3060-0918 Form 161_SS_11.15.21

CORES Update/Change Form, FCC Form 161 3060-0918

December 2021

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

A. Justification:

Existing Information Collection Requirements:

1. FCC Form 161, “CORES Update/Change Form,” is part of the Commission’s Registration System (CORES). This form may be found at: www.fcc.gov/Forms/Form161/161.pdf.

1. Applicants/entities (respondents) use FCC Form 161 to update/change their name, address, contact representative, telephone, e-mail address, fax number, etc., which was previously entered into the CORES database.

2. The Commission uses FCC Form 161 to allow applicants and licensees doing business with the FCC to keep their account information current.

3. The Commission will also use FCC Form 161 to update/change information in the Commission’s database.

4. For businesses and individuals, the FCC Registration Number (FRN) is its Federal Communications Commission-issued FCC FRN. The FRN is a unique account number that is used for identification purposes only.

The non-substantive changes requested here are necessary to assist the Commission in fulfilling requirements under the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability (DATA) Act.  In this legislation, Congress directed the FCC to “develop a process through which the Commission can collect verified data for use in [its] coverage maps from [ ] State, local, and Tribal governmental entities that are primarily responsible for mapping or tracking broadband internet access service coverage for a State, unit of local government, or Indian Tribe, as applicable.”  47 U.S.C. § 642(a)(2)(A).  The Commission must therefore authenticate that a filer purporting to submit availability data as a state, local or Tribal governmental entity is, in fact, such an entity and that the filer is authorized to act on behalf of the entity, state, unit of local government or Indian Tribe. 

The Commission will use CORES to authenticate that a particular user and FRN is an authorized representative of a state, local, and or Tribal governmental entities that files data under section 642(a)(2)(A). The form currently includes four categories of “Entity Type”: (1) Federal Agency; (2) Foreign Entity; (3) Private Sector; and (4) State or Local Agency. The Commission is adding a new, fifth Entity Type listed on the form for “Tribal Govt Agency.” This fifth category of Entity Type is needed to authenticate Tribal governmental entities seeking to submit information to the FCC pursuant to the Broadband DATA Act. We therefore intend to add a “Tribal Govt Agency” Entity Type to FCC Form 161 (OMB 3060-0917) and to the online version of the form.

This information collection does affect Individuals or Households. The FCC is updating the Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) for CORES that is covered by FCC/OMD-25, Financial Operations Information System (FOIS), Systems of Records Notice (SORN).

Statutory authority for this collection of information is the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, Public Law 104-134, Chapter 10, § 31001.

2. The Commission uses the information that applicants provide on FCC Form 161 to update and/or to change their CORES information.

(a) This is necessary to ensure that the Commission has accurate information to identify applicant filer and to ensure proper crediting of the transaction and money, if applicable.

(b) Applicants (respondents) may update/change their data via the FCC Internet webpage: https://apps.fcc.gov/cores.

3. Respondents may provide the information on FCC Form 161 electronically via the FCC’s webpage: https://apps.fcc.gov/cores, or respondents may continue to file the paper version of FCC Form 161.

4. There is no similar information already available. The Commission is required to obtain this information from any applicants and/or licensees doing business with the Commission.

5. In conformance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Commission is making an effort to minimize the burden on all respondents, regardless of size.

(a) The collection will have minimal impact on all respondents.

(b) The Commission has limited its collection of information to only the extent needed to identify a person or business interacting with the Government.

6. The FRN is used each time a person or entity does business with the Commission. Although this unique number is stored in the Commission’s CORES database, it is an integral part of each filing or service/benefit request. It also serves to identify the filer so as to ensure proper crediting of the transaction and money, if applicable.

7. There are no special circumstances that would cause this information collection to be

conducted in a manner inconsistent with the OMB’s guidelines.

8. The Commission published a Notice in the Federal Register on January 29, 2020 (85 FR 5210), which initiated a 60-day comment period. No comments were submitted following publication of the notice.

9. Respondents will not receive any payments or gifts.

10. Consistent with the provisions of the Privacy Act, the Taxpayer Information Number, i.e., Social Security Number and/or the Employee Identification Number, will not be made available to the public. A privacy act statement is included on FCC Form 161 so that applicants (respondents) are informed of the need to obtain the information.

(a) The Commission maintains a SORN, FCC/OMD-25, Financial Operations Information System (FOIS), to cover the collection, purpose(s), storage, safeguards, and disposal of the PII that individual respondents may submit on FCC Form 161.

(b) FCC Form 161 includes a privacy statement to inform applicants (respondents) of the Commission’s need to obtain the information and the protections that the FCC has in place to protect the PII.

11. This collection does not include any questions of a sensitive nature.

12. The Commission estimates that:

(a) There are 5,500 respondents pe year.

(b) The average burden per response is approximately ten minutes (0.167 hours) based on FCC staff's knowledge and familiarity with the availability of the data that respondents are required to have to file FCC Form 161, “CORES Registration Form:”

5,500 responses x 0.167 hours = 919 hours

Total Number of Respondents: 5,500

Total Number of Responses: 5,500

Total Annual Hourly Burden: 919 hours

The Commission estimates that respondents will use the equivalent of a senior staff person at the GS-13/Step 5 ($55.75 per hour) to complete and file FCC Form 161:

5,500 responses x 0.167 hours (ten minutes) x $55.75 /hour = $51,206

Total “In-House” Costs: $51,206

13. The Total Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden estimates:

(a) Total annualized capital/startup costs: $0.00

(b) Total annual costs (O&M): $0.00

(c) Total annualized cost requested: $0.00

14. There are no costs to the Federal Government. The FCC considers the costs to administer the

regulatory fee program, including processing FCC Form 161, as part of its regular operations.

15. The Commission is not reporting any new adjustments/decreases to this information collection. Recently, the FCC reported that the total number of respondents and total annual responses decreased from 80,000 to 5,500 (-74,500 respondents/responses) and the total annual burden hours decreased from 13,369 hours to 919 hours (-12,450 hours) as part of its last substantive submission to OMB. These adjustments were based on the Commission’s most currently available data. As a result of this non-substantive change request, the Commission is not reporting any changes to the burdens and there are no costs associated with this information collection.

16. The data will not be published for statistical use.

17. We are seeking continued OMB approval not to display the expiration date of OMB approval of the information collection.

(a) The Commission will use an edition date in lieu of an OMB expiration date.

(b) Additionally, the Commission published all OMB-approved information collections in 47 CFR § 0.408.

18. There are no exceptions to the Certification Statement.

B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods:

This information collection does not employ any statistical methods.

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