Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission, 13544-13545 [2021-04856]
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13544
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 44 / Tuesday, March 9, 2021 / Notices
For
additional information about the
information collection, contact Cathy
Williams at (202) 418–2918.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
OMB Control Number: 3060–0854.
Title: Section 64.2401, Truth-inBilling Format, CC Docket No. 98–170
and CG Docket No. 04–208.
Form Number: N/A.
Type of Review: Extension of a
currently approved collection.
Respondents: Business or other forprofit entities.
Number of Respondents and
Responses: 4,165 respondents; 23,157
responses.
Estimated Time per Response: 2 to
230 hours.
Frequency of Response: On occasion
reporting requirement; Third party
disclosure requirement.
Obligation to Respond: Required to
obtain or retain benefits. The statutory
authority for this information collection
is found at section 201(b) of the
Communications Act of 1934, as
amended, 47 U.S.C. 201(b), and section
258, 47 U.S.C. 258, Public Law 104–104,
110 Stat. 56. The Commission’s
implementing rules are codified at 47
CFR 64.2400.
Total Annual Burden: 1,872,245
hours.
Total Annual Cost: $10,000,000.
Nature and Extent of Confidentiality:
An assurance of confidentiality is not
offered because this information
collection does not require the
collection of personally identifiable
information from individuals.
Privacy Impact Assessment: No
impact(s).
Needs and Uses: In 1999, the
Commission released the Truth-inBilling and Billing Format, CC Docket
No. 98–170, First Report and Order and
Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking,
(1999 TIB Order); published at 64 FR
34488, June 25, 1999, which adopted
principles and guidelines designed to
reduce telecommunications fraud, such
as slamming and cramming, by making
bills easier for consumers to read and
understand, and thereby, making such
fraud easier to detect and report. In
2000, Truth-in-Billing and Billing
Format, CC Docket No. 98–170, Order
on Reconsideration, (2000
Reconsideration Order); published at 65
FR 43251, July 13, 2000, the
Commission, granted in part petitions
for reconsideration of the requirements
that bills highlight new service
providers and prominently display
inquiry contact numbers. On March 18,
2005, the Commission released Truthin-Billing and Billing Format; National
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:03 Mar 08, 2021
Jkt 253001
Association of State Utility Consumer
Advocates’ Petition for Declaratory
Ruling Regarding Truth-in-Billing,
Second Report and Order, Declaratory
Ruling, and Second Further Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking, CC Docket No.
98–170, CG Docket No. 04–208, (2005
Second Report and Order and Second
Further Notice); published at 70 FR
29979 and 70 FR 30044, May 25, 2005,
which determined, inter alia, that
Commercial Mobile Radio Service
providers no longer should be exempted
from 47 CFR 64.2401(b), which requires
billing descriptions to be brief, clear,
non-misleading and in plain language.
The 2005 Second Further Notice
proposed and sought comment on
measures to enhance the ability of
consumers to make informed choices
among competitive telecommunications
service providers.
On April 27, 2012, the Commission
released the Empowering Consumers to
Prevent and Detect Billing for
Unauthorized Charges (‘‘Cramming’’),
Report and Order and Further Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking, CG Docket No.
11–116, CG Docket No. 09–158, CC
Docket No. 98–170, FCC 12–42
(Cramming Report and Order and
Further Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking); published at 77 FR 30972,
May 24, 2012, which determined that
additional rules are needed to help
consumers prevent and detect the
placement of unauthorized charges on
their telephone bills, an unlawful and
fraudulent practice commonly referred
to as ‘‘cramming.’’
Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021–04858 Filed 3–8–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712–01–P
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION
[OMB 3060–0422; FRS 17541]
Information Collection Being Reviewed
by the Federal Communications
Commission
Federal Communications
Commission.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
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
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00026
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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 comments should be
submitted on or before May 10, 2021. 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 contacts below as soon as
possible.
ADDRESSES: Direct all PRA comments to
Cathy Williams, FCC, via email: PRA@
fcc.gov and to Cathy.Williams@fcc.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
additional information about the
information collection, contact Cathy
Williams at (202) 418–2918.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OMB
Control Number: 3060–0422.
Title: Hearing Aid Compatibility;
Access to Telecommunications
Equipment and Services by Persons
with Disabilities; Section 68.5 Waivers,
CC Docket No. 87–124 and CG Docket
No. 13–46.
Form Number: N/A.
Type of Review: Revision of a
currently approved collection.
Respondents: Business or other forprofit entities; not-for-profit entities.
Number of Respondents and
Responses: 331 respondents; 3,030
responses.
Estimated Time per Response: 0.25
hour (15 minutes) to 24 hours.
Frequency of Response: Annual and
on-occasion reporting requirements;
Third party disclosure requirement.
Obligation to Respond: Required to
obtain or retain benefits. The statutory
authority for this information collection
is found at section 710 of the
E:\FR\FM\09MRN1.SGM
09MRN1
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 44 / Tuesday, March 9, 2021 / Notices
Communications Act of 1934, as
amended, 47 U.S.C. 610.
Total Annual Burden: 7,242 hours.
Total Annual Cost: $487,500.
Nature and Extent of Confidentiality:
An assurance of confidentiality is not
offered because this information
collection does not require the
collection of personally identifiable
information from individuals.
Privacy Impact Assessment: No
impact(s).
Needs and Uses: This notice and
request for comments pertains to the
extension of the currently approved
information collection requirements
concerning hearing aid compatibility
(HAC) for wireline handsets used with
the legacy telephone network and with
advanced communications services
(ACS), such as Voice over internet
Protocol (VoIP). The latter are known as
ACS telephonic customer premises
equipment (ACS telephonic CPE).
Beginning in the 1980s, the
Commission adopted a series of
regulations to implement statutory
directives requiring wireline telephone
handsets in the United States (for use
with the legacy telephone network) to
be hearing aid compatible. In 2010, the
Twenty-First Century Communications
and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA),
Public Law 111–260, sec. 102, 710(b),
124 Stat. 2751, 2753 (CVAA) (codified at
47 U.S.C. 610(b)), amended by Public
Law 111–265, 124 Stat. 2795 (technical
corrections to the CVAA), amended
section 710(b) of the Communications
Act of 1934, to apply the HAC
requirements to ACS telephonic CPE,
including VoIP telephones. In
accordance with this provision, the
Commission adopted Access to
Telecommunications Equipment and
Services by Persons with Disabilities et
al., Report and Order and Order on
Reconsideration, FCC 17–135, released
October 26, 2017, which amended the
HAC rules to cover ACS telephonic CPE
to the extent such devices are designed
to be held to the ear and provide twoway voice communication via a built-in
speaker.
The information collections contain
third-party disclosure and labeling
requirements. The information is used
to inform consumers who purchase or
use wireline telephone equipment
whether the telephone is hearing aid
compatible; to ensure that
manufacturers comply with applicable
regulations and technical criteria; to
ensure that information about ACS
telephonic CPE is available in a
database administered by the
Administrative Council for Terminal
Attachments (ACTA) (an organization,
previously created pursuant to FCC
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:03 Mar 08, 2021
Jkt 253001
regulations, whose key function is to
maintain a database of telephone
equipment); and to facilitate the filing of
complaints about the ACS telephonic
CPE.
Wireline Handsets Used With the
Legacy Telephone Network
• 47 CFR 68.224 requires that every
non-hearing aid compatible wireline
telephone used with the legacy wireline
network that is offered for sale to the
public contain in a conspicuous
location on the surface of its packaging
a statement that the telephone is not
hearing aid compatible. If the handset is
offered for sale without a surrounding
package, then the telephone must be
affixed with a written statement that the
telephone is not hearing aid compatible.
In addition, each handset must be
accompanied by instructions in
accordance with 47 CFR 62.218(b)(2).
• 47 CFR 68.300 requires that all
wireline telephones used with the
legacy wireline network that are
manufactured in the United States
(other than for export) or imported for
use in the United States and that are
hearing aid compatible have the letters
‘‘HAC’’ permanently affixed.
ACS Telephonic CPE
• 47 CFR 68.502(a) of the
Commission’s rules contains
information collection requirements for
ACS telephonic CPE that are similar to
the HAC label and notice requirements
in 47 CFR 68.224 and 68.300 (discussed
above), i.e., the ‘‘HAC’’ labeling
requirement for hearing aid compatible
equipment, and the package information
for non-hearing aid compatible
equipment, apply to ACS telephonic
CPE.
• 47 CFR 68.501 of the Commission’s
rules requires responsible parties to
obtain certifications of their equipment
by using a third-party
Telecommunications Certification Body
(TCB) or a Supplier’s Declaration of
Conformity. (A responsible party is the
party, such as the manufacturer, that is
responsible for the compliance of ACS
telephonic CPE with the hearing aid
compatibility rules and other applicable
technical criteria. A Supplier’s
Declaration of Conformity is a
procedure whereby a responsible party
makes measurements or takes steps to
ensure that CPE complies with technical
standards, which results in a document
by the same name.) Section 68.501 of
the Commission’s rules applies to ACS
telephonic CPE the rule sections
defining the roles of TCBs and the uses
of Supplier’s Declarations of Conformity
for wireline handsets used with the
legacy telephone network.
PO 00000
Frm 00027
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
13545
• 47 CFR 68.504 of the Commission’s
rules requires information about ACS
telephonic CPE to be included in a
database administered by ACTA. In
addition, ACS telephonic CPE must be
labeled as required by ACTA.
• 47 CFR 68.502(b)–(d) of the
Commission’s rules requires responsible
parties to: Warrant that ACS telephonic
CPE complies with applicable
regulations and technical criteria; give
the user instructions required by ACTA
for ACS telephonic CPE that is hearing
aid compatible; give the user a notice for
ACS telephonic CPE that is not hearing
aid compatible; and notify the purchaser
or user of ACS telephonic CPE whose
approval is revoked, that the purchaser
or user must discontinue its use.
• 47 CFR 68.503 of the Commission’s
rules requires manufacturers of ACS
telephonic CPE to designate an agent for
service of process for complaints that
may be filed at the FCC.
Applications for Waiver of HAC
Requirements
• 47 CFR 68.5 requires that telephone
manufacturers seeking a waiver of 47
CFR 68.4(a)(1) (requiring that certain
telephones be hearing aid compatible)
demonstrate that compliance with the
rule is technologically infeasible or too
costly. Information is used by FCC staff
to determine whether to grant or dismiss
the request.
Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021–04856 Filed 3–8–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712–01–P
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION
[FR ID 17542]
Privacy Act of 1974; System of
Records
Federal Communications
Commission.
ACTION: Notice of a new system of
records.
AGENCY:
The Federal Communications
Commission (FCC or Commission or
Agency) proposes to add a new system
of records, FCC/WCB–4, Consumer
Challenge Process, to its inventory of
records systems subject to the Privacy
Act of 1974, as amended. This action is
necessary to meet the requirements of
the Privacy Act to publish in the
Federal Register notice of the existence
and character of records maintained by
the Agency. The FCC maintains
programs that require
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\09MRN1.SGM
09MRN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 9, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13544-13545]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-04856]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
[OMB 3060-0422; FRS 17541]
Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal
Communications Commission
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 comments should be submitted on or before May 10, 2021.
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 contacts below as soon as possible.
ADDRESSES: Direct all PRA comments to Cathy Williams, FCC, via email:
[email protected] and to [email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information about the
information collection, contact Cathy Williams at (202) 418-2918.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OMB Control Number: 3060-0422.
Title: Hearing Aid Compatibility; Access to Telecommunications
Equipment and Services by Persons with Disabilities; Section 68.5
Waivers, CC Docket No. 87-124 and CG Docket No. 13-46.
Form Number: N/A.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities; not-for-profit
entities.
Number of Respondents and Responses: 331 respondents; 3,030
responses.
Estimated Time per Response: 0.25 hour (15 minutes) to 24 hours.
Frequency of Response: Annual and on-occasion reporting
requirements; Third party disclosure requirement.
Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The
statutory authority for this information collection is found at section
710 of the
[[Page 13545]]
Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 610.
Total Annual Burden: 7,242 hours.
Total Annual Cost: $487,500.
Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: An assurance of
confidentiality is not offered because this information collection does
not require the collection of personally identifiable information from
individuals.
Privacy Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
Needs and Uses: This notice and request for comments pertains to
the extension of the currently approved information collection
requirements concerning hearing aid compatibility (HAC) for wireline
handsets used with the legacy telephone network and with advanced
communications services (ACS), such as Voice over internet Protocol
(VoIP). The latter are known as ACS telephonic customer premises
equipment (ACS telephonic CPE).
Beginning in the 1980s, the Commission adopted a series of
regulations to implement statutory directives requiring wireline
telephone handsets in the United States (for use with the legacy
telephone network) to be hearing aid compatible. In 2010, the Twenty-
First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA), Public
Law 111-260, sec. 102, 710(b), 124 Stat. 2751, 2753 (CVAA) (codified at
47 U.S.C. 610(b)), amended by Public Law 111-265, 124 Stat. 2795
(technical corrections to the CVAA), amended section 710(b) of the
Communications Act of 1934, to apply the HAC requirements to ACS
telephonic CPE, including VoIP telephones. In accordance with this
provision, the Commission adopted Access to Telecommunications
Equipment and Services by Persons with Disabilities et al., Report and
Order and Order on Reconsideration, FCC 17-135, released October 26,
2017, which amended the HAC rules to cover ACS telephonic CPE to the
extent such devices are designed to be held to the ear and provide two-
way voice communication via a built-in speaker.
The information collections contain third-party disclosure and
labeling requirements. The information is used to inform consumers who
purchase or use wireline telephone equipment whether the telephone is
hearing aid compatible; to ensure that manufacturers comply with
applicable regulations and technical criteria; to ensure that
information about ACS telephonic CPE is available in a database
administered by the Administrative Council for Terminal Attachments
(ACTA) (an organization, previously created pursuant to FCC
regulations, whose key function is to maintain a database of telephone
equipment); and to facilitate the filing of complaints about the ACS
telephonic CPE.
Wireline Handsets Used With the Legacy Telephone Network
47 CFR 68.224 requires that every non-hearing aid
compatible wireline telephone used with the legacy wireline network
that is offered for sale to the public contain in a conspicuous
location on the surface of its packaging a statement that the telephone
is not hearing aid compatible. If the handset is offered for sale
without a surrounding package, then the telephone must be affixed with
a written statement that the telephone is not hearing aid compatible.
In addition, each handset must be accompanied by instructions in
accordance with 47 CFR 62.218(b)(2).
47 CFR 68.300 requires that all wireline telephones used
with the legacy wireline network that are manufactured in the United
States (other than for export) or imported for use in the United States
and that are hearing aid compatible have the letters ``HAC''
permanently affixed.
ACS Telephonic CPE
47 CFR 68.502(a) of the Commission's rules contains
information collection requirements for ACS telephonic CPE that are
similar to the HAC label and notice requirements in 47 CFR 68.224 and
68.300 (discussed above), i.e., the ``HAC'' labeling requirement for
hearing aid compatible equipment, and the package information for non-
hearing aid compatible equipment, apply to ACS telephonic CPE.
47 CFR 68.501 of the Commission's rules requires
responsible parties to obtain certifications of their equipment by
using a third-party Telecommunications Certification Body (TCB) or a
Supplier's Declaration of Conformity. (A responsible party is the
party, such as the manufacturer, that is responsible for the compliance
of ACS telephonic CPE with the hearing aid compatibility rules and
other applicable technical criteria. A Supplier's Declaration of
Conformity is a procedure whereby a responsible party makes
measurements or takes steps to ensure that CPE complies with technical
standards, which results in a document by the same name.) Section
68.501 of the Commission's rules applies to ACS telephonic CPE the rule
sections defining the roles of TCBs and the uses of Supplier's
Declarations of Conformity for wireline handsets used with the legacy
telephone network.
47 CFR 68.504 of the Commission's rules requires
information about ACS telephonic CPE to be included in a database
administered by ACTA. In addition, ACS telephonic CPE must be labeled
as required by ACTA.
47 CFR 68.502(b)-(d) of the Commission's rules requires
responsible parties to: Warrant that ACS telephonic CPE complies with
applicable regulations and technical criteria; give the user
instructions required by ACTA for ACS telephonic CPE that is hearing
aid compatible; give the user a notice for ACS telephonic CPE that is
not hearing aid compatible; and notify the purchaser or user of ACS
telephonic CPE whose approval is revoked, that the purchaser or user
must discontinue its use.
47 CFR 68.503 of the Commission's rules requires
manufacturers of ACS telephonic CPE to designate an agent for service
of process for complaints that may be filed at the FCC.
Applications for Waiver of HAC Requirements
47 CFR 68.5 requires that telephone manufacturers seeking
a waiver of 47 CFR 68.4(a)(1) (requiring that certain telephones be
hearing aid compatible) demonstrate that compliance with the rule is
technologically infeasible or too costly. Information is used by FCC
staff to determine whether to grant or dismiss the request.
Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-04856 Filed 3-8-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
