82 FR 35935 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 147 (August 2, 2017)

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 147 (Wednesday, August 2, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35935-35936]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-16255]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of 
information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 
U.S.C. Chapter 35).
    Agency: National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA).
    Title: Submission of proposed information collection; Computer and 
Internet Use Supplement to the Census Bureau's Current Population 
Survey (CPS).
    OMB Control Number: 0660-0021.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular submission (Revision of a currently 
approved collection).
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 54,000 households.
    Estimated Time per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 9,000.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0.
    Needs and Uses: As the next installment of a decades-long series of 
data collections, NTIA proposes to add 66 questions to the U.S. Census 
Bureau's (``Bureau'') November 2017 CPS to gather reliable data on 
computer and broadband (also known as high-speed Internet) use by U.S. 
households. President Trump has expressed support for broadband 
expansion in the United States, particularly in rural communities, 
stating an intention to include broadband in the $1 trillion 
infrastructure plan the Administration is developing.\1\ In addition, 
Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross has noted broadband's importance to 
the nation's future and its economic policy, including at his 
confirmation hearing in January 2017.\2\
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    \1\ See Remarks by President Trump on Agricultural Innovation in 
Cedar Rapids, IA (June 21, 2017) at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/06/22/remarks-president-trump-agricultural-innovation-cedar-rapids-ia. See also Remarks by President Trump in 
Listening Session with Members of Congress (Feb. 16, 2017) at 
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/02/16/remarks-president-trump-listening-session-members-congress.
    \2\ See Amir Nasr, Here's What Ross Said About Tech Policy 
During His Confirmation Hearing, Morning Consult (Jan. 18, 2017) at 
https://morningconsult.com/2017/01/18/heres-ross-said-tech-policy-confirmation-hearing/.
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    To aid the Administration's plan to incorporate broadband in the 
upcoming infrastructure initiative and ensure the digital preparedness 
of the nation's current and future workforce, NTIA data will reveal 
consumers' changing demand for broadband, as well as their online 
activities. The information may inform decisions about the scope and 
scale of the needed infrastructure, particularly in remote and sparsely 
populated areas where broadband deployment may be difficult and costly. 
It may also shed light on opportunities to increase digital literacy 
and use among Americans who currently use the Internet sparingly, if at 
all. NTIA works with Congress, the Federal Communications Commission 
(FCC), and other stakeholders to develop and advance economic and 
regulatory policies that foster broadband deployment and adoption. 
Current, systematic, and comprehensive data on broadband use and non-
use by U.S. households are critical to allow policymakers not only to 
gauge progress made to date, but also to identify problem areas with a 
specificity that

[[Page 35936]]

permits carefully targeted and cost effective responses.
    The U.S. government's critical need for comprehensive broadband 
data continues to increase as high-speed Internet access and the skills 
to use the technology are becoming essential to Americans' daily lives 
and to the nation's economy. The U.S. Government Accountability Office, 
NTIA, and the FCC have all issued reports noting the importance of 
useful broadband adoption data for policymakers. Congress sought to 
address the paucity of such information in the Broadband Data 
Improvement Act in 2008 and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 
in 2009, and recent congressional action has highlighted the need for 
more accurate broadband data.\3\ Modifying the November 2017 CPS to 
include NTIA's requested information collection will enable the 
Commerce Department and NTIA to advance the Administration's 
infrastructure initiative, as well as to respond to congressional 
concerns and directives.
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    \3\ See e.g., Dean Heller, U.S. Senator for Nevada, Heller, 
Manchin Introduce Bill to Expand Access to Rural Broadband (June 15, 
2017) at https://www.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=D1AC86C9-DAC4-43F1-B72D-E6CE577C3925; U.S. House 
Energy and Commerce Committee, #SubCommTech Examines Further 
Challenges and Opportunities to Achieve Nationwide Broadband 
Coverage (June 21, 2017) at https://energycommerce.house.gov/news-center/press-releases/subcommtech-examines-further-challenges-and-opportunities-achieve.
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    Since 1994, NTIA has sponsored 13 supplements to the CPS on the 
Internet and the shifting technologies consumers use for online access. 
The Census Bureau enjoys an outstanding reputation for data gathering 
and analysis based on its centuries of experience and its scientific 
methods. Coordinating NTIA's requested information collection on 
broadband usage with the Bureau's scheduled November 2017 CPS will 
significantly reduce the potential burdens on that agency and on 
surveyed households. The 66 questions to be added to the November 2017 
CPS are comparable to the 61 questions that NTIA added to the July 2015 
CPS.
    Affected Public: Individuals and households.
    Frequency: Once.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    This information collection request may be viewed at reginfo.gov. 
Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce collections 
currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to [email protected] or faxed to (202) 395-5806.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department al PRA Lead, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-16255 Filed 8-1-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-60-P