. Individuals requiring sign language interpretation for the hearing impaired should contact the Secretary at least 10 days before the meeting date. Dated 17 June 2016, in Washington, DC. Thomas Luebke, Secretary. [FR Doc. 2016–14992 Filed 6–27–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE M DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including VerDate Sep<11>2014 whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden (including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information collection; they will also become a matter of public record. Jkt 238001 Charter Renewal of Department of Defense Federal Advisory Committees AGENCY: PO 00000 Department of Defense. Frm 00036 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 41963 Renewal of Federal Advisory Committee. ACTION: The Department of Defense (DoD) is publishing this notice to announce that it is renewing the charter for the Uniform Formulary Beneficiary Advisory Panel (‘‘the Panel’’). SUMMARY: Jim Freeman, Advisory Committee Management Officer for the Department of Defense, 703–692–5952. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Panel’s charter is being renewed pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 1074g(c) and in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) of 1972 (5 U.S.C., Appendix, as amended) and 41 CFR 102-3.50(d). The Panel’s charter and contact information for the Panel’s Designated Federal Officer (DFO) can be found at https://www.facadatabase.gov/. The Panel provides the Secretary of Defense and the Deputy Secretary of Defense, through the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, independent advice and recommendations on the development of the uniform formulary. The Secretary of Defense shall consider the comments of the Panel before implementing the uniform formulary or implementing changes to the uniform formulary. The Panel is composed of no more than 15 members that include members that represent: Non-governmental organizations and associations that represent the views and interest of a large number of eligible covered beneficiaries; contractors responsible for the TRICARE retail pharmacy program; contractors responsible for the national mail-order pharmacy program; and TRICARE network providers. All members of the Panel are appointed to provide advice on behalf of the Government on the basis of their best judgment without representing any particular point of view and in a manner that is free from conflict of interest. Except for reimbursement of official Panel-related travel and per diem, Panel members serve without compensation. The public or interested organizations may submit written statements to the Panel membership about the Panel’s mission and functions. Written statements may be submitted at any time or in response to the stated agenda of planned meeting of the Panel. All written statements shall be submitted to the DFO for the Panel, and this individual will ensure that the written statements are provided to the membership for their consideration. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: E:\FR\FM\28JNN1.SGM 28JNN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 124 (Tuesday, June 28, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41961-41963]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-15149]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Community 
Connectivity Initiative Self-Assessment Tool

AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 
Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, invites the general public and other federal 
agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the proposed framework 
for the community connectivity self-assessment tool. This framework is 
an element of the Community Connectivity Initiative, which is one of 
the commitments of the National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration (NTIA) through its work with the Broadband Opportunity 
Council, which President Obama established to review actions the 
federal government could take to reduce regulatory barriers to 
broadband deployment, competition, investment, and adoption. The 
Community Connectivity Initiative will support communities across the 
country with tools to help accelerate local broadband planning and 
deployment efforts. The community connectivity self-assessment tool 
will provide a framework of benchmarks and indicators on broadband 
access, adoption, policy and use, helping community leaders identify 
critical broadband needs and connect them with expertise and resources.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before August 29, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 1401 
and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet 
at JJessup@doc.gov).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instruments and instructions 
should be sent to Laura Spining, Telecommunications Policy Specialist, 
Broadband USA, National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue 
NW., Room 4878, Washington, DC

[[Page 41962]]

20230 (or via email at lspining@ntia.doc.gov).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    In March 2015, President Obama created the Broadband Opportunity 
Council (Council), composed of 25 federal departments and agencies, to 
determine what actions the federal government could take to eliminate 
regulatory barriers to broadband deployment and to encourage investment 
in broadband networks and services.\1\ The Departments of Commerce and 
Agriculture co-chair the Council.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, Presidential 
Memorandum--Expanding Broadband Deployment and Adoption by 
Addressing Regulatory Barriers and Encouraging Investment and 
Training (May 23, 2015), available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/03/23/presidential-memorandum-expanding-broadband-deployment-and-adoption-addr.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In parallel with the work of the Council, NTIA launched 
BroadbandUSA in January 2015 to help satisfy a demand from communities 
that realize broadband access and use are vital to their economic 
development, innovation, education, and healthcare needs. BroadbandUSA 
offers technical assistance, guidance, and resources to communities 
across the country seeking to expand local broadband deployment, 
investment, and adoption.
    In September 2015, the White House released the Council's report, 
which describes 36 concrete steps the member agencies will take over 
the next 18 months to reduce barriers and promote broadband investment 
and adoption.\2\ The Community Connectivity Initiative is one of NTIA's 
commitments outlined in the Council's report.\3\ The purpose of the 
Community Connectivity Initiative is to empower communities with tools 
and resources to attract broadband investment and promote meaningful 
use. NTIA and the National Economic Council conducted outreach to more 
than 200 stakeholders and communities to seek input on the 
implementation of this action item. The initial findings of that 
outreach resulted in collaborators and communities assisting in the 
creation of the framework for the Community Connectivity Initiative.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ Broadband Opportunity Council, Report and Recommendations 
Pursuant to the Presidential Memorandum on Expanding Broadband 
Deployment and Adoption by Addressing Regulatory Barriers and 
Encouraging Investment and Training (Aug. 20, 2015) at 12, available 
at https://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/broadband_opportunity_council_report_final.pdf.
    \3\ Id. at 19. The report tasked NTIA, in collaboration with the 
National Economic Council, to ``convene stakeholders to design and 
launch a community connectivity index.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The objectives of the Community Connectivity Initiative are: (1) To 
support communities as they convene, assess, and act to promote local 
priorities and advance broadband access, adoption, policies, and use; 
and (2) to increase the number of communities actively assessing 
connectivity impacts and investing to improve broadband outcomes. The 
Community Connectivity Initiative includes three resources for 
communities, including the community connectivity framework, an online 
self-assessment tool, and a report with recommendations for each 
participating community. The community connectivity framework provides 
a structure to engage local stakeholders in conversations about 
broadband access and community priorities. The online self-assessment 
tool will provide local leaders with a framework for assessing 
broadband needs in their communities. The tool will enable them to 
record their findings and integrate the assessments with national 
datasets on community broadband. Upon completion of the self-assessment 
tool, communities will receive a report that combines input from the 
self-assessment tool with other data sources, along with 
recommendations for resources that they could use to improve their 
broadband capabilities.
    NTIA is seeking input on the framework and types of questions that 
the self-assessment tool will ask local community leaders in order to 
help achieve local priorities and improve broadband planning efforts. 
NTIA will use the collection of information to support communities 
working to accelerate broadband deployment, deepen broadband adoption, 
strengthen local policies, and use broadband to advance local 
priorities. Through this effort, the Community Connectivity Initiative 
will produce improved broadband planning assets for communities, 
thereby increasing the number of communities actively investing to 
improve broadband access and digital inclusion.
    The community connectivity self-assessment tool will collect local 
input across four major areas, incorporate key local data from national 
data sources, and produce a report focused on actions communities can 
take to support broadband deployment and adoption. The four major 
categories covered in the self-assessment tool are:

1. Broadband Access and Assets (Access)
2. Digital Inclusion and Skills (Adoption)
3. Policy and Funding (Policy)
4. Community Priorities (Use)

    The access category will include imported and user-provided data on 
wireline and fixed wireless broadband access, mobile broadband access, 
and community technology assets. Additionally, the self-assessment tool 
will ask community leaders about their communications resilience 
planning efforts, the availability of WiFi hot spots and public 
computing centers, and their experiences with the availability, 
affordability, and quality of broadband in their localities.
    The adoption category will include three sub-categories: broadband 
utilization, digital inclusion, and digital skills. The broadband 
utilization sub-category will ask about subscriptions to mobile data 
plans, connections to mobile data plans, and the number of internet-
enabled devices owned by people in the community. The digital inclusion 
sub-category will include questions about the following: Outreach 
efforts to vulnerable populations; digital literacy training and 
support services; availability of discount and subsidy programs; device 
loan programs; and accessibility. The digital skills sub-category will 
ask community leaders about programs available to their populations 
that would provide advanced skills to prepare residents and businesses 
for the digital economy. This topic area includes: digital basics and 
work skills; digital participation and content creation; coding, 
computer science and application development; and privacy, security, 
and online safety.
    The policy category will include three sub-categories: leadership, 
funding, and use of public assets. The leadership sub-category will 
seek information on whether community leaders consider community 
connectivity a priority, allocate resources appropriately, and 
incorporate broadband planning and technology innovation across local 
agencies. The funding sub-category will ask how a community funds 
public access, digital inclusion, innovation, and technology as funding 
decisions reflect a community's support for broadband deployment and 
digital equity. The use of public assets sub-category will ask about 
accessible inventory of public assets, regulations providing for fair 
use of assets, and processes enabling use and promoting accountability.
    The use category will include questions about a community's use of 
broadband applications in the following areas: Government services and 
public safety; economic development and innovation; and education and 
health. The government services and public safety sub-category will ask 
about e-government services, citizen

[[Page 41963]]

engagement, safety communications, and network resilience and 
reliability. The economic development and innovation sub-category will 
ask about workforce development. The education and health sub-category 
will ask about student device ownership and support; broadband capacity 
to schools and libraries; electronic health records; telemedicine; and 
broadband capacity and connections to hospitals and clinics.

Description of Proposed Use

    The community connectivity self-assessment tool will capture local 
information about broadband access, digital inclusion, adoption, 
policies, and priorities. The self-assessment tool will use the 
information input by the community leaders in combination with existing 
information from national data sources to create a report targeted to 
the needs of the local community. The resulting report will present the 
information that is relevant to the local community and provide 
recommendations for action along with references to BroadbandUSA and 
other resources. NTIA intends to use this self-assessment to support 
communities as they consider investments and actions to further align 
broadband access with community priorities.
    A primary strategy for reducing respondents' burden in the self-
assessment tool is to create the reports using existing national data 
sources, which may include data from the American Communities Survey 
produced by the U.S. Census Bureau and Broadband Deployment and 
Subscription data collected by the Federal Communications Commission.

II. Method of Collection

    This will be administered as a voluntary online tool for 
communities.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: None.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission; new collection.
    Affected Public: State, regional, local, and tribal government 
organizations.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Number of Respondents: 500.
    Average Time per Response: 12 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 6,000.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $406,730.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they will also become a matter of public record.

    Dated: June 22, 2016.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2016-15149 Filed 6-27-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE P
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