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[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 249 (Tuesday, December 29, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 85633-85635]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-28617]

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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-0120, OMB 3060-XXXX; FRS 17334]

Information Collections 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 28, 
2021.

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 http://www.reginfo.gov/

[[Page 85634]]

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: 3060-0120.
    Title: Broadcast EEO Program Model, FCC Form 396-A.
    Form Number: FCC-396-A.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities, Not-for-profit 
institutions.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 5,000 respondents, 5,000 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 1 hour.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain benefits. The statutory 
authority for this collection of information is contained in Section 
154(i) and 303 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
    Total Annual Burden: 5,000 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No Cost.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: There is no need for 
confidentiality with this collection of information.
    Needs and Uses: The Broadcast Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) 
Model Report, FCC Form 396-A, is filed in conjunction with applicants 
seeking authority to construct a new broadcast station, to obtain 
assignment of construction permit or license and/or seeking authority 
to acquire control of an entity holding construction permit or license. 
This program is designed to assist the applicant in establishing an 
effective EEO program for its stations.
    OMB Control Number: 3060-XXXX.
    Title: Improving Outage Reporting for Submarine Cables and Enhanced 
Submarine Outage Data.
    Form Number: Not applicable.
    Type of Review: New information collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 75 respondents; 336 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 6 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Mandatory. Statutory authority for this 
information collection is contained in 47 U.S.C. 151, 154(i)-(j) & (o), 
405, and the Cable Landing License Act of 1921, 47 U.S.C. 34-39, and 3 
U.S.C. 301, and Exec. Order No. 10530.
    Total Annual Burden: 2,016 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No Cost.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Outage reports filed with the 
Commission pursuant to Part 4 are presumed confidential. The 
information in those filings may be shared with the Department of 
Homeland Security only under appropriate confidential disclosure 
protections. Other persons seeking disclosure must follow the 
procedures delineated in 47 CFR 0.457 and 0.459 for requests for and 
disclosure of information. The information collection discussed here 
does not affect the confidential treatment of information submitted to 
the Commission's Network Outage Reporting System (NORS), an internet 
portal that collects submitted outage filings.
    Needs and Uses: Section 151 of the Communications Act of 1934 
(Act), as amended, requires the Commission to promote the safety of 
life and property through the use of wire and radio communications. 
Additionally, the Cable Landing License Act, (47 U.S.C. 34-39), and 
Executive Order 10530, provide the Commission with authority to grant, 
withhold, condition and revoke submarine cable landing licenses. 
Further, the Cable Landing License Act and Executive Order 10530 
provide that the Commission may place conditions on the grant of a 
submarine cable landing license in order to assure just and reasonable 
rates and service in the operation and use of cables so licensed. 
``Just and reasonable service'' entails assurance that the cable 
infrastructure will be reasonably available. Availability of submarine 
cables is also critically important for national security and the 
economy because submarine cables carry approximately 95 percent of 
international communications traffic and are the primary means of 
connectivity for numerous U.S. states and territories. Currently, 
submarine cable licensees provide information to the Commission on a 
voluntary, ad hoc basis through the Undersea Cable Information System 
(UCIS).
    This is a new collection that will be part of the Commission's NORS 
outage reporting regime. As with the other information collection 
collected in NORS (under OMB Control No. 3060-0484), this new 
collection will facilitate FCC monitoring, analysis, and investigation 
of the reliability and security of submarine cable networks, and to 
identify and action on potential threats to our Nation's 
telecommunications infrastructure. Drawing from a decade of experience 
in outage reporting, the Commission will seek an ongoing dialogue with 
submarine cable licensees, as well as with the industry at large, 
regarding lessons learned from the new information collection. These 
efforts will help the Commission develop a better understanding of the 
root causes of significant outages, and to explore preventive measures 
to mitigate the impact of such outages on the Nation and the American 
public.
    The addition of mandatory submarine cable outage data will provide 
the Commission with greater visibility into the availability and health 
of these networks, allowing the Commission to better track and analyze 
submarine cable resiliency. This enhanced visibility into submarine 
cable network outages will allow the Commission to take appropriate 
actions to mitigate disruptions, if necessary, and to avoid the 
development of larger, more significant problems which could impact 
national security and public safety interests. Submarine cable

[[Page 85635]]

outages do not typically occur with the same frequency as terrestrial 
outages, but when they do occur have a greater impact on the Nation's 
telecommunications due to the volume and nature of communications 
carried over such cables. Damages to submarine cables are usually 
caused by weather or inadvertent slicing by underseas equipment. 
However, submarine cables are also susceptible to intentional damage 
for nefarious purposes that could lead to a severe degradation of 
crucial government, as well as non-government, communications.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-28617 Filed 12-28-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
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