Promoting Telehealth in Rural America, 37022-37023 [2020-12844]

Agencies

• FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 119 (Friday, June 19, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 37022-37023]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-12844]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 54

[WC Docket No. 17-310; FCC 19-78; FRS 16838]


Promoting Telehealth in Rural America

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule; announcement of effective date.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Federal Communications Commission 
(Commission) announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
has approved, for a period of three years, an information collection 
associated with the rules for the Telecommunications Program and the 
Healthcare Connect Fund Program contained in the Commission's Promoting 
Telehealth in Rural America Report and Order, FCC 19-78, which stated 
that the Commission would publish a document in the Federal Register 
announcing the effective date of the new information collection 
requirements.

DATES: The amendments to 47 CFR 54.622(d) and (e)(2), (4), and (5), 
54.623(a)(2) through (4), 54.624,

[[Page 37023]]

54.626(b), 54.627(b), and 54.631(d), published at 84 FR 54952, October 
11, 2019, are effective June 19, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bryan Boyle, Telecommunications Access 
Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau at (202) 418-7400 or TTY: 
(202) 418-0484 or via email: [email protected]. For additional 
information concerning the Paperwork Reduction Act information 
collection requirements, contact Nicole Ongele at (202) 418-2991 or via 
email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commission submitted new information 
collection requirements for review and approval by OMB, as required by 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, on April 7, 2020, which were 
approved by the OMB on May 22, 2020. The information collection 
requirements are contained in the Commission's
    Promoting Telehealth in Rural America Report and Order, FCC 19-78, 
published at 84 FR 54952, October 11, 2019. The OMB Control Number is 
3060-0804. The Commission publishes this document as an announcement of 
the effective date of the rules published on October 11, 2019. If you 
have any comments on the burden estimates listed herein, or how the 
Commission can improve the collection and reduce any burdens caused 
thereby, the Commission will accept your comments via email at 
[email protected]. Please include the OMB Control Number, 3060-0804, in your 
correspondence. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission's 
headquarters will be closed to the general public and will only be 
accepting electronic submissions until further notice.
    To request materials in accessible formats for people with 
disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), 
send an email to [email protected] 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 Commission is notifying the public that it received OMB 
approval on May 22, 2020 for the information collection requirements 
contained in 47 CFR 54.622(d) and (e)(2), (4), and (5), 54.623(a)(2) 
through (4), 54.624, 54.626(b), 54.627(b), and 54.631(d) published at 
84 FR 54952, October 11, 2019. 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 OMB 
Control Number is 3060-0804.
    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: 3060-0804.
    OMB Approval Date: May 22, 2020.
    OMB Expiration Date: May 31, 2023.
    Title: Universal Service--Rural Health Care Program.
    Form Nos.: FCC Forms 460, 461, 462, 463, 465, 466, and 467.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit; Not-for-profit 
institutions; Federal Government; and State, Local, or Tribal 
governments.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 10,494 unique respondents; 
93,687 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.30-17 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion, one-time, annual, quarterly, 
and monthly reporting requirements.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for this collection of information is contained in 
sections 1-4, 201-205, 214, 254, 303(r), and 403 of the Communications 
Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 151-154, 201-205, 214, 254, 303(r), 
and 403, unless otherwise noted.
    Total Annual Burden: 382,741 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No Cost.
    Privacy Impact Assessment: No Impact(s).
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: There is no assurance of 
confidentiality provided to respondents concerning this information 
collection. Information submitted on FCC Forms for the RHC Program is 
subject to public inspection and is used by USAC to update and expand 
the RHC Program dataset as part of its Open Data Platform. However, 
respondents may request materials or information submitted to the 
Commission or to USAC be withheld from public inspection under 47 CFR 
0.459 of the Commission's rules.
    Needs and Uses: This collection is utilized for the RHC support 
mechanism of the Commission's universal service fund (USF). The 
Commission and the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) will 
use the information collected to determine if entities are eligible for 
funding pursuant to the RHC universal service support mechanism, to 
determine whether entities are complying with the Commission's rules, 
and to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. This information also allows 
the Commission to evaluate the extent to which the RHC Program is 
meeting the statutory objectives specified in section 254(h) of the 
1996 Act, and the Commission's performance goals for the RHC Program.
    To aid in collecting this information, the public will use the 
Commission's forms to provide the necessary information and 
certifications. This revision modifies the existing information 
collection requirements applicable to both the Healthcare Connect Fund 
and Telecommunications (Telecom) Programs as a result of the 2019 
Promoting Telehealth Report and Order. The revisions, where applicable, 
are intended to make the RHC Program information requests consistent 
between the programs, to the extent possible, and help to ensure and 
verify that RHC Program participants are not engaging in fraudulent 
conduct or otherwise violating the Commission's rules.

Federal Communications Commission.
Cecilia Sigmund,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-12844 Filed 6-18-20; 8:45 am]
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