[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 81 (Monday, April 28, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23354-23355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-09536]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
Information Collection Being Submitted to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval
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 (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C.
3501-3520), the Federal Communications Commission invites the general
public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment
on the following information collections. 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 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 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 Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) control number.
DATES: Written PRA comments should be submitted on or before May 28,
2014. 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 Nicholas A. Fraser, OMB, via
email [email protected] [email protected]; and to Cathy Williams, FCC, via email
[email protected] [email protected] and to
[email protected] [email protected].
Include in the comments the Title as shown in the Supplementary
Information section below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information about 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 <http://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:
OMB Control Number: 3060-1053.
Title: Two-Line Captioned Telephone Order, IP Captioned Telephone
Service Declaratory Ruling; and Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone
Service Reform Order, CG Docket Nos. 13-24 and 03-123.
Form Number: N/A.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.
Number of Respondents and Responses: 153,605 respondents; 373,280
responses.
Estimated Time per Response: .25 hours (15 minutes) to 20 hours.
Frequency of Response: Annual, every five years, on-going, and one-
time reporting requirements; Recordkeeping requirement; Third party
disclosure requirement.
Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The
statutory authority for the information collection requirement is found
at Sec. 225 [47 U.S.C. 225] Telecommunications Services for Hearing-
Impaired Individuals; The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990,
(ADA), Public Law 101-336, 104 Stat. 327, 366-69, was enacted on July
26, 1990.
Total Annual Burden: 113,252 hours.
Total Annual Cost: $558,000.
Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: An assurance of
confidentiality is not
[[Page 23355]]
offered because this information collection does not require the
collection of personally identifiable information from individuals.
Privacy Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
Needs and Uses: On August 1, 2003, the Commission released the
Declaratory Ruling, In the Matter of Telecommunication Relay Services
and Speech-to-Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech
Disabilities, CC Docket No. 98-67, published at 68 FR 55898, September
28, 2003. In the Declaratory Ruling, the Commission clarified that one-
line captioned telephone voice carry over (VCO) service is a type of
telecommunications relay service (TRS) and that eligible providers of
such services are eligible to recover their costs in accordance with
section 225 of the Communications Act. The Commission also clarified
that certain TRS mandatory minimum standards do not apply to one-line
captioned telephone VCO service, and waived 47 CFR 64.604(a)(1) and
(a)(3) of the Commission's rules for all current and future captioned
telephone VCO service providers, for the same period of time beginning
August 1, 2003. The waivers were contingent on the filing of annual
reports, for a period of three years, with the Commission. Sections
64.604 (a)(1) and (a)(3) of the Commission's rules, which contained
information collection requirements under the PRA became effective on
March 26, 2004.
On July 19, 2005, the Commission released an Order, In the Matter
of Telecommunication Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech Services for
Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities, CC Docket No. 98-67
and CG Docket No. 03-123, published at 70 FR 54294, September 14, 2005,
that clarified two-line captioned telephone VCO service, like one-line
captioned telephone VCO service, is a type of TRS eligible for
compensation from the Interstate TRS Fund. Also, the Commission
clarified that certain TRS mandatory minimum standards do not apply to
two-line captioned VCO service, and waived 47 CFR 64.604(a)(1) and
(a)(3) of the Commission's rules, for providers who offers two-line
captioned VCO service. This clarification increased the number of
providers who will be providing one-line and two-line captioned
telephone VCO services.
On January 11, 2007, the Commission released a Declaratory Ruling,
In the Matter of Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech
Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities, CG
Docket No. 03-123, published at 72 FR 6960, February 14, 2007, granting
a request for clarification that Internet Protocol (IP) captioned
telephone relay service (IP CTS) is a type of TRS eligible for
compensation from the Interstate TRS Fund (Fund) when offered in
compliance with the applicable TRS mandatory minimum standards.
On August 26, 2013, the Commission issued a Report and Order, In
the Matter of Misuse of Internet Protocol (IP) Captioned Telephone
Service; Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech
Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities, CG
Docket Nos. 13-24 and 03-123, published at 78 FR 53684, August 30,
2013, to address on an ongoing basis a dramatic spike in IP CTS usage
that, if left unaddressed, would constitute a serious threat to the
Fund. The Report and Order regulates practices relating to the
marketing of IP CTS, imposes certain requirements for the provision of
this service, and mandates registration and certification of IP CTS
users. The Commission published a notice in the Federal Register
pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d) on September 25, 2013 (78 FR 59025) seeking
comments from the public on the information collection requirements
contained in the supporting statement. Sorenson Communications, Inc.
and its subsidiary CaptionCall, LLC (together, CaptionCall) filed
comments on November 25, 2013 regarding the user registration and
certification requirements adopted in the Report and Order as well as
the certification, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements for
hardship exemptions to the captions default-off requirement, also
adopted in the Report and Order. CaptionCall did not comment on the
collections adopted in the Report and Order. Subsequently, on December
6, 2013, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia Circuit stayed ``the rule adopted by the Commission [in the
Report and Order] prohibiting compensation to providers for minutes of
use generated by equipment consumers received from providers for free
or for less than $75.'' Sorenson Communications, Inc. and CaptionCall,
LLC v. FCC, Order, D.C. Cir., No. 13-1246, December 6, 2013, at 1-2.
(For convenience, the Commission refers to the requirement subject to
the stay as ``the $75 equipment charge rule.'') Because the $75
equipment charge rule is related to the registration and certification
requirements adopted in the Report and Order, the Commission will defer
addressing in the supporting statement CaptionCall's comments on the
user registration and certification requirements until after the court
issues a decision resolving the $75 equipment charge rule on the
merits. At this time, the Commission seeks OMB approval of (1) the
requirements regarding the labeling of equipment, software and mobile
applications; (2) the certification, recordkeeping, and reporting
requirements for hardship exemptions to the captions default-off
requirement; and (3) an additional information reporting requirement
for IP CTS applicants that seek Commission certification to provide IP
CTS and for IP CTS providers to provide assurance that they will not
request or collect payment from the TRS Fund for service to consumers
who do not satisfy the Commission's IP CTS registration and
certification requirements. The Commission does not seek OMB approval
of the user registration and certification requirements adopted in the
Report and Order at this time.
Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Office of Managing Director.
[FR Doc. 2014-09536 Filed 4-25-14; 8:45 am]
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