Non-substantive Change Request

Non-Substantive Change Request for Information Collection 3060-0228

Section 80.59—Compulsory Ship Inspections, and Ship Inspection Certificates, FCC Forms 806, 824, 827, and 829

On October 31, 2023, the Commission released an order to retain its maritime safety rules, which would have been nullified on November 2, 2023, if it were not for the Commission’s action (FCC 23-90). The rules would have been nullified because the Canadian government terminated a treaty – the Great Lakes Radio Agreement – that set common rules between the U.S. and Canada regarding radiocommunications requirements for vessels on the Great Lakes. While the vast majority of the rules are identical to the old rules, the Commission extended the period for mandatory inspections for applicable Great Lakes vessels from once every 13 months to once every 48 months. The Commission also updated the period for which vessels must maintain on board the certificate or station log documenting the inspection from two years to until the next inspection to make this rule consistent with the new inspection requirement.

The Commission is filing this non-substantive change request to reflect these updates, which are memorialized in Subpart T of Part 80 of the Commission’s rules. Section 80.59(b) of the Commission’s rules already requires the inspection and the retention of the certification by vessels operating on the Great Lakes, as required under section 80.953(a) and (d), which is referenced in section 80.59(b). Under these rule changes, as before, vessel owners and operators will be expected to have their vessels inspected and retain a valid certification. However, pursuant to these new rules, the Commission is making the following changes for vessels in the Great Lakes by allowing vessels to (1) be inspected every 48 months, instead of 13 months, and (2) retain the same certification on board until the next inspection (i.e., up to 48 months), as opposed to having to replace certificates in the ship’s log every two years. The current Paperwork Reduction Act approval for the certification and retention requirement is OMB Control Number 3060-0228 and the current approval expires on August 24, 2024. The burden hours and cost for this collection remain the same. Lastly, the Commission updated the supporting statement accordingly.