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

AGENCY:

Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burden 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 collection(s). 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 estimate; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; (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; and (e) ways to further reduce the information burden for 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 OMB control number. No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) that does not display a valid OMB control number.

DATES:

Written Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) comments should be submitted on or before May 7, 2012. If you anticipate that you will be submitting PRA comments, but find it difficult to do so within the period of time allowed by this notice, you should advise the FCC contact listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your PRA comments to Nicholas A. Fraser, Office of Management and Budget, via fax at 202-395-5167 or via Internet at Nicholas_A._Fraser@omb.eop.gov and to Benish Shah, Federal Communications Commission, via the Internet at Benish.Shah@fcc.gov. To submit your PRA comments by email send them to: PRA@fcc.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Benish Shah, Office of Managing Director, (202) 418-7866.

OMB Control Number: 3060-0636.

Title: Sections 2.906, 2.909, 2.1071, 2.1075, 2.1076, 2.1077 and 15.37, Equipment Authorizations—Declaration of Conformity.

Form No.: N/A.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.

Number of Respondents: 5,000 respondents; 10,000 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: 9.5 hours (average).

Frequency of Response: One-time reporting requirement, recordkeeping requirement 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. 154(i), 301, 302, 303(e), 303(r), 304 and 307.

Total Annual Burden: 95,000 hours.

Total Annual Cost: $17,500,000.

Privacy Act Impact Assessment: N/A.

Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: No assurances of confidentiality are provided to respondents.

Needs and Uses: The Commission will submit this information collection to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) after this 60 day comment period in order to obtain the full three year clearance from them. The Commission is requesting an extension, there is no change in the reporting, recordkeeping and/or third party disclosure requirements. There is no change in the estimated respondents/responses, burden hours and/or annual costs.

In 1996, the Declaration of Conformity (DoC) procedure was established in a Report and Order, FCC 96-208, In the Matter of Amendment of Parts 2 and 15 of the Commission's Rules to Deregulate the Equipment Authorization Requirements for Digital Devices.

(a) The Declaration of Conformity equipment authorization procedure, 47 CFR 2.1071, requires that a manufacturers or equipment supplier test a product to ensue compliance with technical standards that limit radio frequency emissions.

(b) Additionally, the manufacturer or supplier must also include a DoC (with the standards) in the literature furnished with the equipment, and the equipment manufacturer or supplier must also make this statement of conformity and supporting technical data available to the FCC, at the Commission's request.

(c) The DoC procedure represents a simplified filing and reporting procedure for authorizing equipment for marketing.

(d) Finally, testing and documentation of compliance are needed to control potential interference to radio communications. The data gathering are necessary for investigating complaints of harmful interference or for verifying the manufacturer's compliance with the Commission's rules.