30-day FRN

Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 147 / Wednesday, August 2, 2017 / Notices
Affected Public: Business or other for
profit organizations, individuals or
households.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
715.
Estimated Time per Response: 4
minutes per fishing trip.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 30,980.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $23,235 in recordkeeping/
reporting costs.
IV. Request for Comments
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether
the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information shall have
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden
(including hours and cost) of the
proposed collection of information; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on respondents, including through the
use of automated collection techniques
or other forms of information
technology.
Comments submitted in response to
this notice will be summarized and/or
included in the request for OMB
approval of this information collection;
they also will become a matter of public
record.
Dated: July 27, 2017.
Sarah Brabson,
NOAA PRA Clearance Officer.

National Telecommunications and
Information Administration

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Submission for OMB Review;
Comment Request

National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Submission for OMB Review;
Comment Request

sradovich on DSKBCFCHB2PROD with NOTICES

[FR Doc. 2017–16189 Filed 8–1–17; 8:45 am]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

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.
Agency: National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Title: Day 8 to 10 Forecast Focus
Groups, Interviews and Survey.
OMB Control Number: 0648–xxxx.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Regular (request for
a new information collection).
Number of Respondents: 775.
Average Hours per Response: Focus
groups, 2 hours; interviews, 1 hour;
survey, 30 minutes.

19:43 Aug 01, 2017

Dated: July 27, 2017.
Sarah Brabson,
NOAA PRA Clearance Officer.
BILLING CODE 3510–KE–P

[FR Doc. 2017–16194 Filed 8–1–17; 8:45 am]

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Burden Hours: 485.
Needs and Uses: The objective of the
web-based focus groups, phone
interviews, and online survey is to
collect information on the current use of
NOAA’s National Weather Service
(NWS) Weather Prediction Center
(WPC) products, including probabilistic
forecasts focusing on the 8 to 10 day
timeframe, as well as forecast needs.
The web-based focus groups and phone
interviews will ask participants to
explain their survey responses. This
information will help create better 8 to
10 day weather forecast products used
by the National Weather Service (NWS)
to protect lives and property.
Affected Public: Individuals or
households; business or other for-profit
organizations.
Frequency: One time.
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 OIRA_Submission@
omb.eop.gov or fax to (202) 395–5806.

Jkt 241001

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.

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35935

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 highspeed 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
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
1 See Remarks by President Trump on
Agricultural Innovation in Cedar Rapids, IA (June
21, 2017) at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2017/06/22/remarks-president-trumpagricultural-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-sessionmembers-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-saidtech-policy-confirmation-hearing/.

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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 147 / Wednesday, August 2, 2017 / Notices

sradovich on DSKBCFCHB2PROD with NOTICES

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.
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
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-B72DE6CE577C3925; 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-furtherchallenges-and-opportunities-achieve.

VerDate Sep<11>2014

19:43 Aug 01, 2017

Jkt 241001

notice to OIRA_Submission@
omb.eop.gov 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

BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL
PROTECTION
Compliance Bulletin 2017–01: Phone
Pay Fees
Bureau of Consumer Financial
Protection.
ACTION: Compliance bulletin.
AGENCY:

The Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau)
issues this Compliance Bulletin to
provide guidance to covered persons
and service providers regarding fee
assessments for pay-by-phone services
(phone pay fees) and the potential for
violations of sections 1031 and 1036 of
the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and
Consumer Protection Act’s (Dodd-Frank
Act) prohibition on engaging in unfair,
deceptive, or abusive acts or practices
(collectively, UDAAPs) when assessing
phone pay fees. This Bulletin also
provides guidance to debt collectors
about compliance with the Fair Debt
Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) when
assessing phone pay fees.
This Bulletin summarizes the current
law, highlighting relevant examples of
conduct observed during supervisory
examinations and enforcement
investigations that may violate Federal
consumer financial law. Whether
conduct similar to the conduct
described in this Bulletin violates these
laws may depend on additional facts
and analysis. The Bureau will closely
review conduct related to phone pay
fees for potential violations of Federal
consumer financial laws.
DATES: The Bureau released this
Compliance Bulletin on its Web site on
July 27, 2017.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Chantal Hernandez, Attorney-Advisor,
Office of Supervision Policy, 1700 G
Street NW., 20552, (202) 435–7084.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:

[1]. Compliance Bulletin
Across various consumer financial
products and services, many entities
provide consumers multiple payment
options. For instance, many provide
consumers the option of making
payments over the phone by using an
automated system or speaking with a
live representative. Many entities also

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provide consumers the option to make
phone payments by using a credit card,
debit card, or electronic check, or to
have their payment expedited. A
number of entities also use third-party
service providers to handle and process
the payments. State and Federal laws
may restrict fees related to phone
payments.1 Entities are advised to
review applicable laws to determine
whether they may charge phone pay
fees. In the course of its Supervision and
Enforcement activities, the Bureau has
identified conduct that may violate or
risks violating Federal consumer
financial laws relating to phone pay fee
practices.
Report of Supervisory or Enforcement
Findings
Examples of Conduct That May Violate
or Risk Violating the Prohibition on
UDAAPs
Under the Dodd-Frank Act, all
covered persons or service providers are
legally required to refrain from
committing unfair, deceptive, or abusive
acts or practices in violation of the Act.
An act or practice is unfair when (i) it
causes or is likely to cause substantial
injury to consumers; (ii) the injury is not
reasonably avoidable by consumers; and
(iii) the injury is not outweighed by
countervailing benefits to consumers or
to competition.2 An act or practice is
deceptive when (i) the act or practice
misleads or is likely to mislead the
consumer; (ii) the consumer’s
interpretation is reasonable under the
circumstances; and (iii) the misleading
act or practice is material.3
Depending on the facts and
circumstances, the following nonexhaustive list of examples of conduct
related to phone pay fees may constitute
UDAAPs or contribute to the risk of
committing UDAAPs.4 Accordingly, the
1 For example, as implemented by Regulation Z,
a Credit CARD Act amendment to the Truth In
Lending Act provides that for credit card accounts
under an open-end consumer credit plan, a creditor
(including a third party that collects, receives, or
processes payments on behalf of a creditor) may not
impose a separate fee to allow consumers to make
a payment by any method (including telephone
payments) unless the payment method involves an
expedited service by a service representative of the
creditor. See 15 U.S.C. 1637(l); 12 CFR 1026.10(e).
2 Dodd-Frank Act §§ 1031, 1036, 12 U.S.C. 5531,
5536.
3 See CFPB Exam Manual at UDAAP 5 (noting
that the standard for ‘‘deceptive’’ practices in the
Dodd-Frank Act is informed by the standards for
the same terms under Section 5 of the FTC Act).
4 The Bureau will also review whether phone pay
fee conduct may violate the Dodd-Frank Act’s
prohibition on abusive acts or practices. An act or
practice is abusive when it materially interferes
with the ability of a consumer to understand a term
or condition of a consumer financial product or
service; or takes unreasonable advantage of (i) a
consumer’s lack of understanding of the material

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