# Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission
**AGENCY:**
Federal Communications Commission.
**ACTION:**
Notice and request for comments.
**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 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 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 PRA comments should be submitted on or before May 4, 2020. 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 Nicole Ongele, FCC, via email *[email protected]* and to *[email protected].*
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
For additional information about the information collection, contact Nicole Ongele, (202) 418-2991.
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
*OMB Control Number:* 3060-0986.
*Title:* High-Cost Universal Service Support.
*Form Number:* FCC Form 481 and FCC Form 525.
*Type of Review:* Revision of a currently approved collection.
*Respondents:* Business or other for-profit, Not-for-profit institutions and State, Local or Tribal government.
*Number of Respondents and Responses:* 2,034 respondents; 12,729 responses.
*Estimated Time per Response* : 0.1-15 hours.
*Frequency of Response:* On occasion, quarterly and annual reporting requirements, recordkeeping requirement and third-party disclosure requirement.
*Obligation to Respond:* Required to obtain or retain benefits. Statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 47 U.S.C. 151-154, 155, 201-206, 214, 218-220, 251, 252, 254, 256, 303(r), 332, 403, 405, 410, and 1302.
*Total Annual Burden:* 54,519 hours.
*Total Annual Cost:* No cost.
*Privacy Act Impact Assessment:* No impact(s).
*Nature and Extent of Confidentiality:* The Commission notes that the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) must preserve the confidentiality of all data obtained from respondents and contributors to the universal service support program mechanism; must not use the data except for purposes of administering the universal service program; must not use the data except for purposes of administering the universal support program; and must not disclose data in company-specific form unless directed to do so by the Commission. Parties may submit confidential information in relation pursuant to a protective order. Also, respondents may request materials or information submitted to the Commission or to the Administrator believed confidential to be withheld from public inspection under 47 CFR 0.459 of the FCC's rules.
*Needs and Uses:* The Commission is requesting the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for this revised information collection. On November 18, 2011, the Commission adopted an order reforming its high-cost universal service support mechanisms. *Connect America Fund; A National Broadband Plan for Our Future; Establish Just and Reasonable Rates for Local Exchange Carriers; High-Cost Universal Service Support; Developing a Unified Intercarrier Compensation Regime; Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service; Lifeline and Link-Up; Universal Service Reform—Mobility Fund,* WC Docket Nos. 10-90, 07-135, 05-337, 03-109; GN Docket No. 09-51; CC Docket Nos. 01-92, 96-45; WT Docket No. 10-208, Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 26 FCC Rcd 17663 (2011) ( *USF/ICC Transformation Order* ), and the Commission and Wireline Competition Bureau have since adopted a number of orders that implement the *USF/ICC Transformation Order; see also Connect America Fund et al.,* WC Docket No. 10-90 et al., Third Order on Reconsideration, 27 FCC Rcd 5622 (2012); *Connect America Fund et al.,* WC Docket No. 10-90 et al., Order, 27 FCC Rcd 605 (Wireline Comp. Bur. 2012); *Connect America Fund et al.,* WC Docket No. 10-90 et al., Fifth Order on Reconsideration, 27 FCC Rcd 14549 (2012); *Connect America Fund et al.,* WC Docket No. 10-90 et al., Order, 28 FCC Rcd 2051 (Wireline Comp. Bur. 2013); *Connect America Fund et al.,* WC Docket No. 10-90 et al., Order, 28 FCC Rcd 7227 (Wireline Comp. Bur. 2013); *Connect America Fund,* WC Docket No. 10-90, Report and Order, 28 FCC Rcd 7766 (Wireline Comp. Bur. 2013); *Connect America Fund,* WC Docket No. 10-90, Report and Order, 28 FCC Rcd 7211 (Wireline Comp. Bur. 2013); *Connect America Fund,* WC Docket No. 10-90, Report and Order, 28 FCC Rcd 10488 (Wireline Comp. Bur. 2013); *Connect America Fund et al.,* WC Docket No. 10-90 et al., Report and Order, Order and Order on Reconsideration and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 31 FCC Rcd 3087 (2016); *Connect America Fund et al.,* WC Docket Nos. 10-90, 16-271; WT Docket No. 10-208, Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 31 FCC Rcd 10139 (2016); *Connect America Fund; ETC Annual Reports and Certifications,* WC Docket Nos. 10-90, 14-58, Report and Order, 32 FCC Rcd 5944 (2017). The Commission has received OMB approval for most of the information collections required by these orders.
More recently, through several orders, the Commission has changed or modified reporting obligations for high-cost support. In the *CAF Phase II Auction Order,* the Commission adopted rules requiring Connect America Phase II auction support recipients to certify the networks they operated in the prior year meet the Commission's performance requirements, to identify the total amount of support, if any, that was used for capital expenditures in the previous calendar year, and to certify they have available funds for all project costs that will exceed the amount of support to be received from the authorization stemming from the Phase II auction for the next calendar year. *Connect America Fund, et al.,* WC Docket No. 10-90, et al., Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 31 FCC Rcd 5949 (2016) ( *CAF Phase II Auction Order* ).
In the *New York Waiver Order,* the Commission extended to New York carriers who receive Connect America Phase II support in conjunction with the state's New NY Broadband Program the same annual reporting requirements adopted for Phase II auction recipients, as well as the requirement for the state public service commission to certify annually that those carriers' high cost support “was used in the preceding calendar year and will be used in the coming calendar year only for the provision, maintenance, and upgrading of facilities and services for which the support is intended.” *Connect America Fund; ETC Annual Reports and Certifications,* WC Docket Nos. 10-90, 14-58, Order, 32 FCC Rcd 968 (2017) ( *New York Waiver Order* ).
In the *December 2018 Rate-of-Return Order,* the Commission modified the reasonable request certification rule applicable to rate-of-return ETCs to (1) require Connect America Fund-Alternative Connect America Cost Model (CAF-ACAM) support recipients to certify that they are meeting the relevant reasonable request standard and (2) require rate-of-return ETCs receiving legacy high-cost support to certify that they are meeting a 25 Mbps/3 Mbps reasonable request standard. *Connect America Fund et al.,* WC Docket No. 10-90 et al., Report and Order, Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, and Order on Reconsideration, FCC 18-176, at 19-20, para. 17 (Dec. 13, 2018) ( *December 2018 Rate-of-Return Order* ). *See also* 47 CFR 54.313(f)(1)(i).
In the *CAF Phase II Transitions Order,* the Commission adopted rules requiring price cap or fixed competitive eligible communications carriers receiving phase-down support to certify that the phase-down support they received in the previous year was used to provide voice service to high-cost and extremely high-cost census blocks where they continue to have federal obligation to provide such services. *Connect America Fund,* WC Docket 10-90, Report and Order, FCC 19-8, at 11, para. 25 (Feb. 15, 2019).
The Commission therefore proposes to revise this information collection, as well as Form 481 and its accompanying instructions, to reflect these new and revised requirements. We also propose to increase the burdens associated with existing reporting requirements to account for additional carriers that will be subject to those requirements.
Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.