Under the Communications Act, as amended, FCC regulates interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable. FCC regulates these industries by carrying out various activities, including issuing licenses for radio and television broadcast stations; overseeing the licensing, enforcement, and regulatory functions of cellular telephones and other personal communication services; regulating the use of the radio spectrum and conducting auctions of licenses for use of the spectrum; investigating consumer complaints and taking enforcement actions for violations of communications laws and commission rules; addressing public safety, homeland security, emergency management, and preparedness; educating and informing consumers about telecommunications goods and services; and reviewing mergers of companies holding FCC-issued licenses. FCC carries out these responsibilities using its 7 bureaus and 10 offices. Table 2 provides descriptions of each bureau’s responsibilities. To fulfill its responsibilities, FCC requires regulated entities, such as companies and licensees, in the communications industry that it regulates to maintain records, submit information, or disclose information to others. For example, television stations are required to provide FCC with information relating to construction permits, license renewals, and ownership. When collecting and managing information, FCC must adhere to various laws and regulations and coordinate with various entities. Paperwork Reduction Act. The PRA requires agencies, such as FCC, to obtain approval for each information collection instrument that meets the requirements of the PRA from OMB. Before approving a collection instrument, OMB is required to determine that the agency’s collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility. Consistent with the PRA’s requirements, OMB has established a process to review all proposals by agencies to collect information from 10 or more persons, whether the collections are voluntary or mandatory. OMB’s approval of each information collection instrument usually expires within 3 years, and agencies must periodically ask for an extension until the collection is no longer needed. Records management by federal agencies. As required by statute, the head of each federal agency must establish and maintain an active, continuing program for the economical and efficient management of the agency’s records. The agency must provide for effective controls over the creation, maintenance, and use of records in the conduct of current business. Further, the agency must cooperate with the Administrator of General Services and the Archivist in applying standards, procedures, and techniques designed to improve the management of records; promote the maintenance and security of records deemed appropriate for preservation; and facilitate the segregation and disposal of records of temporary value. Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA). FISMA requires the head of each agency to provide information security protections commensurate with the risk and magnitude of harm resulting from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction of information collected or maintained by or on behalf of the agency. Additional requirements. In addition to the requirements established by the various laws, federal agencies must follow regulations promulgated by agencies such as OMB and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For example, OMB established policy for managing information through its A-130 Circular. NARA provides federal agencies with guidance on the management of records and other types of documentary materials and assists agencies in creating and maintaining accurate and complete records of an agency’s functions and activities and in ensuring the authorized, timely, and appropriate disposition of documentary materials. To develop new rules or modify existing rules, including rules pertaining to information collection instruments, FCC initiates a rulemaking process. When implementing a rulemaking process, FCC must follow the procedures set forth in the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). The APA generally requires a “notice and comment” or “notice and comment rulemaking” process to ensure that stakeholders and the public have adequate opportunity to participate in agencies’ rulemaking processes. In particular, the APA requires agencies, in most cases, to publish a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register and give interested parties an opportunity to comment on the proposed rule or rule change by providing “written data, views, or arguments.” FCC generally collects information through the following methods. Notice of Inquiry (NOI). FCC releases a NOI to gather information about a broad subject or as a means of generating ideas on a specific issue. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). FCC issues a NPRM to propose new rules or changes to its existing rules. The NPRM must include either the terms or substance of the proposed rule or a description of the subjects and issues involved and seek public comment on the proposal. Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM). After reviewing comments in the NPRM, FCC can issue a FNPRM regarding specific issues raised in the process. The FNPRM provides an opportunity for the public to comment further on a related or specific proposal. As of April 2009, FCC used 413 OMB-approved information collection instruments to gather information, maintain records, or disclose information; however, the amount of information collected and managed varied by bureau or office. Responsibility for these collections is spread across 10 FCC bureaus and offices (see table 3). The Media, Wireline Competition, and Wireless Telecommunications bureaus are responsible for almost three- quarters of the collections, with 139, 85, and 74 collections, respectively. The estimated number of responses also varies significantly by bureau or office. For example, both the Wireline Competition and Consumer and Governmental Affairs bureaus anticipate over 140 million individual responses annually to their collection instruments, whereas the Enforcement Bureau anticipates fewer than 10,000. The burden associated with submitting the information also varies by bureau or office; according to the PRA, the term “burden” means the time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, or provide information to a federal agency. The Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau estimates over 39 million hours for its collection instruments, more than the other bureaus and offices combined; other bureaus with over 1 million estimated annual burden hours include the Media, Wireline Competition, and Wireless Telecommunications bureaus. FCC collects a wide variety of information through its 413 OMB-approved information collection instruments. In response to our request, FCC placed each of its 413 collection instruments in a category based on the industry and/or purpose. FCC identified 21 categories, and we further organized these 21 categories into five groups (see table 4). As shown in the table, there is significant variation in the number of collection instruments and estimated number of responses and annual burden hours across the 21 categories. We provide a description of the types of information collection instruments below. Requirements. FCC-defined information collection instruments for requirements span a wide variety of industries, including wireless and wireline telephone, broadcasting, cable, equipment, and public safety. FCC regulations require companies to provide a variety of information. For example, the Wireline Competition Bureau has 58 collection instruments of this type, including employment reports and local number portability for wireline telephone companies. The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau has 59 collection instruments of this type, such as reports on interference. Applications. Regulated entities, such as companies and individuals, seeking to provide certain services must apply for and receive a license from FCC. For example, the Media Bureau gathers license application information from companies seeking to provide radio and television broadcast service. The Office of Engineering and Technology gathers license application and equipment authorization information from companies seeking to market new wireless equipment, such as wireless telephones. Complaints. FCC collects consumer complaints on a variety of problems through OMB-approved information collection instruments. These complaints include a wide variety of problems such as deceptive or unlawful advertising or marketing; obscene, profane, and/or indecent material on broadcast radio or television; slamming, the illegal practice of changing a consumer’s telephone service without permission; and accessibility of communications services to persons with disabilities. Financial and accounting. The Wireline Competition Bureau collects information pertaining to both wireline carrier accounting and the universal service fund. The wireline carrier accounting collections include a variety of company submissions, such as information on rates, costs, investment, and customer satisfaction. The universal service fund collections include submissions necessary to pay into or receive payment from the universal service fund. We also include collection instruments for FCC’s financial operations in this group; these collections include, for example, documents for FCC’s regulatory fees. Other. These information collection instruments pertain to a variety of topics. For example, the Media, Wireline Competition, and Wireless Telecommunications bureaus conduct surveys of cable television operators, companies providing broadband service, and participants in FCC’s spectrum auctions, respectively. The Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau collects information pertaining to telecommunications relay service, which allows persons with hearing or speech disabilities to place and receive telephone calls. The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau uses collection instruments to receive applications for participants in spectrum auctions and auction participants seeking bidding credits. FCC has established commissionwide programs, policies, and procedures for the collection and management of information; FCC articulates these policies and procedures in its records management program, forms management program, security policies and procedures, and information system protection. However, since bureaus and offices are the primary users of information, implementing decisions generally occur at the bureau or office level. On the basis of responses to our questionnaires about 30 OMB-approved information collection instruments, FCC’s bureaus and offices collect and manage information in a variety of different ways. FCC has four primary directives that establish procedures for commission staff to follow for collecting and managing information. These directives help ensure FCC’s compliance with governmentwide laws and regulations pertaining to information collection and management, such as the PRA and FISMA. Records management program. By statute, the head of each federal agency must establish and maintain an active, continuing program for the economical and efficient management of all records of the agency. To meet this requirement, FCC established a records management program that sets out the policies, procedures, and activities needed to manage the commission’s recorded information.