Information Collection Being Submitted for Review and Approval to Office of Management and Budget, 12731-12733 [2025-04645]

Agencies

• FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 52 (Wednesday, March 19, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12731-12733]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-04645]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-0999; FR ID 285459]


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.''

DATES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be submitted on or before April 18, 2025.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

[[Page 12732]]

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 Cathy Williams, 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 Cathy Williams at (202) 418-
2918. 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: 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.
    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 No.: 3060-0999.
    Title: Hearing Loss Compatible Wireless Handsets Section 20.19 and 
Hearing Aid Compatibility Act.
    Form Numbers: FCC Form 655 and FCC Form 855.
    Type of Review: Revision to the currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.
    Number of Respondents: 934 respondents; 934 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 13.92 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: 12,998 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No cost.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission is requesting that the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) approve a revision to the Commission's 
currently approved information collection for OMB Control No. 3060-
0999. This information collection relates to the Commission's Hearing 
Loss Compatible Wireless Handsets rules at section 20.19 of the 
Commission's rules. This revision is necessary to implement the final 
rules that the Commission adopted on October 17, 2024, in a Report and 
Order, WT Docket No. 23-388, FCC 24-112, that the Commission released 
on October 18, 2024. This Report and Order revised the heading of 
section 20.19 of the Commission's rules from ``Hearing aid-compatible 
mobile handsets'' to ``Hearing loss compatible wireless handsets.'' In 
addition, the revisions that the Commission adopted to section 
20.19(b)(3)(iii), (f), (h), and (i)(4)-(5) constitute new or modified 
information collections subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA), Public Law 104-13. These rules will become effective following 
OMB's completion of its review of these revised rules. Once OMB 
completes its review of these revisions, the Commission will publish a 
document in the Federal Register announcing the effective date of 
section 20.19(b)(3)(iii), (f), (h), and (i)(4)-(5).
    The final rules that the Commission adopted require all wireless 
handset models to be hearing aid compatible. These revised rules ensure 
that consumers with hearing loss will have equal access to the same 
handset models as consumers without hearing loss. In order to ensure 
compliance with this 100% hearing aid compatibility requirement, the 
Commission adopted revised labeling, website posting, and certification 
requirements along with removing outdated and unnecessary information 
collection requirements. The removal of these outdated information 
collection requirements significantly reduces regulatory burden and 
cost for handset manufacturers and service providers.
    The revised hearing aid compatibility rules include a requirement 
that a certain number of handset models that handset manufacturers and 
service providers offer for sale or use in the United States meet 
Bluetooth coupling requirements. This Bluetooth coupling requirement 
will benefit consumers by ensuring more universal connectivity between 
handset models and hearing aids, including over-the-counter hearing 
aids, and reduces the issue of certain handset models only being able 
to pair with certain hearing aids. In order to ensure compliance with 
this new Bluetooth coupling requirement, the Commission adopted a 
requirement that handset manufacturers submit a sworn declaration 
attesting to the handset model's compliance with these new Bluetooth 
coupling requirements. This certification requirement is contained in 
section 20.19(b)(3)(iii) and requires handset manufacturers to provide: 
(1) the specific Bluetooth coupling standard included in each handset 
model; (2) that the relevant handset model has been tested to ensure 
compliance with the designated Bluetooth coupling standard; and (3) 
after the transition to a non-proprietary Bluetooth requirement, that 
the included Bluetooth coupling technology is consistent with the 
Bluetooth functionality requirements. The Commission adopted this 
attestation requirement based on the recommendation of handset 
manufacturers who stated that adopting an attestation requirement is 
consistent with the Commission's equipment certification process.
    In the Report and Order, the Commission revised its external 
printed package labeling requirements for handset models as well as 
requirements

[[Page 12733]]

related to what information must be included within a handset model's 
packaging either in the form of a printed insert or a printed handset 
manual. The Commission is requiring that a handset model's external 
printed package label indicate whether the handset model includes 
Bluetooth coupling capabilities or telecoil coupling capabilities or 
both, and in the case of Bluetooth coupling which Bluetooth technology 
the handset model incorporates. The Commission is also requiring 
handset manufacturers and service providers to include information on 
the hearing aid compatibility settings of handset models and how 
consumers can turn these settings on and off. As part of these 
revisions, the Commission eliminated outdated labeling requirements 
which were no longer necessary and that might cause consumer confusion 
if retained. By eliminating these outdated requirements, the Commission 
reduced regulatory burden and cost to handset manufacturers and service 
providers. The revised labeling requirements are in section 20.19(f)(1) 
and (2) of the Commission's rules and these revised requirements ensure 
that consumers have the information that they need to make informed 
handset model purchasing decisions.
    In addition to these revised labeling rules, the Commission 
determined to allow handset manufacturers and service providers to use 
digital labeling technology as an alternative to including a printed 
insert or printed handset manual in a handset model's packaging. 
Handset manufacturers and service providers choosing this option must 
maintain publicly accessible websites where consumers can find the 
required hearing aid compatibility information, and they must provide 
consumers with a Quick-Response (QR) code and the related website 
address where the required hearing aid compatibility information can be 
found. The Commission decided to allow the use of digital labeling 
technology at the request of handset manufacturers and service 
providers who argued that the use of digital labeling would reduce 
regulatory burden and cost for them. The use of digital labeling will 
also ensure that consumers have access to the most up-to-date handset 
model information. The Commission's new digital labeling rules are at 
section 20.19(f)(3) of the Commission's rules.
    Along these same lines, the Commission revised its website posting 
requirements that apply to handset manufacturers and service providers 
who maintain publicly accessible websites. These companies must 
indicate on their publicly accessible websites which handset models 
that they offer for sale or use in the United States meet telecoil 
certification requirements and which meet Bluetooth coupling 
requirements. In addition, these companies must list a handset model's 
conversational gain if the handset model was certified as hearing aid-
compatible using a standard that includes volume control requirements. 
The Commission also adopted point-of-contact requirements that require 
handset manufacturers and service providers to list contact information 
that consumers can use to ask knowledgeable company employees 
compatibility questions that they might have concerning the handset 
models that these companies offer for sale or use in the United States. 
Part of these revisions also included eliminating out-of-date website 
posting and record retention requirements that no longer served a 
useful purpose. The elimination of these outdated information 
collection requirements reduce regulatory burden and cost for handset 
manufacturers and service providers. The revised website posting 
requirements are at section 20.19(h) of the Commission's rules.
    Finally, the Commission revised its annual certification 
requirements for handset manufacturers and service providers. After the 
100% hearing aid compatibility transition period ends for handset 
manufacturers, these companies will no longer file FCC Form 655. 
Instead, handset manufacturers will start filing FCC Form 855 and 
service providers will continue to file this form. FCC Form 855 is a 
streamlined certification form that does not require the detail handset 
model information that FCC Form 655 collects. This change will 
significantly reduce regulatory burden and cost for handset 
manufacturers. In addition, the Commission is updating FCC Form 855 to 
ensure it collects only relevant information consistent with the 
Commission's 100% hearing aid compatibility requirement. These updates 
include removing outdated questions and streamlining the information 
that the form collects. The revised annual certification requirements 
are at section 20.19 (i)(4) and (5) of the Commission's rules.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2025-04645 Filed 3-18-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P