NTIA Internet Use Survey Questionnaire Development, 50804-50805 [2020-18041]

Download as PDF 50804 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 160 / Tuesday, August 18, 2020 / Notices jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES throughout America. Experts from NTIA’s BroadbandUSA program are available to provide technical assistance and to connect stakeholders with additional resources, such as best practices, guides and program models. NTIA’s BroadbandUSA team convenes events around the country to bring together government, industry and non-profit personnel working to expand broadband connectivity and improve digital inclusion and workforce skills. These webinars are among the events BroadbandUSA uses to share broadband information with the public, broadband stakeholders, tribal, local and state governments and federal programs. Details on specific webinar topics and webinar registration information will be posted on the BroadbandUSA website, https://broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov under Events. These webinars are subject to change. Webinar time changes will be posted on the BroadbandUSA website, https:// broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov under Events, at least thirty days in advance of the webinar. Any webinar cancellation will also be posted on the same website. Any date changes will be published in a new Federal Register notice and posted on the website. The presentation, transcript, and recording of each webinar will be posted on the BroadbandUSA website within 7 days following the live webinar. The public is invited to participate in these webinars. General questions and comments are welcome at any time during webinars via email to BroadbandUSAwebinars@ntia.gov. The webinars are open to the public and press. Pre-registration is recommended. NTIA asks each registrant to provide their first and last name, city, state, zip code, job title, organization and email address for both registration purposes and to receive any updates on the BroadbandUSA program via email at BroadbandUSA@ntia.gov. Information on webinar content and how to register for one or more webinars will be available on NTIA’s website at https:// broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov under Events. Individuals requiring accommodations, such as sign language interpretation or other ancillary aids, are asked to notify the NTIA contact listed above at least seven (7) business days before the meeting. Dated: August 13, 2020. Kathy Smith, Chief Counsel, National Telecommunications and Information Administration. [FR Doc. 2020–18040 Filed 8–17–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–60–P VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:50 Aug 17, 2020 Jkt 250001 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Telecommunications and Information Administration [Docket No. 200813–0218] RIN 0660–XC048 NTIA Internet Use Survey Questionnaire Development National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Department of Commerce. ACTION: Notice, request for public comments. AGENCY: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is seeking comments and recommendations for possible revisions to questions asked on the NTIA internet Use Survey. This long-running survey of individuals and households covers a range of topics related to digital inclusion and other internet policy issues, including the adoption of different types of devices and internet access technologies, locations of internet use, online activities, and challenges preventing some Americans from taking full advantage of the internet. This Notice and Request for Public Comments is an opportunity for members of the public to provide input as to what question additions, revisions, or deletions NTIA should consider in updating the survey instrument. DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before September 17, 2020. ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted by email to data@ntia.gov. Please reference Docket No. 200813– 0218 in the subject line of your comments. SUMMARY: Rafi Goldberg, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Room 4725, Washington, DC 20230; Telephone: (202) 482–4375; Email: rgoldberg@ ntia.gov. For media inquiries: Stephen Yusko, Office of Public Affairs, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Room 4897, Washington, DC 20230; Telephone: (202) 482–7002; Email: press@ntia.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Since 1994, NTIA has partnered with the U.S. Census Bureau to produce the NTIA internet Use Survey (approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0060–0021), an FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 important source of data for informing solutions to digital inclusion and other internet-related public policy challenges. This long-running survey of individuals and households covers a range of topics related to digital inclusion and other internet policy issues, including the adoption of different types of devices and internet access technologies, locations of internet use, online activities, and challenges preventing some Americans from taking full advantage of the internet. The survey is administered as a periodic supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly survey that includes approximately 50,000 households across all fifty states and the District of Columbia. The CPS is the source of certain national labor force statistics, including the unemployment rate. The Census Bureau uses a combination of in-person and live telephone interviews to gather data on every individual living in each surveyed household, including both demographic and labor force information. By contracting with the Census Bureau to field the NTIA internet Use Survey as a CPS Supplement, NTIA benefits from the CPS’s existing infrastructure and sophisticated design, as well as the Census Bureau’s considerable expertise. The main goal of the NTIA internet Use Survey is to inform evidence-based analysis and development of internet policy generally, and particularly to support solutions that increase digital inclusion and bridge the digital divide. NTIA staff use the resulting data internally and in publications to help inform policymakers; relevant NTIA publications can be found at https:// www.ntia.gov/data. Additionally, much of the value of the NTIA internet Use Survey comes from research and analysis performed by members of the public. The academic studies and other work produced externally using NTIA internet Use Survey datasets, which are publicly released following Census Bureau measures to protect respondent confidentiality, contribute substantially to the state of knowledge in internet policy and further advance discourse among policymakers, researchers, and advocates. Over the last 25 years, NTIA has continually sought to update the questions asked on the NTIA internet Use Survey as the technologies Americans use to communicate, learn, work, and participate in the digital economy—and the terms used to describe those technologies—evolve, and as new policy challenges emerge. NTIA and many external data users also value the ability to track changes in internet use and related metrics over E:\FR\FM\18AUN1.SGM 18AUN1 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 160 / Tuesday, August 18, 2020 / Notices time, necessitating some level of consistency between surveys. Further, against the backdrop of these sometimes competing interests, NTIA must also be mindful of the burden on respondents and the potential that an excessively long or complex survey could lead to reductions on response rates. With those constraints in mind, NTIA last redesigned the survey instrument in collaboration with our Census Bureau partners prior to the 2015 edition of the survey, implemented additional improvements for the 2017 survey, and redeployed that same questionnaire for the most recent survey in 2019. In an effort to explore further refinements to the survey instrument ahead of future data collections, NTIA is contracting with the Census Bureau to conduct cognitive testing of current and proposed questions beginning late 2020. Prior to implementing any substantive changes to the survey questions, Census Bureau staff test the draft survey instrument with members of the public, and use the results to recommend changes that improve the performance of individual questions and the survey instrument overall. Before submitting a draft survey instrument for testing, NTIA is soliciting feedback from the public as to how it might further improve the questions asked in the survey—including, but not limited to, anyone who has used the survey data or is interested in doing so. NTIA intends to build on previous work by adding, deleting, or modifying questions asked in the 2019 NTIA internet Use Survey, preserving where possible the ability to track changes over time while also improving the efficacy and utility of the survey instrument. Interested parties can find the most recent survey instrument at https:// www.ntia.gov/files/ntia/blogimages/ november_2019_cps_supplement_-_ final.pdf, and previous versions of the questionnaire can be found in the technical documentation accompanying each public use dataset, available from https://www.ntia.gov/page/downloaddigital-nation-datasets. NTIA invites all suggestions of possible survey instrument changes to submit for cognitive testing. The following questions serve as a nonexhaustive guide to some of the survey design issues commenters may wish to address: 1. Should NTIA be aware of any past or future planned uses of data from the NTIA internet Use Survey? If so, which survey questions or topics were or would be most important to accomplishing this work? 2. What questions, if any, should NTIA propose adding to the NTIA VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:50 Aug 17, 2020 Jkt 250001 internet Use Survey? New questions could either expand on an existing topic, e.g., an additional type of computing device or online activity not currently tracked, or address an entirely new topic in computer or internet use. Commenters may wish to discuss the desired response format (yes or no, multiple choice, etc.), unit of measurement (individuals, households, or a subset of either), and other details of the data to be collected. Further, parties proposing new questions may consider commenting on how NTIA should address any resulting increase in respondent burden, including time needed to administer the survey. 3. Which existing questions, if any, should NTIA consider modifying for future editions of the NTIA internet Use Survey? NTIA may modify the text of an existing survey question in a range of situations, including when recent developments suggest a need for new terminology or answer choices, or when a different question structure may reduce respondent burden or improve the resulting data. Commenters may suggest changes in general terms or by proposing specific question text. If desired, parties may also comment on any potential impacts to time-series comparisons. 4. Which existing questions, if any, should NTIA consider removing from the NTIA internet Use Survey? Reasons NTIA may consider removing a question include, but are not limited to, lack of practical utility (or lesser utility compared with potential new questions), challenges to collecting accurate data through a household survey, or events obviating the continued need for a previously important question. Please comment on any challenges that may result from question removal, including the loss of time-series comparisons. 5. In addition to questions discussed above, are there any questions or general issues related to the NTIA internet Use Survey that should be of particular focus during the cognitive testing process? The Census Bureau will test the entire draft survey instrument, creating an opportunity to assess the performance of all questions individually and collectively. Instructions for Commenters: Commenters are encouraged to address any or all of the questions in this Notice and Request for Public Comments. Comments that contain references to studies, research, and other empirical data that are not widely published should include copies of the referenced materials with the submitted comments. Comments submitted by email should be machine-readable and should not be PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 50805 copy-protected. Commenters should include the name of the person or organization filing the comment, as well as a page number on each page of their submissions. All personal identifying information (for example, name, address) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or protected information. Dated: August 13, 2020. Kathy Smith, Chief Counsel, National Telecommunications and Information Administration. [FR Doc. 2020–18041 Filed 8–17–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–60–P COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION Agency Information Collection Activities: Notice of Intent To Extend Collection 3038–0059: Part 41, Relating to Security Futures Products Commodity Futures Trading Commission. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (‘‘Commission’’ or ‘‘CFTC’’) is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the extension of a proposed collection of certain information by the agency. In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information, and to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice solicits comments, as described below, on the proposed Information Collection Request (‘‘ICR’’) titled: Part 41, Relating to Security Futures Products; OMB Control Number 3038–0059. DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before October 19, 2020. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by OMB Control No. 3038– 0059, by any of the following methods: • The Agency’s website, at https:// comments.cftc.gov/. Follow the instructions for submitting comments through the website. • Mail: Christopher Kirkpatrick, Secretary of the Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, 1155 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20581. • Hand delivery/Courier: Same as Mail above. Please submit your comments using only one method. All comments must be SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\18AUN1.SGM 18AUN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 160 (Tuesday, August 18, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50804-50805]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-18041]


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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

[Docket No. 200813-0218]
RIN 0660-XC048


NTIA Internet Use Survey Questionnaire Development

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

ACTION: Notice, request for public comments.

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

SUMMARY: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA) is seeking comments and recommendations for possible revisions 
to questions asked on the NTIA internet Use Survey. This long-running 
survey of individuals and households covers a range of topics related 
to digital inclusion and other internet policy issues, including the 
adoption of different types of devices and internet access 
technologies, locations of internet use, online activities, and 
challenges preventing some Americans from taking full advantage of the 
internet. This Notice and Request for Public Comments is an opportunity 
for members of the public to provide input as to what question 
additions, revisions, or deletions NTIA should consider in updating the 
survey instrument.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
September 17, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted by email to [email protected]. 
Please reference Docket No. 200813-0218 in the subject line of your 
comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rafi Goldberg, National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Room 4725, Washington, DC 20230; 
Telephone: (202) 482-4375; Email: [email protected]. For media 
inquiries: Stephen Yusko, Office of Public Affairs, National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Room 4897, Washington, DC 20230; 
Telephone: (202) 482-7002; Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Since 1994, NTIA has partnered with the U.S. 
Census Bureau to produce the NTIA internet Use Survey (approved by the 
Office of Management and Budget under control number 0060-0021), an 
important source of data for informing solutions to digital inclusion 
and other internet-related public policy challenges. This long-running 
survey of individuals and households covers a range of topics related 
to digital inclusion and other internet policy issues, including the 
adoption of different types of devices and internet access 
technologies, locations of internet use, online activities, and 
challenges preventing some Americans from taking full advantage of the 
internet. The survey is administered as a periodic supplement to the 
Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly survey that includes 
approximately 50,000 households across all fifty states and the 
District of Columbia. The CPS is the source of certain national labor 
force statistics, including the unemployment rate. The Census Bureau 
uses a combination of in-person and live telephone interviews to gather 
data on every individual living in each surveyed household, including 
both demographic and labor force information. By contracting with the 
Census Bureau to field the NTIA internet Use Survey as a CPS 
Supplement, NTIA benefits from the CPS's existing infrastructure and 
sophisticated design, as well as the Census Bureau's considerable 
expertise.
    The main goal of the NTIA internet Use Survey is to inform 
evidence-based analysis and development of internet policy generally, 
and particularly to support solutions that increase digital inclusion 
and bridge the digital divide. NTIA staff use the resulting data 
internally and in publications to help inform policymakers; relevant 
NTIA publications can be found at https://www.ntia.gov/data. 
Additionally, much of the value of the NTIA internet Use Survey comes 
from research and analysis performed by members of the public. The 
academic studies and other work produced externally using NTIA internet 
Use Survey datasets, which are publicly released following Census 
Bureau measures to protect respondent confidentiality, contribute 
substantially to the state of knowledge in internet policy and further 
advance discourse among policymakers, researchers, and advocates.
    Over the last 25 years, NTIA has continually sought to update the 
questions asked on the NTIA internet Use Survey as the technologies 
Americans use to communicate, learn, work, and participate in the 
digital economy--and the terms used to describe those technologies--
evolve, and as new policy challenges emerge. NTIA and many external 
data users also value the ability to track changes in internet use and 
related metrics over

[[Page 50805]]

time, necessitating some level of consistency between surveys. Further, 
against the backdrop of these sometimes competing interests, NTIA must 
also be mindful of the burden on respondents and the potential that an 
excessively long or complex survey could lead to reductions on response 
rates. With those constraints in mind, NTIA last redesigned the survey 
instrument in collaboration with our Census Bureau partners prior to 
the 2015 edition of the survey, implemented additional improvements for 
the 2017 survey, and redeployed that same questionnaire for the most 
recent survey in 2019. In an effort to explore further refinements to 
the survey instrument ahead of future data collections, NTIA is 
contracting with the Census Bureau to conduct cognitive testing of 
current and proposed questions beginning late 2020. Prior to 
implementing any substantive changes to the survey questions, Census 
Bureau staff test the draft survey instrument with members of the 
public, and use the results to recommend changes that improve the 
performance of individual questions and the survey instrument overall.
    Before submitting a draft survey instrument for testing, NTIA is 
soliciting feedback from the public as to how it might further improve 
the questions asked in the survey--including, but not limited to, 
anyone who has used the survey data or is interested in doing so. NTIA 
intends to build on previous work by adding, deleting, or modifying 
questions asked in the 2019 NTIA internet Use Survey, preserving where 
possible the ability to track changes over time while also improving 
the efficacy and utility of the survey instrument. Interested parties 
can find the most recent survey instrument at https://www.ntia.gov/files/ntia/blogimages/november_2019_cps_supplement_-_final.pdf, and 
previous versions of the questionnaire can be found in the technical 
documentation accompanying each public use dataset, available from 
https://www.ntia.gov/page/download-digital-nation-datasets.
    NTIA invites all suggestions of possible survey instrument changes 
to submit for cognitive testing. The following questions serve as a 
non-exhaustive guide to some of the survey design issues commenters may 
wish to address:
    1. Should NTIA be aware of any past or future planned uses of data 
from the NTIA internet Use Survey? If so, which survey questions or 
topics were or would be most important to accomplishing this work?
    2. What questions, if any, should NTIA propose adding to the NTIA 
internet Use Survey? New questions could either expand on an existing 
topic, e.g., an additional type of computing device or online activity 
not currently tracked, or address an entirely new topic in computer or 
internet use. Commenters may wish to discuss the desired response 
format (yes or no, multiple choice, etc.), unit of measurement 
(individuals, households, or a subset of either), and other details of 
the data to be collected. Further, parties proposing new questions may 
consider commenting on how NTIA should address any resulting increase 
in respondent burden, including time needed to administer the survey.
    3. Which existing questions, if any, should NTIA consider modifying 
for future editions of the NTIA internet Use Survey? NTIA may modify 
the text of an existing survey question in a range of situations, 
including when recent developments suggest a need for new terminology 
or answer choices, or when a different question structure may reduce 
respondent burden or improve the resulting data. Commenters may suggest 
changes in general terms or by proposing specific question text. If 
desired, parties may also comment on any potential impacts to time-
series comparisons.
    4. Which existing questions, if any, should NTIA consider removing 
from the NTIA internet Use Survey? Reasons NTIA may consider removing a 
question include, but are not limited to, lack of practical utility (or 
lesser utility compared with potential new questions), challenges to 
collecting accurate data through a household survey, or events 
obviating the continued need for a previously important question. 
Please comment on any challenges that may result from question removal, 
including the loss of time-series comparisons.
    5. In addition to questions discussed above, are there any 
questions or general issues related to the NTIA internet Use Survey 
that should be of particular focus during the cognitive testing 
process? The Census Bureau will test the entire draft survey 
instrument, creating an opportunity to assess the performance of all 
questions individually and collectively.
    Instructions for Commenters: Commenters are encouraged to address 
any or all of the questions in this Notice and Request for Public 
Comments. Comments that contain references to studies, research, and 
other empirical data that are not widely published should include 
copies of the referenced materials with the submitted comments. 
Comments submitted by email should be machine-readable and should not 
be copy-protected. Commenters should include the name of the person or 
organization filing the comment, as well as a page number on each page 
of their submissions. All personal identifying information (for 
example, name, address) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be 
publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business information or 
otherwise sensitive or protected information.

    Dated: August 13, 2020.
Kathy Smith,
Chief Counsel, National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2020-18041 Filed 8-17-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-60-P


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