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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 233 (Wednesday, December 4, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 96243-96245]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-28385]

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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-XXXX; FR ID 265489]

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.

[[Page 96244]]

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 January 3, 
2025.

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 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 Number: 3060-XXXX.
    Title: Application to Participate in a 5G Fund Auction, FCC Form 
184.
    Form Number: FCC Form 184.
    Type of Review: New collection.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities, not-for-profit 
institutions, and State, local or Tribal governments.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 300 respondents and 300 
responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 7 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for this information collection is 47 U.S.C. 154, 
254 and 303(r).
    Total Annual Burden: 2,100 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No cost.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission will use the information collected 
under this information collection to determine whether applicants are 
qualified to participate in a 5G Fund auction.
    In its November 2011 USF/ICC Transformation Order, the Commission 
took numerous steps to comprehensively reform and modernize the 
universal service program to ensure that robust, affordable fixed and 
mobile voice and broadband service are available to those in rural, 
insular, and high cost areas of the country. Connect America Fund et 
al., Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 11-161 (USF/
ICC Transformation Order). Among other things, the Commission (1) 
established a two-phased Mobility Fund to award universal service 
support for mobile services in a cost-effective manner to no more than 
one provider per area in areas where a private-sector business case was 
lacking, (2) directed that universal service support under the Mobility 
Fund be awarded by competitive bidding, (3) adopted the rules and 
framework for Mobility Fund Phase I, and (4) sought comment on the 
rules and proposed framework for Mobility Fund Phase II. In its 
February 2017 Mobility Fund Phase II Report and Order, the Commission 
adopted the rules and framework for Mobility Fund Phase II to provide 
ongoing universal service support over a ten-year term to areas of the 
country unlikely to receive 4G LTE service absent subsidies, along with 
the framework for a challenge process to resolve disputes about areas 
that were found to be presumptively ineligible for support. Connect 
America Fund; Universal Service Reform--Mobility Fund II, Report and 
Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 17-11. However, in 
its October 2020 5G Fund Report and Order, the Commission established 
the 5G Fund as a replacement for Mobility Fund Phase II, and adopted 
the framework and rules for the 5G Fund to award universal service 
support in two phases through separate reverse auctions to ensure the 
deployment of high-speed, 5G mobile service in areas unlikely to see 
such service absent subsidies. Establishing a 5G Fund for Rural 
America, Report and Order, FCC 20-150 (5G Fund Report and Order). In 
the 5G Fund Report and Order, the Commission, among other things, 
adopted a two-stage application process for 5G Fund auctions consisting 
of pre-auction requirements for applicants seeking to participate in a 
5G Fund auction and post-auction requirements for winning bidders 
applying for 5G Fund support. The Commission decided that applicants 
seeking to participate in a 5G Fund auction would be required to 
provide both the information required by section 1.21001(b) of the 
Commission's existing Part 1, Subpart AA universal service competitive 
bidding rules, 47 CFR 1.21001(b), and the additional application 
disclosures and certifications specific to the 5G Fund required by 
Sec.  54.1014(a) of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 54.1014(a). In its 
recent 5G Fund Second Report and Order (FCC 24-89), the Commission 
adopted an additional requirement that each applicant seeking to 
participate in the 5G Fund Phase I auction certify in its application 
that it has read the public notice adopting procedures for the auction 
and that it has familiarized itself both with the auction procedures 
and with the requirements, terms, and conditions associated with the 
receipt of 5G Fund support.

[[Page 96245]]

    Under this new information collection, the Commission will collect 
the information, disclosures, and certifications required by Sec. Sec.  
1.21001(b) and 54.1014(a) of the Commission's rules from each applicant 
seeking to participate in a 5G Fund auction, and will use the 
information, disclosures, and certifications to determine whether an 
applicant is legally, technically, and financially qualified to 
participate in a 5G Fund auction. To aid in collecting this 
information, the Commission has created FCC Form 184, which will be 
used to provide the information, disclosures, and certifications 
required by Sec. Sec.  1.21001(b) and 54.1014(a). Commission staff will 
review the information, disclosures, and certifications collected on 
FCC Form 184 as part of the pre-auction process, prior to the start of 
the auction, and determine whether each applicant satisfies the 
Commission's requirements to participate in an auction for 5G Fund 
support. Without the information collected on FCC Form 184, the 
Commission will not be able to determine if an applicant is legally 
qualified to participate in a 5G Fund auction and has complied with the 
various applicable regulatory and statutory auction requirements for 
such participation. This approach provides an appropriate screen to 
ensure serious participation without being unduly burdensome.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-28385 Filed 12-3-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
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