Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 44 / Tuesday, March 6, 2012 / Notices 13319 

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS 

COMMISSION 

Information Collection Being 

Submitted to the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) for Emergency 

Review and Approval 

AGENCY: Federal Communications 

Commission. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort 

to reduce paperwork burden and as 

required by the Paperwork Reduction 

Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3502– 

3520), the Federal Communications 

Commission invites the general public 

and other Federal agencies to take this 

opportunity to comment on the 

following information collection(s). 

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; (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; and (e) ways to 

further reduce the information 

collection burden on small business 

concerns with fewer than 25 employees. 

The FCC may not conduct or sponsor 

a collection of information unless it 

displays a currently 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 (PRA) that 

does not display a valid OMB control 

number. 

DATES: Written Paperwork Reduction 

Act (PRA) comments should be 

submitted on or before April 5, 2012. If 

you anticipate that you will be 

submitting PRA comments, but find it 

difficult to do so within the period of 

time allowed by this notice, you should 

advise the FCC contact listed below as 

soon as possible. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your PRA comments 

to Nicholas A. Fraser, Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB), via fax 

at 202–395–5167 or via Internet at 

Nicholas_A._Fraser@omb.eop.gov and 

to Judith B. Herman, Federal 

Communications Commission, via the 

Internet at Judith-b.herman@fcc.gov. To 

submit your PRA comments by email 

send them to: PRA@fcc.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Judith B. Herman, Office of Managing 

Director, FCC, at 202–418–0214. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Commission is requesting emergency 

OMB processing of the new information 

collection requirements contained in 

this notice. The Commission is 

requesting OMB approval by March 30, 

2012. 

OMB Control Number: 3060–0819. 

Title: Sections 54.400 through 54.707, 

Lifeline Assistance (Lifeline) 

Connection Assistance (Link-Up) 

Reporting Worksheet and Instructions. 

Form No.: FCC Form 497. 

Type of Review: Revision of a 

currently approved collection. 

Respondents: Individuals or 

households and business or other forprofit. 

Number of Respondents: 13,500,940 

respondents; 40,035,705 responses. 

Estimated Time per Response: .25 

hours to 50 hours. 

Frequency of Response: On Occasion, 

Biennially, Monthly, and Annual 

reporting requirements, third party 

disclosure requirements and 

recordkeeping requirements. 

Obligation to Respond: Required to 

obtain or retain benefits. Statutory 

authority for this information collection 

is contained in 47 U.S.C. Sections 1, 

4(i), 201–205, 214, 254, and 403 of the 

Communications Act of 1934, as 

amended. 

Total Annual Burden: 30,729,935 

hours. 

Total Annual Cost: N/A. 

Privacy Act Impact Assessment: N/A. 

Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: 

The Commission is not requesting that 

respondents submit confidential 

information to the Commission. We note 

that USAC must preserve the 

confidentiality of all data obtained from 

respondents and contributors to the 

universal service support program 

mechanism; must not use the data 

except for the purposes of administering 

the universal service program; and must 

not disclose data in company-specific 

form unless directed to do so by the 

Commission. 

Needs and Uses: The Commission 

will submit this revised information 

collection to the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) during this 30 day 

comment period in order to obtain 

emergency approval from them. The 

Commission is requesting emergency 

OMB approval for this revised 

information collection by March 30, 

2012. 

This collection of information is 

critical to the prevention of waste, fraud 

and abuse of the Universal Service Fund 

(USF or Fund). Among other things, the 

Lifeline Reform Report and Order, 

(Order), FCC 12–11, adopts rules to 

eliminate waste and inefficiency, 

increase accountability, and transition 

the Fund from supporting stand-alone 

telephone service to broadband. The 

reforms adopted in the Order 

substantially strengthen protections 

against waste, fraud, and abuse; improve 

program administration and 

accountability; improve enrollment and 

consumer disclosures, and constrain the 

growth of the program in order to 

reduce the burden on all who contribute 

to the Fund. The Commission has set a 

budget target to eliminate $200 million 

in waste in 2012, which is dependent on 

certain rules going into effect as soon as 

possible. Among other things, the 

Commission has revised the FCC Form 

497; incorporate the information 

collection requirements contained in 

OMB Control Number 3060–0774 into 

this information collection; removed or 

consolidated all low-income 

requirements requiring approval or 

revision into this submission; revised 

the certification of eligibility upon 

enrollment; revised annual reporting 

requirements; revised verification of 

continued eligibility (now referred to as 

Annual Recertification of Consumer 

Eligibility; revised resolution of 

duplicative claims; and adopt 

maintenance of National Lifeline 

Accountability database. Therefore, it is 

essential that the OMB grant this request 

for emergency processing of this revised 

information collection. 

Federal Communications Commission. 

Bulah P. Wheeler, 

Deputy Manager, Office of the Secretary, 

Office of Managing Director. 

[FR Doc. 2012–5359 Filed 3–5–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P 

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS 

COMMISSION 

Information Collection Being 

Submitted for Review and Approval to 

the Office of Management and Budget 

AGENCY: Federal Communications 

Commission. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort 

to reduce paperwork burden and as 

required by the Paperwork Reduction 

Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3502– 

3520), the Federal Communications 

Commission invites the general public 

and other Federal agencies to take this 

opportunity to comment on the 

following information collection(s). 


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