Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 35 / Wednesday, February 21, 2024 / Notices 13081 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Inquiries may be directed to Tom Tracy, 

U.S. EPA, (Mail Code B343–01), 109 

T.W. Alexander Drive, Research 

Triangle Park, NC 27711, telephone 

(919) 541–4334, or tracy.tom@epa.gov. 

Mary Ross, 

Director, Office of Science Advisor, Policy, 

and Engagement. 

[FR Doc. 2024–03498 Filed 2–20–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS 

COMMISSION 

[OMB 3060–1283; FR ID 201899] 

Information Collection Being 

Submitted for Review and Approval to 

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 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 March 22, 2024. 

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 PRA@fcc.gov and to 

Nicole.Ongele@fcc.gov. 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: 3060–1283. 

Title: Improving Outage Reporting for 

Submarine Cables and Enhanced 

Submarine Outage Data. 

Form Number: Not applicable. 

Type of Review: Extension of a 

currently information collection. 

Respondents: Business or other forprofit. 

Number of Respondents and 

Responses: 85 respondents; 154 

responses. 

Estimated Time per Response: 2 

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: 308 hours. 

Total Annual Cost: No Cost. 

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. 

This collection is part of the 

Commission’s NORS outage reporting 

regime. As with the other information 

collection collected in NORS regarding 

other communications services (under 

OMB Control No. 3060–0484), this 

collection facilitates FCC monitoring, 

analysis, and investigation of the 

reliability and security of submarine 

cable networks, and to identify and act 

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 


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13082 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 35 / Wednesday, February 21, 2024 / Notices 

preventive measures to mitigate the 

impact of such outages on the Nation 

and the American public. 

Mandatory submarine cable outage 

data provides 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 

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 nongovernment, communications. 

Federal Communications Commission. 

Marlene Dortch, 

Secretary, Office of the Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2024–03447 Filed 2–20–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P 

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS 

COMMISSION 

[FR ID: 203054] 

Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program 

AGENCY: Federal Communications 

Commission. 

ACTION: Notice of a new matching 

program. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Privacy Act of 1974, as amended 

(‘‘Privacy Act’’), this document 

announces a new computer matching 

program the Federal Communications 

Commission (‘‘FCC’’ or ‘‘Commission’’ 

or ‘‘Agency’’) and the Universal Service 

Administrative Company (USAC) will 

conduct with the Iowa Department of 

Health and Human Services. The 

purpose of this matching program is to 

verify the eligibility of applicants to and 

subscribers of Lifeline, and the 

Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), 

both of which are administered by 

USAC under the direction of the FCC. 

More information about these programs 

is provided in the SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION section below. 

DATES: Written comments are due on or 

before March 22, 2024. This computer 

matching program will commence on 

March 22, 2024, and will conclude 18 

months after the effective date. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Elliot S. 

Tarloff, FCC, 45 L Street NE, 

Washington, DC 20554, or to Privacy@

fcc.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Elliot S. Tarloff at 202–418–0886 or 

Privacy@fcc.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Lifeline program provides support for 

discounted broadband and voice 

services to low-income consumers. 

Lifeline is administered by the 

Universal Service Administrative 

Company (USAC) under FCC direction. 

Consumers qualify for Lifeline through 

proof of income or participation in a 

qualifying program, such as Medicaid, 

the Supplemental Nutritional 

Assistance Program (SNAP), Federal 

Public Housing Assistance, 

Supplemental Security Income (SSI), 

Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefit, 

or various Tribal-specific federal 

assistance programs. 

In the Consolidated Appropriations 

Act, 2021, Public Law 116–260, 134 

Stat. 1182, 2129–36 (2020), Congress 

created the Emergency Broadband 

Benefit Program, and directed use of the 

National Verifier to determine eligibility 

based on various criteria, including the 

qualifications for Lifeline (Medicaid, 

SNAP, etc.). EBBP provided $3.2 billion 

in monthly consumer discounts for 

broadband service and one-time 

provider reimbursement for a connected 

device (laptop, desktop computer or 

tablet). In the Infrastructure Investment 

and Jobs Act, Public Law 117–58, 135 

Stat. 429, 1238–44 (2021) (codified at 47 

U.S.C. 1751–52), Congress modified and 

extended EBBP, provided an additional 

$14.2 billion, and renamed it the 

Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). 

A household may qualify for the ACP 

benefit under various criteria, including 

an individual qualifying for the FCC’s 

Lifeline program. 

In a Report and Order adopted on 

March 31, 2016, (81 FR 33026, May 24, 

2016) (2016 Lifeline Modernization 

Order), the Commission ordered USAC 

to create a National Lifeline Eligibility 

Verifier (‘‘National Verifier’’), including 

the National Lifeline Eligibility Database 

(LED), that would match data about 

Lifeline applicants and subscribers with 

other data sources to verify the 

eligibility of an applicant or subscriber. 

The Commission found that the 

National Verifier would reduce 

compliance costs for Lifeline service 

providers, improve service for Lifeline 

subscribers, and reduce waste, fraud, 

and abuse in the program. 

The Consolidated Appropriations Act 

of 2021 directs the FCC to leverage the 

National Verifier to verify applicants’ 

eligibility for ACP. The purpose of this 

matching program is to verify the 

eligibility of Lifeline and ACP 

applicants and subscribers by 

determining whether they receive SNAP 

benefits administered by the Iowa 

Department of Health and Human 

Services. 

Participating Agencies 

Iowa Department of Health and 

Human Services (source agency); 

Federal Communications Commission 

(recipient agency) and Universal Service 

Administrative Company. 

Authority for Conducting the Matching 

Program 

The authority to conduct the 

matching program for the FCC’s ACP is 

47 U.S.C. 1752(a)–(b). The authority to 

conduct the matching program for the 

FCC’s Lifeline program is 47 U.S.C. 

254(a)–(c), (j). 

Purpose(s) 

The purpose of this new matching 

agreement is to verify the eligibility of 

applicants and subscribers to Lifeline, 

as well as to ACP and other Federal 

programs that use qualification for 

Lifeline as an eligibility criterion. This 

new agreement will permit eligibility 

verification for the Lifeline program and 

ACP by checking an applicant’s/ 

subscriber’s participation in SNAP in 

Iowa. Under FCC rules, consumers 

receiving these benefits qualify for 

Lifeline discounts and also for ACP 

benefits. 

Categories of Individuals 

The categories of individuals whose 

information is involved in the matching 

program include, but are not limited to, 

those individuals who have applied for 

Lifeline and/or ACP benefits; are 

currently receiving Lifeline and/or ACP 

benefits; are individuals who enable 

another individual in their household to 

qualify for Lifeline and/or ACP benefits; 

are minors whose status qualifies a 

parent or guardian for Lifeline and/or 

ACP benefits; or are individuals who 

have received Lifeline and/or ACP 

benefits. 

Categories of Records 

The categories of records involved in 

the matching program include, but are 

not limited to, the last four digits of the 

applicant’s Social Security Number, 


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