Standards for Hearing Aid-Compatible Handsets, 60776-60778 [2021-23845]
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60776
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 211 / Thursday, November 4, 2021 / Rules and Regulations
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with RULES1
contact Cathy Williams, Federal
Communications Commission, 45 L
Street NE, Washington, DC 20554,
regarding OMB Control Number 3060–
1294. Please include the OMB Control
Number in your correspondence. The
Commission will also accept your
comments via email at PRA@fcc.gov.
To request materials in accessible
formats for people with disabilities
(Braille, large print, electronic files,
audio format), send an email to fcc504@
fcc.gov 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 final OMB approval on
October 19, 2021, for the information
collection requirements contained in 47
CFR 2.106, 27.14(w), 27.1603, 27.1605,
and 27.1607 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 for
the information collection requirements
in 47 CFR 2.106, 27.14, 27.1603,
27.1605, and 27.1607 is 3060–1294.
The foregoing 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: 3060–1294.
OMB Approval Date: October 19.
2021.
OMB Expiration Date: October 31,
2024.
Title: FCC Authorization for Radio
Service License—3.45 GHz Band
Service.
Form Number: N/A.
Respondents: Business or other forprofit entities, state, local, or tribal
government, and not for profit
institutions.
Number of Respondents and
Responses: 56 respondents; 8,201
responses.
Estimated Time per Response: 5–20
hours.
Frequency of Response: Third party
disclosure requirement; on occasion
reporting requirement and periodic
reporting requirement.
Obligation to Respond: Required to
obtain or retain benefits. Statutory
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authority for these collections are
contained in 47 U.S.C. 151, 152, 154,
154(i), 155(c), 157, 201, 202, 208, 214,
301, 302a, 303, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311,
314, 316, 319, 324, 331, 332, 333, 336,
534, 535, and 554 of the
Communications Act of 1934.
Total Annual Burden: 9,200 hours.
Total Annual Cost: $10,353,000.
Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No
impact(s).
Nature and Extent of Confidentiality:
In general, there is no need for
confidentiality with this collection of
information. Insofar as confidential
information is submitted to the
Department of Defense as part of the
coordination by 3.45 GHz Service
licensees with Federal incumbents, the
Department of Defense will ensure that
information remains confidential.
Needs and Uses: On March 17, 2021,
the Federal Communications
Commission (‘‘Commission’’ or ‘‘FCC’’)
adopted a Second Report and Order,
FCC 21–32, GN Docket No. WT–19–348
(Second Report and Order) that
establishes rules for flexible-use
wireless access to the 100 megahertz in
the 3450–3550 MHz (3.45 GHz) band,
creating the new 3.45 GHz Service. The
rules will create additional capacity for
wireless broadband allowing full-power
operations across the band in the entire
contiguous United States, while also
ensuring full protection of incumbent
Federal operations remaining in
particular locations. As part of this
process, the Commission also adopted
rules related to the relocation of
incumbent non-Federal radiolocation
operations, the selection of a third-party
reimbursement clearinghouse, and
reimbursement of expenses related to
such relocation.
Sections 2.016 and 27.1603 require a
3.45 GHz Service licensee whose license
area overlaps with a Cooperative
Planning Area or Periodic Use Area, as
defined in those sections, to coordinate
deployments pursuant to those licenses
in those areas with relevant Federal
agencies. This coordination may take
the form of a mutually acceptable
operator-to-operator coordination
agreement between the licensee and the
relevant Federal agency. In the absence
of such an agreement, this coordination
will include a formal request for access
through a Department of Defense online
portal, which will include the
submission of information related to the
technical characteristics of the base
stations and associated mobile units to
be used in the covered area. It does not
require a revision to the FCC Form 601.
Section 27.1605 provides for the
selection of a reimbursement
clearinghouse and requires non-Federal,
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secondary radiolocation operations
which are relocating from the 3.45 GHz
band to alternate spectrum to clear the
band for new flexible-use wireless
operations to submit certain information
to the clearinghouse in order to ensure
their relocation costs are fairly
reimbursed. It does not require a
revision to the FCC Form 601.
Section 27.1607 requires 3.45 GHz
Service licensees to share certain
information about their network
operations in that band with operators
in the adjacent Citizens Broadband
Radio Service in order to enable the
latter to synchronize their operations to
reduce the risk of harmful interference.
In response to a request by a Citizens
Broadband Radio Service operator, a
3.45 GHz Service licensee must provide
information to enable Time Division
Duplex synchronization. The exact
nature of the information to be provided
will be determined by a negotiation
between the two entities, conducted on
a good faith basis. The 3.45 GHz Service
licensee must keep the information
current as its network operations
change. This does not require a revision
to the FCC Form 601.
Section 27.14(w) requires 3.45 GHz
Service licensees to provide information
on the extent to which they provide
service in their license areas. Licensees
are required to file two such reports:
The first four (4) years after its initial
license grant and the second eight (8)
years after such grant, unless they failed
to meet the first set of performance
requirements, in which case the second
report is due seven (7) years after the
initial grant. These reports are filed
alongside the Form 601 and require no
revisions to it.
Federal Communications Commission.
Katura Jackson,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2021–23847 Filed 11–3–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712–01–P
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION
47 CFR Part 20
[WT Docket No. 20–3; FCC 21–28; FR ID–
55565]
Standards for Hearing Aid-Compatible
Handsets
Federal Communications
Commission.
ACTION: Final rule; announcement of
effective date.
AGENCY:
The Federal Communications
Commission (Commission) announces
that the Office of Management and
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\04NOR1.SGM
04NOR1
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 211 / Thursday, November 4, 2021 / Rules and Regulations
Budget (OMB) has approved, for a
period of three years, the information
collection requirements associated with
the amendment of the Commission’s
rules governing standards for hearing
aid-compatible handsets. This
document is consistent with the Report
and Order, which stated that the
Commission would publish a document
in the Federal Register announcing
OMB approval and the effective date of
the information collection requirements.
DATES: The rule amendments contained
in 47 CFR 20.19(f), (h)(1), and (i),
published at 86 FR 23614, May 4, 2021,
are effective on November 4, 2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
additional information contact Cathy
Williams, at (202) 418–2918 or via
email: Cathy.Williams@fcc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
document announces that, on October
19, 2021, OMB approved the
information collection requirements
contained in the Commission’s Report
and Order, FCC 21–28, published at 86
FR 23614, May 4, 2021. The OMB
Control Number is 3060–0999. The
Commission publishes this document as
an announcement of the effective date of
the information collection requirements.
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with RULES1
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
October 19, 2021, for the information
collection requirements contained in the
revisions to § 20.19(f), (h)(1), and (i).
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 Numbers is
3060–0999.
The foregoing 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 No.: 3060–0999.
OMB Approval Date: October 19,
2021.
OMB Expiration Date: October 31,
2024.
Title: Hearing Aid Compatibility
Status Report and Section 20.19,
Hearing Aid-Compatible Mobile
Handsets (Hearing Aid Compatibility
Act).
Form Numbers: FCC Form 655 and
FCC Form 855.
Respondents: Business or other forprofit entities.
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16:17 Nov 03, 2021
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Number of Respondents and
Responses: 934 respondents; 934
responses.
Estimated Time per Response:
13.9710921 hours per response
(average).
Frequency of Response: On occasion
and annual reporting requirements,
recordkeeping requirements, and thirdparty disclosure requirements.
Obligation to Respond: Required to
obtain or retain benefits. Statutory
authority for this information collection
is contained in 47 U.S.C. 151, 154(i),
157, 160, 201, 202, 214, 301, 303, 308,
309(j), 310, and 610 of the
Communications Act of 1934, as
amended.
Total Annual Burden: 13,049 hours.
Total Annual Cost: No cost.
Needs and Uses: The changes to the
information collection concern the
Commission’s wireless hearing aid
compatibility rules as they relate to the
obligations of wireless handset
manufacturers and wireless service
providers to: (1) Label and disclose
certain information related to handset
packaging; (2) post certain information
on their publicly accessible websites;
and (3) file annual status reports and
certification. No changes were made to
the information collection as related to
standards development and the
approved number of estimated
respondents and responses.
The revisions to the information
collection were necessitated by a Report
and Order in WT Docket No. 20–3, FCC
21–28, adopted on February 16, 2021,
published at 86 FR 23614, May 4, 2021.
In the Report and Order, the
Commission adopted a new technical
standard for determining hearing aid
compatibility between hearing aids and
wireless handsets and made other
corresponding and implementation
changes. In addition, the Commission
revised the information that handset
manufacturers and service providers
must include on hearing aid-compatible
wireless handset package labels and in
the related package inserts or user
manuals. The Commission revised the
labeling rule to streamline the rule and
remove outdated requirements. The new
rule requires that the package label
provide the volume control capabilities
of a hearing aid-compatible handset that
meets volume control requirements, and
it maintains the requirement that a
hearing aid-compatible handset’s
package label state that the handset is
hearing aid-compatible. The new rule
still requires hearing aid-compatible
handsets to list the handset’s hearing
aid-compatible rating but moves the
location in which it is required to be
listed from the package label to the
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60777
package insert or user manual. The
other requirements for package inserts
and user manuals have not changed, but
the requirements have been reorganized
to make them easier to follow. The
Commission’s labeling revisions
continue to allow consumers to access
the information that they need to
understand the hearing aid
compatibility of handsets they are
considering for purchase. At the same
time, the labeling revisions give handset
manufacturers and service providers
flexibility in designing package labels
and conveying supplemental
information.
The Report and Order also revised
website posting requirements for
handset manufacturers and service
providers. The revised rule requires
handset manufacturers and service
providers to post to their publicly
accessible websites the technical
standard used to determine hearing aid
compatibility in addition to the
information that handset manufacturers
and service providers are presently
required to post. Further, the website
posting requirement has been revised to
eliminate the requirement that service
providers post to their publicly
accessible websites the different levels
of functionality of the hearing aidcompatible handsets that they offer to
the public. This change offsets any
burden added by the requirement that
service providers post the technical
standard used to determine hearing aid
compatibility.
Finally, the Report and Order
addressed the status reporting and
certification requirements for handset
manufacturers and service providers.
The Report and Order revised the dates
that service providers must file their
FCC Form 855 certifications and
handset manufacturers must file their
FCC Form 655 status reports. The forms
were due January 15 and July 15 each
year, respectfully, and now are due by
January 31 and July 31. These changes
were made to accommodate Federal
holidays at the start of January and July
and to make sure the forms contain
information for the full preceding 12month periods. The Commission uses
these forms as the principal way to
ensure compliance with its wireless
hearing aid compatibility requirements.
The Commission also revised the forms
to reflect the Commission’s current
hearing aid compatibility de minimis
provisions and to reflect the
Commission’s new mailing address.
The changes that the Commission
made to the wireless hearing aid
compatibility information collection
benefit handset manufacturers and
service providers by reducing regulatory
E:\FR\FM\04NOR1.SGM
04NOR1
60778
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 211 / Thursday, November 4, 2021 / Rules and Regulations
burden while continuing to ensure that
the Commission can fulfill its statutory
obligation to monitor compliance with
its hearing aid compatibility rules and
make more complete and accessible
information available to consumers.
Federal Communications Commission.
Katura Jackson,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2021–23845 Filed 11–3–21; 8:45 am]
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with RULES1
BILLING CODE 6712–01–P
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16:17 Nov 03, 2021
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 211 (Thursday, November 4, 2021)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 60776-60778]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-23845]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
47 CFR Part 20
[WT Docket No. 20-3; FCC 21-28; FR ID-55565]
Standards for Hearing Aid-Compatible Handsets
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Final rule; announcement of effective date.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Federal Communications Commission (Commission) announces
that the Office of Management and
[[Page 60777]]
Budget (OMB) has approved, for a period of three years, the information
collection requirements associated with the amendment of the
Commission's rules governing standards for hearing aid-compatible
handsets. This document is consistent with the Report and Order, which
stated that the Commission would publish a document in the Federal
Register announcing OMB approval and the effective date of the
information collection requirements.
DATES: The rule amendments contained in 47 CFR 20.19(f), (h)(1), and
(i), published at 86 FR 23614, May 4, 2021, are effective on November
4, 2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information contact
Cathy Williams, at (202) 418-2918 or via email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This document announces that, on October 19,
2021, OMB approved the information collection requirements contained in
the Commission's Report and Order, FCC 21-28, published at 86 FR 23614,
May 4, 2021. The OMB Control Number is 3060-0999. The Commission
publishes this document as an announcement of the effective date of the
information collection requirements.
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 October 19, 2021, for the information collection
requirements contained in the revisions to Sec. 20.19(f), (h)(1), and
(i).
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 Numbers is 3060-0999.
The foregoing 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 No.: 3060-0999.
OMB Approval Date: October 19, 2021.
OMB Expiration Date: October 31, 2024.
Title: Hearing Aid Compatibility Status Report and Section 20.19,
Hearing Aid-Compatible Mobile Handsets (Hearing Aid Compatibility Act).
Form Numbers: FCC Form 655 and FCC Form 855.
Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.
Number of Respondents and Responses: 934 respondents; 934
responses.
Estimated Time per Response: 13.9710921 hours per response
(average).
Frequency of Response: On occasion and annual reporting
requirements, recordkeeping requirements, and third-party disclosure
requirements.
Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
Statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 47
U.S.C. 151, 154(i), 157, 160, 201, 202, 214, 301, 303, 308, 309(j),
310, and 610 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
Total Annual Burden: 13,049 hours.
Total Annual Cost: No cost.
Needs and Uses: The changes to the information collection concern
the Commission's wireless hearing aid compatibility rules as they
relate to the obligations of wireless handset manufacturers and
wireless service providers to: (1) Label and disclose certain
information related to handset packaging; (2) post certain information
on their publicly accessible websites; and (3) file annual status
reports and certification. No changes were made to the information
collection as related to standards development and the approved number
of estimated respondents and responses.
The revisions to the information collection were necessitated by a
Report and Order in WT Docket No. 20-3, FCC 21-28, adopted on February
16, 2021, published at 86 FR 23614, May 4, 2021. In the Report and
Order, the Commission adopted a new technical standard for determining
hearing aid compatibility between hearing aids and wireless handsets
and made other corresponding and implementation changes. In addition,
the Commission revised the information that handset manufacturers and
service providers must include on hearing aid-compatible wireless
handset package labels and in the related package inserts or user
manuals. The Commission revised the labeling rule to streamline the
rule and remove outdated requirements. The new rule requires that the
package label provide the volume control capabilities of a hearing aid-
compatible handset that meets volume control requirements, and it
maintains the requirement that a hearing aid-compatible handset's
package label state that the handset is hearing aid-compatible. The new
rule still requires hearing aid-compatible handsets to list the
handset's hearing aid-compatible rating but moves the location in which
it is required to be listed from the package label to the package
insert or user manual. The other requirements for package inserts and
user manuals have not changed, but the requirements have been
reorganized to make them easier to follow. The Commission's labeling
revisions continue to allow consumers to access the information that
they need to understand the hearing aid compatibility of handsets they
are considering for purchase. At the same time, the labeling revisions
give handset manufacturers and service providers flexibility in
designing package labels and conveying supplemental information.
The Report and Order also revised website posting requirements for
handset manufacturers and service providers. The revised rule requires
handset manufacturers and service providers to post to their publicly
accessible websites the technical standard used to determine hearing
aid compatibility in addition to the information that handset
manufacturers and service providers are presently required to post.
Further, the website posting requirement has been revised to eliminate
the requirement that service providers post to their publicly
accessible websites the different levels of functionality of the
hearing aid-compatible handsets that they offer to the public. This
change offsets any burden added by the requirement that service
providers post the technical standard used to determine hearing aid
compatibility.
Finally, the Report and Order addressed the status reporting and
certification requirements for handset manufacturers and service
providers. The Report and Order revised the dates that service
providers must file their FCC Form 855 certifications and handset
manufacturers must file their FCC Form 655 status reports. The forms
were due January 15 and July 15 each year, respectfully, and now are
due by January 31 and July 31. These changes were made to accommodate
Federal holidays at the start of January and July and to make sure the
forms contain information for the full preceding 12- month periods. The
Commission uses these forms as the principal way to ensure compliance
with its wireless hearing aid compatibility requirements. The
Commission also revised the forms to reflect the Commission's current
hearing aid compatibility de minimis provisions and to reflect the
Commission's new mailing address.
The changes that the Commission made to the wireless hearing aid
compatibility information collection benefit handset manufacturers and
service providers by reducing regulatory
[[Page 60778]]
burden while continuing to ensure that the Commission can fulfill its
statutory obligation to monitor compliance with its hearing aid
compatibility rules and make more complete and accessible information
available to consumers.
Federal Communications Commission.
Katura Jackson,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2021-23845 Filed 11-3-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
