Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission, 48142-48143 [2019-19760]

Agencies

• FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 177 (Thursday, September 12, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48142-48143]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-19760]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-0207]


Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal 
Communications Commission

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, 
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 November 
12, 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 Nicole Ongele, FCC, via email 
[email protected] and to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information about the 
information collection, contact Nicole Ongele, (202) 418-2991.
    OMB Control Number: 3060-0207.
    Title: Part 11--Emergency Alert System (EAS), Order, FCC 19-57.
    Form No.: N/A.
    Type of Review: Revision of currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit; Not-for-profit 
institutions; State, Local, or Tribal Government.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 63,084 respondents; 3,588,830 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.017 hours-0.68 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Recordkeeping requirement and third-party 
disclosure requirements.
    Obligation to Respond: Mandatory. Statutory authority for this 
information collection is contained in 47 U.S.C. 154(i) and 606 of the 
Communications Act of 1934, as amended.

[[Page 48143]]

    Total Annual Burden: 140,751 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No Cost.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No Impact(s).
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Logged information on receipt 
of the weekly test by Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service (SDARS) 
providers is retained for two years at the provider's headquarters, and 
available for public inspection upon reasonable request.
    Needs and Uses: Part 11 contains rules and regulations addressing 
the nation's Emergency Alert System (EAS). The EAS provides the 
President with the capability to provide immediate communications and 
information to the general public during periods of national emergency 
over broadcast television and radio, cable, direct broadcast radio and 
other EAS Participants, as defined in Section 11.11(a) of the 
Commission's rules The EAS also provides state and local governments 
and the National Weather Service with the capability to provide 
immediate communications and information to the public concerning 
emergency situations posing a threat to life and property. Part 11 
includes testing requirements to ensure proper and efficient operation 
of the EAS.
    In the Order, EB Docket No. 04-296, PS Docket No. 15-94, FCC 19-57, 
the Commission amended the Part 11 EAS testing requirements applied to 
SDARS providers to (i) eliminate requiring SDARS providers to transmit 
weekly tests in favor of requiring them to only log receipt of the 
weekly test, and (ii) eliminate the requirement that SDARS providers 
transmit monthly test on all channels in favor of requiring them to 
transmit the monthly test on 10% of all of their channels, with 
channels tested varying from month to month, so that over the course of 
a given year, 100% of all of its channels are tested.
    The Commission seeks OMB approval of these rule amendments as a 
modification of a previously approved information collection. These 
changes to the SDARS testing requirements were specifically requested 
by the lone entity authorized to provide SDARS service in the U.S. The 
amendments harmonize the EAS testing requirements applied to SDARS 
service with those applied to the similarly situated Direct Broadcast 
Satellite (DBS) service. Further, the changes to the SDARS test 
requirements represent a net reduction in the burden imposed on SDARS 
providers (of which there is only one). Specifically, the modified 
monthly test requirements for SDARS do not eliminate monthly testing 
but likely make such testing less burdensome to administer and 
schedule. The weekly test requirement for SDARS of substituting logging 
of receipt of a weekly test for conducting the weekly test, represents 
a reduced burden, as EAS equipment automatically records when weekly 
tests are received. Further, not having to transmit the EAS header 
codes and End of Message (EOM) code on all channels randomly once per 
week relieves the SDARS provider from having to coordinate and 
administer such testing.
    Because the reduced burden is de minimis relative to the aggregate 
estimated in-house cost to all regulated entities subject to weekly EAS 
testing requirements, we are not seeking to change the currently 
approved burden inventory. Specifically, the currently approved burden 
for conducting weekly tests has been established at 0.017 hours per 
week, for 40 weeks (weekly tests are not required for the week in which 
a monthly test is conducted); thus, the annual burden for SDARS 
providers to conduct weekly tests is 0.68 hours, at an estimated annual 
in-house cost of $26 ((0.68) x ($38 per hour)). While it seems likely 
that this annual cost will be lessened under the modified weekly 
testing requirement--to some figure between $0 and $26--given that 
there is only one SDARS provider, that amount will be de minimis 
relative to the total estimated in-house cost to all respondents 
(currently approved at 42,840 hours at an aggregate cost of 
$1,627,920).
    The following information collections contained in Part 11 may be 
impacted by the rule amendments described herein. The revised EAS 
testing requirements for SDARS providers affect one entity, who 
formally requested adoption of such amendments. As described above, the 
revised requirements represent a net reduction in burdens to SDARS 
providers. The rule amendments may impact currently existing paperwork 
collection requirements as discussed below.
    Section 11.35 requires that all EAS Participants (the entities 
required to transmit federal EAS alerts) are responsible for ensuring 
that EAS Encoders/Decoders and Attention Signal generating and 
receiving equipment used as part of the EAS are installed so that the 
monitoring and transmitting functions are available during the times 
the stations/systems are in operation. EAS Participants must determine 
the cause of any failure to receive the required tests or activations. 
When the EAS is not operating properly, section 11.35 requires 
appropriate entries be made in the station/system logs indicating why 
any tests were not received for all broadcast streams and cable 
systems. All other EAS Participants must also keep record indicating 
reasons why any tests were not received and these records must be 
retained for two years, maintained at the EAS Participant's 
headquarters, and made available for public inspection upon reasonable 
request.
    Section 11.61 requires EAS Participants to conduct periodic EAS 
tests. Tests of the EAS header codes, attention signal, test script and 
EOM code are required to be performed monthly. Tests of the EAS header 
codes and end of message codes are made at least once a week. National 
primary sources shall participate in tests as appropriate. DBS 
providers, Class D non-commercial educational FM stations and low power 
TV stations are not required to transmit this test but must log receipt 
of the test in conformance with Section 11.35. The FCC may request a 
report of the tests of the national primary sources. In addition, 
entries must be made in stations/systems logs/records as previously 
stated.
    This information is used by FCC staff as part of routine 
inspections of EAS Participants. Accurate recordkeeping of this data is 
vital in determining the location and nature of possible equipment 
failure on the part of the transmitting or receiving entity. 
Furthermore, since the national level EAS is solely for the President's 
use, its proper operation must be assured.

Federal Communications Commission.
Katura Jackson,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-19760 Filed 9-11-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6712-01-P