Information Collection Being Submitted for Review and Approval to Office of Management and Budget, 3299-3300 [2022-01205]

Agencies

• FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 14 (Friday, January 21, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3299-3300]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-01205]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-XXXX; FR ID 68459]


Information Collection Being Submitted for Review and Approval to 
Office of Management and Budget

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, 
as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the Federal 
Communications Commission (FCC or the Commission) invites the general 
public and other Federal Agencies to take this opportunity to comment 
on the following information collection. Pursuant to the Small Business 
Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, the FCC seeks specific comment on how it 
might ``further reduce the information collection burden for small 
business concerns with fewer than 25 employees.''
    The Commission 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 and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be submitted on or before January 21, 
2022.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting 
``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using 
the search function. Your comment must be submitted into 
www.reginfo.gov per the above instructions for it to be considered. In 
addition to submitting in www.reginfo.gov also send a copy of your 
comment on the proposed information collection to Nicole Ongele, FCC, 
via email to [email protected] and to [email protected]. Include in the 
comments the OMB control number as shown in the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or copies 
of the information collection, contact Nicole Ongele at (202) 418-2991. 
To view a copy of this information collection request (ICR) submitted 
to OMB: (1) Go to the web page https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain, (2) look for the section of the web page called ``Currently 
Under Review,'' (3) click on the downward-pointing arrow in the 
``Select Agency'' box below the ``Currently Under Review'' heading, (4) 
select ``Federal Communications Commission'' from the list of agencies 
presented in the ``Select Agency'' box, (5) click the ``Submit'' button 
to the right of the ``Select Agency'' box, (6) when the list of FCC 
ICRs currently under review appears, look for the Title of this ICR and 
then click on the ICR Reference Number. A copy of the FCC submission to 
OMB will be displayed.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As part of its continuing effort to reduce 
paperwork burdens, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), the FCC invited the general public and 
other Federal Agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the 
following information collection. Comments are requested concerning: 
(a) 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; (b) the accuracy 
of the Commission's burden estimates; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information collected; and (d) 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. Pursuant to the Small Business 
Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, Public Law 107-198, see 44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(4), the FCC seeks specific comment on how it might ``further 
reduce the information collection burden for small business concerns 
with fewer than 25 employees.''
    OMB Control Number: 3060-XXXX.
    Title: Inmate Calling Services (ICS) 2022 One-Time Data Collection, 
WC Docket No. 12-375, FCC 21-60.
    Form Number(s): FCC Form 2302(a) and FCC Form 2302(b).
    Type of Review: New collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 20 respondents; 20 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 355 hours on average.
    Frequency of Response: One-time reporting requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for this collection of information is contained in 
sections 1, 4(i)-4(j), 201(b), 218, 220, 225, 255, 276, 403, and 617 of 
the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 151, 154(i)-(j), 
201(b), 218, 220, 225, 255, 276, 403 and 617.
    Total Annual Burden: 7,100 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No cost.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: The Protective Order in the 
Commission's inmate calling services (ICS) proceeding, WC Docket 12-
375, 28 FCC Rcd 16954 (WCB 2013), provides confidential treatment for 
the proprietary information submitted by ICS providers in response to 
the Commission's directives. The

[[Page 3300]]

Commission will treat as presumptively confidential any particular 
information identified as confidential by the provider in accordance 
with the Freedom of Information Act and Commission rules. Each 
confidential document should be stamped and submitted to the 
Secretary's Office with an accompanying cover letter, as specified by 
the Protective Order.
    Needs and Uses: In the 2021 ICS Order, WC Docket No. 12-375, FCC 
21-60, 86 FR 40682, the Commission continued its reform of the ICS 
industry by, among other things, directing the Commission's Wireline 
Competition Bureau (WCB) and Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA) 
(collectively, WCB/OEA) to collect data and other information regarding 
ICS providers' operations, costs, demands, and revenues. The Commission 
explained that it would use this Third Mandatory Data Collection to set 
permanent interstate and international ICS provider-related rate caps 
that more closely reflect providers' costs of serving correctional 
facilities. The Commission also emphasized that those data would enable 
it to evaluate and, if warranted, revise the current ancillary service 
charge caps.
    The Commission delegated authority to WCB/OEA to implement the 
Third Mandatory Data Collection--including determining and describing 
the types of information to require providers to submit regarding their 
operations, costs, demand, and revenues--and directed WCB/OEA to 
develop a template and instructions for the collection.
    Pursuant to their delegated authority, WCB/OEA drafted proposed 
instructions, a template, and a certification form for the Third 
Mandatory Data Collection. See Third Mandatory Data Collection Proposed 
Instructions, available for download at https://www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/third_mandatory_data_collection_instructions.docx. Under 
WCB/OEA's proposals, ICS providers would be required to submit the 
required data using a reporting template, to be filed through the 
Commission's electronic comment filing system (ECFS). The proposed 
template consists of a Word document (Appendix A to the instructions) 
for responses requiring narrative information and Excel spreadsheets 
(Appendix B to the instructions) for responses that require specific 
numbers or information. ICS providers must also submit an audited 
financial statement or report for each Year from 2019 through 2021, and 
a signed certification of truthfulness, accuracy, and completeness. The 
instructions, template, and certification form will simplify compliance 
with, and reduce the burden of, this data collection.
    On September 22, 2021, WCB/OEA released the Third Mandatory Data 
Collection (MDC) Public Notice (DA 21-1192, WC Docket No. 12-375 (WCB/
OEA Sept. 22. 2021)), seeking comment on all aspects of the proposed 
collection, including the draft instructions, template, and 
certification form. The MDC Public Notice was published in the Federal 
Register contemporaneously with the 60-Day Notice for this information 
collection. See 86 FR 54897 (2021). WCB/OEA stated that it would 
consider comments submitted in response to the 60-Day Notice and the 
MDC Public Notice in finalizing this information collection prior to 
submitting the documents to the Office of Management and Budget.
    After considering the comments and reply comments filed in response 
to the MDC Public Notice and the 60-Day Notice, WCB/OEA released an 
Order on January 18, 2022 adopting the Third Mandatory Data Collection, 
and issuing the related instructions, template, and certification form. 
See Third Mandatory Data Collection Adoption Order, (DA 22-52, WC 
Docket No. 12-375 (WCB/OEA Jan. 18, 2022)), available at https://www.fcc.gov/document/wcb-and-oea-adopt-inmate-calling-services-data-collection. This Order implemented WCB/OEA's proposals, with 
refinements responding to suggestions offered by the commenters. Under 
WCB/OEA's Order, ICS providers will be required to submit the required 
data using a reporting template to be filed through the Commission's 
electronic filing system (ECFS) in accordance with instructions adopted 
by WCB/OEA. See Third Mandatory Data Collection Instructions, available 
for download at: Third Mandatory Data Collection Instructions. The 
template consists of a Word document (Appendix A to the instructions) 
for responses requiring narrative information and Excel spreadsheets 
(Appendix B to the instructions) (collectively, FCC Form 2302(a)) for 
responses that require specific numbers for information. The template 
must be submitted in a machine-readable and manipulatable format and 
may not be converted to a different format, such as a PDF. WCB/OEA also 
adopted the requirement that a senior executive of each provider 
certify as to the truthfulness, accuracy, and completeness of the 
provider's response to the data collection (FCC Form 2302(b)). In 
addition, WCB/OEA adopted its proposal to require all providers to 
submit audited financial statements or reports, or similar 
documentation, for the reporting period, to the extent they have been 
produced in the ordinary course of business. Providers must submit 
these reports for each year of the reporting period or certify that 
they have not produced such reports in the ordinary course of business. 
These documents will be submitted for approval by the Office of 
Management and Budget as FCC Form 2302(a) and FCC Form 2302(b).

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-01205 Filed 1-20-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P