Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals

Information Collection Being Submitted for Review and Approval to Office of Management and Budget

Dates

Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be submitted on or before May 24, 2024.

Supplementary Information

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: 3060-1257.

Title: New Procedure for Non-Federal Public Safety Entities to License Federal Government Interoperability Channels.

Form Number: N/A.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Not-for-profit institutions and State, local, or Tribal government.

Number of Respondents and Responses: 40,599 respondents; 40,599 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: 0.25 hours.

Frequency of Response: One-time reporting requirement.

Obligation to Respond: Section 90.25 adopted in Order DA 18-282, requires any non-Federal public safety entity seeking to license mobile and portable units on the Federal Interoperability Channels to obtain written concurrence from its Statewide Interoperability Coordinator (SWIC) or a State appointed official and include such written concurrence with its application for license. A non-Federal public safety entity may communicate on designated Federal Interoperability Channels for joint Federal/non-Federal operations, provided it first obtains a license from the Commission authorizing use of the channels. Statutory authority for these collections are contained in 47 U.S.C. 151, 154, 301, 303, and 332 of the Communications Act of 1934.

Total Annual Burden: 10,150 hours.

Total Annual Cost: No cost.

Needs and Uses: This collection will be submitted as an extension of a currently approved collection after this 60-day comment period to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in order to obtain the full three-year clearance. The purpose of requiring a non-Federal public safety entity to obtain written consent from its SWIC or State appointed official before communicating with Federal Government agencies on the Federal Interoperability Channels is to ensure that the non-Federal public safety entity operates in accordance with the rules and procedures governing use of the Federal interoperability channels and does not cause inadvertent interference during emergencies. Commission staff will use the written concurrence from the SWIC or Ftate appointed official to determine if an applicant's proposed operation on the Federal Interoperability Channels conforms to the terms of an agreement signed by the SWIC or State appointed official with a Federal user with a valid assignment from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) which has jurisdiction over the channels.