2020 Renewal PRA Supporting Statement A Final (updated)

2020 Renewal PRA Supporting Statement A Final (updated).docx

Computer and Internet Use Supplement to the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey

OMB: 0660-0021

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Supporting Statement
U.S. Department of Commerce
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
NTIA Internet Use Survey
OMB Control No. 0660-0021

Abstract

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) respectfully requests OMB’s review and renewal of a currently approved collection known as the NTIA Internet Use Survey. Renewal will allow the U.S. Census Bureau (Census or the Bureau) to incorporate these questions on computer and Internet use as a supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS). The subject information collection was fielded in its current form in November 2017 and November 2019, and previous iterations of the survey have been commissioned by NTIA and administered by Census periodically since 1994. Data from the NTIA Internet Use Survey are used to help understand the state of the digital divide and other important Internet policy challenges. In addition to supporting evidence-based policymaking, NTIA uses the resulting data in a number of publications. Furthermore, Census prepares a public use dataset for each survey that both NTIA and Census publish on their websites for use by external researchers and other interested members of the public.

Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection. Attach a copy of the appropriate section of each statute and regulation mandating or authorizing the collection of information.

In remarks on innovation in agriculture, President Trump expressed support for expanding broadband Internet access throughout the nation, stating: “Since my inauguration, we have also devoted nearly $1 billion dollars to rural broadband, connecting a quarter of a million rural households, and we’re moving at a rapid pace.”¹ Further, when announcing a recent broadband infrastructure award, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross emphasized the Administration’s recognition of the technology’s critical role in economic prosperity, noting that “the Trump Administration is working diligently to improve broadband infrastructure to support business growth.”²

To aid the Administration’s efforts to 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 sparsely populated, remote 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 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, as President Trump’s quoted remarks illustrate. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), 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; recent congressional action has highlighted the need for more accurate broadband data.³ Modifying the 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 15 supplements to the CPS on the Internet and the shifting technologies Americans use for online access. NTIA proposes to add 66 questions to a future edition of the Census Bureau’s CPS to gather reliable data on broadband and computer use by U.S. households. The 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 regularly scheduled CPS will significantly reduce the potential burdens on that agency and on surveyed households.

NTIA seeks OMB’s permission to undertake this data collection pursuant to NTIA’s authority “to conduct studies and make recommendations concerning the impact of the convergence of computer and communications technology.” 47 USC §902(b)(2)(M). Further, Congress empowered NTIA “to contract for studies and reports relating to any aspect of assigned functions,” which enables the agency to sponsor the CPS supplement. See 47 USC §902(b)(2) (P). (Attachment A-1, 47 USC §902).

Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used. Except for a new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received from the current collection.

The Census Bureau will collect the desired information during its regularly scheduled CPS interviews. NTIA will use the data collected to work with the President, the Congress, and the FCC to develop evidence-based policies that foster the deployment and adoption of broadband and other Internet services throughout the United States. For example, data about Internet use by U.S. households, including members’ online activities, provides useful data on broadband demand that complements FCC data on broadband subscriptions and speeds. The NTIA Internet Use Survey data will support government efforts to advance U.S. Internet policy abroad. Further, American communities can use the data to advocate for new or expanded broadband service in their areas. The data collected will also be available to the public to further policy research on broadband and other communications issues. Finally, state and local officials can use the collected data to develop policies and programs to increase broadband access and use in their respective jurisdictions.

NTIA has made extensive use of all previous data collections. The many reports, blog posts, and other publications released by NTIA on this subject explore in depth the state of Internet use in the U.S., and rely heavily on the datasets produced through earlier collections for time-series analyses. As with our prior data sets, NTIA will make the newly collected data available on its interactive Data Explorer visualization tool, which is available at <https://www.ntia.gov/data/digital-nation-data-explorer>. The tool allows policymakers, researchers, and the public to chart Internet usage over time, in granular detail. Additionally, NTIA regularly uses these datasets for internal policy analysis purposes, and has referenced these data in filings with the FCC and in other agency documents. NTIA also utilizes the datasets to update global broadband metrics maintained by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Our CPS-based research provides vital support for more informed decisions about Internet and telecommunications policy by NTIA, the Administration, Congress, and the FCC, among others.

This information collection is designed to obtain information that meets the Information Quality Guidelines of NTIA. These guidelines establish standards for the utility, integrity, and objectivity of information disseminated by NTIA.⁴

Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses, and the basis for the decision for adopting this means of collection. Also describe any consideration of using information technology to reduce burden.

The Bureau will conduct computer-assisted personal visits and telephone interviews. The Bureau considers these techniques the most appropriate collection methodology, given existing available information technology.

Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why any similar information already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purposes described in Question 2 above.

Adding NTIA’s proposed 66 questions to the Bureau’s CPS will generate official geographic and demographic statistics on broadband and Internet usage in the U.S. that are unavailable with such attributes from any other source. To NTIA’s knowledge, there are no other current data sources that provide the depth and reliability of information on broadband adoption and usage that is available from the NTIA Internet Use Survey. The three computer and Internet use questions added to the American Community Survey beginning in 2013, while vital to learning about broadband adoption among smaller geographic and demographic groups, provide only basic information about adoption at the household level. In contrast, the NTIA-sponsored series of CPS supplements provides a granular look at how Americans use the Internet, including new applications and devices.

If the collection of information involves small businesses or other small entities, describe the methods used to minimize burden.

Not Applicable.

Describe the consequence to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

If NTIA is unable to conduct the information collection, comprehensive and reliable data that are essential to the development of sound and cost-effective government policies regarding broadband adoption and usage and, more generally, the Internet, would be unattainable. In addition, although NTIA has at times in the past sponsored the NTIA Internet Use Survey annually, NTIA, in consultation with the Bureau, has decided to implement an every-two-year timetable (funding permitting) not only to allow sufficient time intervals but to ensure that the data stay reasonably current with the rapidly changing technological landscape of computer and Internet use. Starting with the 2017 edition of the survey, NTIA has planned to sponsor a data collection in every November of odd numbered years, which will avoid the seasonal differences that may have been reflected in NTIA’s past July and October CPS supplements. The two most recent surveys were fielded in November 2017 and November 2019, and funding permitting, NTIA will sponsor the next survey in November 2021. In addition to the aforementioned benefits of continuing on this schedule, a 2021 edition of the survey would enable NTIA to compare the state of Internet use shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic—in November 2019—with new data after the crisis has passed.

Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner:

requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly;