Justification for Nonsubstantive change request

Justification for Non-Substantive Changes to Test Wireless Emergency Alerts

OMB Control No. 3060-1269

The Commission is requesting Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for non-substantive changes to the methodology and survey associated with the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) testing in collection 3060-1269.  Initially the Commission requested permission to use 2,000 respondents in its test of the WEA system. It then increased that number to a maximum of 12,000 respondents. OMB approved the Commission’s amended request to use 12,000 respondents.

In its 2021 WEA test, the Commission received only 2,290 responses from respondents. The number of responses by respondents was far below the 12,000 respondents approved by OMB.

The Commission proposes to collect 9,000 additional responses, fewer than 9,710 responses remaining in OMB’s approval of its proposed testing. As such, it believes that this round of testing falls within OMB’s prior approval and does not substantively change OMB’s prior approval.

The Commission also proposes to make minor changes to the survey to make it more easily understandable and simpler to complete.

The Commission expects that this proposed modification will further its public safety mission by allowing it to collect more accurate data and arrive at more reliable findings regarding the current state of WEA performance.

There are no changes in the burden estimates to this information collection.