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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 231 (Monday, December 2, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 95209-95210]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-28186]

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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[OMB 3060-0999; FR ID 264781]

Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal 
Communications Commission

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, 
and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the 
Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) invites the 
general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to 
comment on the following information collection. Comments are requested 
concerning: 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; the 
accuracy of the Commission's burden estimate; ways to enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; 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 ways to further reduce the 
information 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 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 should be submitted on or before January 31, 
2025. If you anticipate that you will be submitting comments but find 
it difficult to do so within the period of time allowed by this Notice, 
you should advise the contact listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Direct all PRA comments to Cathy Williams, FCC, via email: 
[email protected] and to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information about the 
information collection, contact Cathy Williams at (202) 418-2918.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    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

[[Page 95210]]

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 compatiblity requirement, the 
Commission adopted revised labeling, website posting, and certification 
requirements along with removing outdated and unnecessary information 
collection requriements. The removal of these outdated information 
collection requirments significantly reduces regulatory burden and cost 
for handset manufacturers and service providers.
    The revised hearing aid compatiblility rules include a requirement 
that a cetain 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 Commisison adopted a 
requirement that handset manufacturers submit a sworn declaration 
attesting to the handset model's complaince 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 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 
capabilites 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 compatiblity 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 informition 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 compatiblity information, and they must provide 
consumers with a Quick-Respone (QR) code and the related website adress 
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 
certificaton 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 knowledgable company employees 
compatiblity 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 
usefull 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 relevent 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. 2024-28186 Filed 11-29-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
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