SUPPORTING STATEMENT
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
broadband subscription and usage survey
(Supplement to census Bureau’s current population survey)
OMB CONTROL NO. 0660-XXXX
A. JUSTIFICATION
1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary.
President Bush has established a national goal of universal, affordable broadband access for all Americans by 2007. To that end, the Administration is working with Congress, the Federal Communications Commission, and other parties to develop and implement economic and regulatory policies that foster broadband deployment. Current, systematic, and comprehensive data on broadband subscription and use by U.S. households is critical to allow policymakers not only to gauge progress made to date, but to identify problem areas with a specificity that permits carefully targeted and cost-effective responses.
NTIA proposes to add four questions to the Census’ October 2007 Current Population Survey (CPS) in order to gather reliable data on broadband (also known as high-speed Internet) use by U.S. households. The Census Bureau is widely regarded as a superior collector of data based on its centuries of experience and its scientific methods. Collection of NTIA’s requested broadband usage data, moreover, will occur in conjunction with Census’ scheduled October CPS, thereby significantly reducing the potential burdens on the Bureau and the households surveyed. Questions on Internet usage were included in six previous Census household surveys.
The need for comprehensive broadband data has become more pressing in recent months and has necessitated this request for expedited review. Following the April 2007 release of an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) ranking of broadband deployment worldwide, Congress held a series of hearings on the issue. The OECD has noted that the user data that they are using to benchmark the United States is from 2003 as they have no other current official data from the United States. Congress has shown a particular interest in improving available statistics on U.S. broadband deployment and use. One proposed bill introduced in May directs the Census Bureau to modify its survey instruments to collect information similar to the data that NTIA proposes to collect here. Modifying the October CPS to include NTIA’s requested broadband data will allow the Commerce Department and NTIA to respond to congressional concerns, congressional directives, and to work with the OECD on its broadband methodologies with more recent data.
This information collection emergency request is necessary to meet the September 17, 2007 Census due date.
2. Explain how, by whom, how frequently, and for what purpose the information will be used. If the information collected will be disseminated to the public or used to support information that will be disseminated to the public, then explain how the collection complies with all applicable Information Quality Guidelines.
Census will collect the desired information on a one-time basis during its October 2007 CPS. NTIA will use the data collected to assist the President, the Congress, and the Federal Communications Commission to develop targeted, sound, and cost-effective policies to foster the deployment of broadband and other Internet services throughout the United States. The data collected will also be available to the public to further policy research on broadband and other communications issues, and will be used on an international level at the OECD to better inform their broadband methodologies.
Information quality is an integral part of the pre-dissemination review of the information disseminated by the Census Bureau (fully described in the Census Bureau’s Information Quality Guidelines). Information quality is also integral to the information collections conducted by the Census Bureau and is incorporated into the clearance process required by the Paperwork Reduction Act.
3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological techniques or other forms of information technology.
The Census Bureau considers personal visits and telephone interviews, using computer-assisted telephone interviewing and computer-assisted personal interviewing, the most appropriate collection methodology, given existing available information technology.
4. Describe efforts to identify duplication.
Adding the NTIA’s proposed four questions to the Census Bureau’s October CPS will generate official geographic and demographic statistics on broadband and Internet usage in the United States that is unavailable from any other source. To NTIA’s knowledge, there are no other data sources that can provide the depth, scope, and reliability of information on broadband deployment than is available from the CPS.
5. If the collection of information involves small businesses or other small entities, describe the methods used to minimize burden.
This collection does not involve small businesses or other small entities.
6. Describe the consequences to the Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently.
Comprehensive and reliable data is essential to the development of sound and cost-effective government policies regarding broadband deployment and the Internet.
7. Explain any special circumstances that require the collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with OMB guidelines.
There are no special circumstances.
8. Provide a copy of the PRA Federal Register notice that solicited public comments on the information collection prior to this submission. Summarize the public comments received in response to that notice and describe the actions taken by the agency in response to those comments. Describe the efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported.
A Federal Register Notice, under PRA emergency procedures, soliciting public comments was published on Monday, August 13, 2007 (Vol. 72, page 45218). The due date for comments is August 31, 2007.
NTIA consulted with the following persons concerning the development of the proposed questions:
Patricia Buckley, PhD
Senior
Economic Advisor
Office of Policy
and Strategic Planning
Office of
the Secretary of Commerce
(202) 482-3659
Kathleen P. Creighton
Assistant
Division Chief for Current Surveys
Demographic Surveys Division
Bureau of the Census
301 763-3814
Robert A. Kominski
Assistant
Division Chief for Social Characteristics
Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division
Bureau of the Census
301 763-2120
Gregory D. Weyland
Acting Chief,
Current Population Surveys Branch
Demographic Surveys Division
Bureau of the Census
301 763-3790
The result of these consultations is NTIA’s four proposed supplemental questions. In addition, a statement soliciting comments for improving this supplement is prominently placed in all Census Bureau publications that cite CPS data and a similar statement is included in the technical documentation that accompanies the CPS microdata files.
Explain any decisions to provide payments or gifts to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees.
No payments or gifts are provided.
10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.
The Census Bureau will collect CPS data (including NTIA’s proposed supplemental questions) in compliance with the Privacy Act of 1974. Each sample household will receive an advance letter approximately one week before the start of the initial CPS interview (Attachment A).
The letter includes the information required by the Privacy Act of 1974, informs each respondent of the voluntary nature of the survey, and states the estimated time required for participating in the survey.
Additionally, interviewers must ask each respondent if he/she received the advance letter and, if not, will provide a copy of the letter to each respondent and allow sufficient time for him/her to read its contents. Upon request, interviewers also provide households with the pamphlet on "How the Census Bureau Keeps Your Information Strictly Confidential," which reaffirms the confidentiality assurances and mentions the Census Bureau's past performance in assuring confidentiality (Attachment B). All information given by respondents to Census Bureau employees is held in strict confidence under Title 13, United States Code, Section 9
(Attachment C). Each Census Bureau employee has taken an oath to that effect and is subject to a jail penalty and/or a substantial fine if he/she discloses any information given to him/her.
11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private.
NTIA’s proposed supplemental questions are not of a sensitive nature.
12. Provide an estimate in hours of the burden of the collection of information.
The Census Bureau estimates that the total respondent burden for NTIA’s proposed four questions is 458 hours (30 seconds per household for the 55,000 households in the CPS sample). By way of contrast, the OMB-approved respondent burden for the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to conduct the basic CPS for October (without NTIA’s proposed questions) is 7,918 hours.
Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to the respondents or record\keepers resulting from the collection (excluding the value of the burden hours in #12 above).
There are no costs to the respondents other than that of their time to respond.
14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government.
The cost requested by Census to include the supplemental questions in the CPS is $300,000.
15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in Items 13 or 14 of the OMB 83-I.
This is a new collection thus no program change or adjustment.
16. For collections whose results will be published, outline the plans for tabulation and publication.
NTIA intends to analyze the CPS data within 60 days of receiving tables developed by the Census Bureau from the October database.
17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons why display would be inappropriate.
Not applicable.
18. Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in Item 19 of the
OMB 83-I.
There are no exceptions to the certification.
| File Type | application/msword |
| Author | gbanks |
| File Modified | 2007-09-06 |
| File Created | 2007-08-08 |