SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Commission 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.

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 ( printed page 61405) 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: 3060-1314.

Title: Incarcerated People's Communications Services (IPCS) 2026 Mandatory Data Collection, WC Docket Nos. 23-62, 12-375, FCC 25-75.

Form Number(s): FCC Form 2303(a) and FCC Form 2303(b).

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit.

Number of Respondents and Responses: 30 respondents; 30 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: 165 hours.

Frequency of Response: One-time reporting requirement.

Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. Statutory authority for this collection of information is contained in sections 1, 2, 4(i)-(j), 5(c), 201(b), 218, 220, 225, 255, 276, 403, and 716 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 151, 152, 154(i)-(j), 155(c), 201(b), 218, 220, 225, 255, 276, 403, and 617, and the Martha Wright-Reed Act, Public Law 117-338, 136 Stat. 6156 (2022).

Total Annual Burden: 4,950 hours.

Total Annual Cost: No cost.

Needs and Uses: On November 6, 2025, the Commission released the Incarcerated People's Communications Services; Implementation of the Martha Wright-Reed Act; Rates for Interstate Inmate Calling Services, WC Docket Nos. 23-62, 12-375, Report and Order, Order on Reconsideration, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Order, FCC 25-75, 90 FR 56013 (Dec. 5, 2025) (Order) and 90 FR 56115 (Dec. 5, 2025) (Notice of Proposed Rulemaking or Notice), in which it established a regulatory framework that is faithful to the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act of 2022, Public Law 117-338, 136 Stat. 6156 (the Martha Wright-Reed Act or Act) and is also consistent with the record that has developed since its enactment. The Order created a durable, predictable, and lawful framework that properly balances the Commission's implementation of the dual statutory mandates of the Martha Wright-Reed Act—just and reasonable rates for consumers and fair compensation for providers—and thereby ensures the continued availability of IPCS to incarcerated people and preserves correctional officials' ability to provide safe and secure access to IPCS.

To ensure that it has the data needed to meet its responsibilities under the Act, the Commission reaffirmed its prior delegation of authority to the Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) and the Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA) to conduct an additional data collection to enable the Commission to set permanent rate caps for both audio and video IPCS. In the Order, the Commission reiterated its delegation of authority to WCB and OEA to “make any appropriate modifications to the structure of the collection and the template and instructions for the collection necessary to provide the Commission an objective basis to establish permanent IPCS rate caps.”

Pursuant to their delegated authority, WCB and OEA drafted proposed instructions, a spreadsheet template, a word document template, and a certification form for the proposed 2026 Mandatory Data Collection, which collectively reduced significantly the burden of the data collection, available for download at www.fcc.gov/​sites/​default/​files/​2026%20IPCS%20MDC%20proposed%20Instructions.docx. IPCS providers would be required to submit the required data using a reporting template that would be filed through the Commission's Electronic Comment Filing System. The proposed template would consist of a Word document (Appendix A to the instructions) for responses requiring narrative information, and Excel spreadsheets (Appendix B to the instructions) for responses that require specific numbers or information. IPCS providers would also be required to submit an audited financial statement or report for calendar year 2025, and a signed certification of truthfulness, accuracy, and completeness (Appendix C to the instructions). The instructions, templates, and certification form would simplify compliance with, and reduce the burden of, this data collection. These proposed documents will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget as FCC Form 2303(a) and FCC Form 2303(b).

On June 8, 2026, WCB and OEA released a Public Notice seeking comment on all aspects of the proposed instructions, templates, and certification form, available for download at docs.fcc.gov/​public/​attachments/​DA-26-567A1.pdf. A summary of the June 8, 2026 Public Notice was published in the Federal Register on June 17, 2026 (91 FR 36552). On June 25, 2026, notice of a request for written PRA comments regarding the proposed instructions, templates, and certification form was published in the Federal Register (91 FR 38435). In response to the June 8, 2026 Public Notice, WCB and OEA received comments and reply comments from IPCS providers, public interest advocates, and other interested parties. WCB and OEA thoroughly considered these filings in adopting the requirements of the final 2026 Mandatory Data Collection. The 2026 Mandatory Data Collection Order was released on September 21, 2026. This document is available for download at www.fcc.gov/​document/​2026-ipcs-mandatory-data-collection-order.

91 FR 61404