Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission, 60458-60459 [2023-18950]

Agencies

• FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 169 (Friday, September 1, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60458-60459]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-18950]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-1085; FR ID 167223]


Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal 
Communications Commission

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, 
and 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. 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.

DATES: Written PRA comments should be submitted on or before October 
31, 2023. 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 contact listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Direct all PRA comments to Nicole Ongele, FCC, via email 
[email protected] and to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information about the 
information collection, contact Nicole Ongele, (202) 418-2991.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FCC may not conduct or sponsor a 
collection of information unless it displays a currently valid 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 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number.
    OMB Control Number: 3060-1085.
    Title: Section 9.11, Interconnected Voice Over internet Protocol 
(VoIP) E911 Compliance; Section 9.12, Implementation of the NET 911 
Improvement Act of 2008: Location Information From Owners and 
Controllers of 911 and E911 Capabilities.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Individuals or Households; Business or other for-
profit entities; Not-for-profit institutions; State, Local or Tribal 
Government.
    Number of Respondents: 29 respondents; 13,783,364 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.09 hours (five minutes).
    Frequency of Response: One-time, on occasion, third party 
disclosure requirement, and recordkeeping requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Statutory authority for this information 
collection is contained in 47 U.S.C. 151, 151-154, 152(a), 155(c), 157, 
160, 201, 202, 208, 210, 214, 218, 219, 222, 225, 251(e), 255, 301, 
302, 303, 307, 308, 309, 310, 316, 319, 332, 403, 405, 605, 610, 615, 
615 note, 615a, 615b, 615c, 615a-1, 616, 620, 621, 623, 623 note, 721, 
and 1471.
    Total Annual Burden: 1,262,271 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: $202,992,000.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission is obligated by statute to promote 
``safety of life and property'' and to ``encourage and facilitate the 
prompt deployment throughout the United States of a seamless, 
ubiquitous, and reliable end-to-end infrastructure'' for public safety. 
Congress has established 911 as the national emergency number to enable 
all citizens to reach emergency services directly and efficiently, 
irrespective of whether a citizen uses wireline or wireless technology 
when calling for help by dialing 911. Efforts by Federal, State and 
Local Government, along with the significant efforts of wireline and 
wireless service providers, have resulted in the nearly ubiquitous 
deployment of this life-saving service.
    The Order the Commission adopted on May 19, 2005, sets forth rules 
requiring providers of VoIP services that interconnect with the 
nation's existing public switched telephone network (interconnected 
VoIP services) to supply E911 capabilities to their customers.
    To ensure E911 functionality for customers of VoIP service 
providers the Commission requires the following information 
collections:
    A. Location Registration. Requires providers to interconnected VoIP 
services to obtain location information from their customers for use in 
the routing of 911 calls and the provision of

[[Page 60459]]

location information to emergency answering points.
    B. Provision of Automatic Location Information (ALI). 
Interconnected VoIP service providers will place the location 
information for their customers into, or make that information 
available through, specialized databases maintained by local exchange 
carriers (and, in at least one case, a State Government) across the 
country.
    C. Customer Notification. Requires that all providers of 
interconnected VoIP are aware of their interconnected VoIP service's 
actual E911 capabilities. That all providers of interconnected VoIP 
service specifically advise every subscriber, both new and existing, 
prominently and in plain language, the circumstances under which E911 
service may not be available through the interconnected VoIP service or 
may be in some way limited by comparison to traditional E911 service.
    D. Record of Customer Notification. Requires VoIP providers to 
obtain and keep a record of affirmative acknowledgement by every 
subscriber, both new and existing, of having received and understood 
this advisory.
    E. User Notification. In addition, in order to ensure to the extent 
possible that the advisory is available to all potential users of an 
interconnected VoIP service, interconnected VoIP service providers must 
distribute to all subscribers, both new and existing, warning stickers 
or other appropriate labels warning subscribers if E911 service may be 
limited or not available and instructing the subscriber to place them 
on or near the customer premises equipment used in conjunction with the 
interconnected VoIP service.

Section 506 of RAY BAUM'S Act

    Section 506 of RAY BAUM'S Act, which requires the Commission to 
``consider adopting rules to ensure that the dispatchable location is 
conveyed with a 9-1-1 call, regardless of the technological platform 
used and including with calls from multi-line telephone system.'' RAY 
BAUM'S Act also states that, ``[i]n conducting the proceeding . . . the 
Commission may consider information and conclusions from other 
Commission proceedings regarding the accuracy of the dispatchable 
location for a 9-1-1 call. . . .'' RAY BAUM'S Act defines a ``9-1-1 
call'' as a voice call that is placed, or a message that is sent by 
other means of communication, to a PSAP for the purpose of requesting 
emergency services.
    As part of implementing Section 506 of RAY BAUM'S Act, on August 1, 
2019, the Commission adopted a Report and Order (2019 Order) amending, 
among other things, its 911 Registered Location and customer 
notification requirements applicable to VoIP service providers.
    The Commission's 2019 Order changed the wording of section 9.11's 
Registered Location requirements to facilitate the provision of 
automated dispatchable location in fixed and non-fixed environments. 
For non-fixed environments, the rule requires automated dispatchable 
location, if technically feasible. If not technically feasible, VoIP 
service providers may fall back to registered location, alternative 
location information for 911 calls, or a national emergency call 
center. Regarding customer notification requirements, the Commission 
afforded service providers flexibility to use any conspicuous means to 
notify end users of limitations in 911 service. In sum, the 
requirements adopted in the 2019 Order leverage technology advancements 
since the 2005 Order, build upon the existing Registered Location 
requirement, expand options for collecting and supplying end-user 
location information with 911 calls, are flexible and technologically 
neutral from a compliance standpoint and serve a vital public safety 
interest.

NET 911 Act

    The NET 911 Act explicitly imposes on each interconnected voice 
over internet Protocol (VoIP) provider the obligation to provide 911 
and E911 service in accordance with the Commission's existing 
requirements. In addition, the NET 911 Act directs the Commission to 
issue regulations by no later than October 21, 2008 that ensure that 
interconnected VoIP providers have access to any and all capabilities 
they need to satisfy that requirement.
    On October 21, 2008, the Commission released a Report and Order 
(2008 Order), FCC 08-249, WC Docket No. 08-171, that implements certain 
key provisions of the NET 911 Act. As relevant here under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act (PRA), the Commission requires an owner or controller of 
a capability that can be used for 911 or E911 service to make that 
capability available to a requesting interconnected VoIP provider under 
certain circumstances. In particular, an owner or controller of such 
capability must make it available to a requesting interconnected VoIP 
provider if that owner or controller either offers that capability to 
any commercial mobile radio service (CMRS) provider or if that 
capability is necessary to enable the interconnected VoIP provider to 
provide 911 or E911 service in compliance with the Commission's rules. 
The information collection requirements contained in this collection 
guarantee continued cooperation between interconnected VoIP service 
providers and Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) in complying with 
the Commission's E911 requirements.

Federal Communications Commission.
Katura Jackson,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-18950 Filed 8-31-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P