FCC Revises Submarine Cable Landing License Information Collection Under OMB Control No. 3060-0944

Content

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC or the Commission) invites the general public and other Federal Agencies to take this
opportunity to comment on the following information collection. Pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002,
the FCC seeks specific comment on ho3060-w it can further reduce the information collection burden for small business concerns
with fewer than 25 employees.

DATES:

Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be submitted on or before May 18, 2026.

ADDRESSES:

Comments should be sent to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting “Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using
the search function. Your comment must be submitted into www.reginfo.gov per the above instructions for it to be considered. In addition to submitting in www.reginfo.gov also send a copy of your comment on the proposed information collection to Cathy Williams, FCC, via email to PRA@fcc.gov and to Cathy.Williams@fcc.gov. Include in the comments the OMB control number as shown in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For additional information or copies of the information collection, contact Cathy Williams at (202) 418-2918. To view a copy
of this information collection request (ICR) submitted to OMB: (1) go to the web page http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain, (2) look for the section of the web page called “Currently Under Review,” (3) click on the downward-pointing arrow in the
“Select Agency” box below the “Currently Under Review” heading, (4) select “Federal Communications Commission” from the list
of agencies presented in the “Select Agency” box, (5) click the “Submit” button to the right of the “Select Agency” box, (6)
when the list of FCC ICRs currently under review appears, look for the Title of this ICR and then click on the ICR Reference
Number. A copy of the FCC submission to OMB will be displayed.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Commission may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) control number. No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information
subject to the PRA that does not display a valid OMB control number.

As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44
U.S.C. 3501-3520), the FCC invited the general public and other Federal Agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the
following information collection. Comments are requested concerning: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including whether the information shall have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of the Commission's burden estimates; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on the respondents, including
the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork
Relief Act of 2002, Public Law 107-198, see 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(4), the FCC seeks specific comment on how it might “further
reduce the information collection burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees.”

OMB Control Number: 3060-0944.

Title: Cable Landing License Act, Executive Order 10530, 47 CFR 1.70000-1.70024, 1.40001, 1.40003.

Form Number: SCL-LIC—Submarine Cable Landing License Application (revising form); SCL-STA—Submarine Cable Landing License Special Temporary
Authority (revising form); SCL-FCN—Submarine Cable Landing License Foreign Carrier Affiliation (revising form); SCL-ASG/TC—Submarine
Cable Landing License Assignment or Transfer of Control of License (revising form); SCL-LPN—Submarine Cable Landing License
Landing Point Notification (revising form); SCL-MOD—Submarine Cable Landing License Modification (revising form); SCL-RWL—Submarine
Cable Landing License Renewal (revising form); Foreign Adversary Annual Report (new form); One-Time Covered List Certification
(new form); One-Time Cybersecurity and Physical Security Certification (new form).

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Business and other for profit entities and State, Local or Tribal Governments.

Number of Respondents and Responses: 429 respondents; 472 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: 4 to 320 hours.

Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement, Annual reporting requirement, One time reporting requirement, Recordkeeping requirement,
and third-party disclosure requirement.

Obligation To Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The statutory authority for this information collection is contained in Sections 1,
4(i), 4(j), 201-255, 303(r), 403, 413 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 151, 154(i), 154(j), 201-255,
303(r), 403, 413, and the Cable Landing License Act of 1921, 47 U.S.C. 34-39, and Executive Order No. 10530, Section 5(a)
(May 12, 1954) reprinted as amended in 3 U.S.C. 301.

Total Annual Burden: 14,180 hours.

Total Annual Cost: $4,354,490.

Needs and Uses: The Federal Communications Commission (Commission) is requesting that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approve revisions
to OMB Control No. 3060-0944 to incorporate the requirements adopted by the Commission in the Submarine Cable Report and Order,
FCC 25-49. The Submarine Cable Report and Order modernized the Commission's submarine cable rules to facilitate infrastructure
deployment, while strengthening national security. Submarine cables serve as the backbone of global communications, carrying
99% of global internet traffic. To support growing demand and address evolving national security threats, the Commission updated
its rules and procedures to streamline and improve the timeliness and transparency of its submarine cable licensing process.
The Commission also modernized the process by identifying entities that pose a threat to submarine cable systems, such as
foreign adversaries, and adopted common sense measures to preclude them from accessing the nation's communications networks.
The updates will provide greater certainty for applicants, while making targeted improvements to address national security
threats.

Specifically, in the Submarine Cable Report and Order, the Commission clarified when a cable landing license is required under
the Cable Landing License Act to provide regulatory certainty to submarine cable owners and operators. The Commission updated
application requirements and definitions to provide a clear regulatory framework, while also making targeted adjustments for
national security purposes. The Commission modernized the definition of “submarine cable system” to better reflect the range
of technological advancements and components of current systems. The Commission adopted foreign adversary definitions to protect
the security of submarine cables by presumptively precluding the grant of applications filed by an applicant owned by, controlled
by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of a foreign adversary and/or identified on the Commission's Covered List,
among others; adopting a presumption that denial of an application is warranted where an applicant seeks to land a submarine
cable in a foreign adversary country or add a new landing located in a foreign adversary country; and prohibiting licensees
from entering into certain IRU or capacity lease arrangements, where it would give a foreign adversary-controlled entity the
ability to install, own, or manage

Submarine Line Terminal Equipment (SLTE) on a submarine cable landing in the United States.

On September 11, 2025, OMB approved a non-substantive change approval request related to the Submarine Cable Report and Order.
On October 27, 2025, the Commission published a notice in the
Federal Register
announcing the effective date of the rules adopted in the Submarine Cable Report and Order except for amendatory instructions
(§ 1.767), 7 (§ 1.768), 10 (§ 1.70002), 11 (§ 1.70003), 12 (§§ 1.70005 and 1.70006), 13 (§ 1.70007), 14 (§§ 1.70008 and 1.70009),
15 (§§ 1.70011 through 1.70013), 16 (§ 1.70016), 17 (§ 1.70017), 18 (§ 1.70020), 19 (§§ 1.70023 and 1.70024), and 22 (§ 43.82).

Relatedly, the Commission transitioned its International Communications Filing System (ICFS) to a new cloud-based platform
in June 2025. Following OMB's approval of modifications to this information collection, the Commission will develop and submit
for OMB review revised submarine cable application forms and new forms to comply with the new requirements. Until the new
and revised electronic forms are approved by OMB, submarine cable applicants and licensees will be required to provide the
information required by the Submarine Cable Report and Order by submitting the current application forms and providing additional
information as required in an attachment filed in ICFS.

OMB Control Number: 3060-1156.

Title: 47 CFR 43.82, Annual Circuit Capacity Reports.

Form Number: N/A.

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Business and other for profit entities and State, Local or Tribal Governments.

Number of Respondents and Responses: 133 respondents; 266 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: 1 to 20 hours.

Frequency of Response: Annual reporting requirement.

Obligation To Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The statutory authority for this information collection is contained in Sections 1,
4(i), 4(j), 201-255, 303(r), 403, 413 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 151, 154(i), 154(j), 201-255,
303(r), 403, 413, and the Cable Landing License Act of 1921, 47 U.S.C. 34-39, and Executive Order No. 10530, Section 5(a)
(May 12, 1954) reprinted as amended in 3 U.S.C. 301.

Total Annual Burden: 2,793 hours.

Total Annual Cost: $12,000.

Needs and Uses: The Federal Communications Commission (Commission) seeks approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the revised
information collection for the annual submarine cable circuit capacity reports required pursuant to the Cable Landing License
Act of 1921 and section 43.82 of the Commission's rules. On August 7, 2025, the Commission adopted a Report and Order and
Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Submarine Report and Order), FCC 25-49, that modernized the Commission's submarine
cable rules, including adopting new rules regarding the annual circuit capacity reports. With respect to the annual submarine
cable circuit capacity data collection, the Commission modified the circuit capacity reporting requirements to enhance the
quality and usefulness of the data for national security and other purposes, provide greater clarity to licensees and common
carriers (Filing Entities) on the reporting requirements for Filing Entities, and eliminated duplicative burdens.

Specifically, in the Submarine Report and Order, the Commission streamlined the rules and eliminated the requirement for licensees
to file a Cable Operator Report about the capacity on a cable and instead required Filing Entities to file one report, the
Capacity Holder Report, on an individual basis. The Commission retained important information from the Cable Operator Report
by integrating and clarifying information about available, planned, and design capacity that was previously reported in the
Cable Operator Report. The Commission required Filing Entities to report their capacity on domestic cables, as the lack of
this information created a critical gap regarding the ownership and use of capacity on submarine cables regulated by the Commission.
The Commission also required Filing Entities to identify, with respect to each sale, lease, or purchase of a fiber pair and/or
spectrum, the submarine cable, the U.S. and foreign landing points of the fiber pair and/or spectrum, and the entity that
manages the fiber pair and/or spectrum, if different from the entity that owns it. The Commission also required Filing Entities
to provide certain information about their submarine line terminal equipment (SLTEs) in the Capacity Holder Report as SLTEs
are among the most important equipment associated with the submarine cable system for national security and law enforcement
purposes.

Additionally, the Commission allowed any subsidiary, parent entity, or affiliate to file the Capacity Holder Report on behalf
of a licensee(s) or common carrier(s), so long as the legal name of the licensee or common carrier is identified in the report
and an officer of the licensee or common carrier certifies that the information in the report is accurate and complete. The
Commission codified a compliance provision in section 43.82 of the rules. The Commission modified section 43.82 of the rules
to allow the Commission to share with the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the U.S. Telecommunications
Services Sector, Department of Homeland Security, and the State Department the capacity data filed on a confidential basis
without the pre-notification requirements of 47 CFR 0.442(d).

The Commission directed its Office of International Affairs to revise the Filing Manual to conform with the changes adopted
in the Submarine Cable Report and Order.

OMB Control No.: 3060-0016.

Title: FCC Form 2100, Application for Media Bureau Audio and Video Service Authorization, Schedule C (Former FCC Form 346); Sections
74.793(d) and 74.787, LPTV Out-of-Core Digital Displacement Application; Section 73.3700(g)(1)-(3), Post-Incentive Auction
Licensing and Operations; Section 74.799, Low Power Television and TV Translator Channel Sharing; Section 74.720, Digital
Low Power TV Distributed Transmission Systems.

Form No.: FCC Form 2100, Schedule C.

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities; Not for profit institutions; State, local or Tribal government.

Number of Respondents and Responses: 910 respondents and 910 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: 2 hours-2.5 hours.

Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement; third party disclosure requirement.

Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The statutory authority for this collection is contained in section 154(i), 303, 307,
308 and 309 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.

Total Annual Burden: 4,090 hours.

Annual Cost Burden: $4,698,511.

Needs and Uses: On December 19, 2025, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) released a Report and Order, FCC 25-84, concerning
the advancement of the Class A, Low Power Television (LPTV) and TV translator services (LPTV

Service). The Commission adopted a rule that provides that low power television and TV translator stations filing a displacement
application (FCC Form 2100—Schedule C) include an exhibit explaining how their facilities were displaced—47 CFR 74.787(a)(4).
The Commission also adopted a rule providing that an LPTV or TV translator channel sharee may cease channel sharing and seek
to obtain a license for a non-shared channel by filing a major modification (FCC Form 2100, Schedule C) specifying a non-shared
channel and facility—47 CFR 74.799(i). Finally, the Commission adopted a rule—47 CFR 74.793(j)—that requires that applicants
seeking to construct facilities that would exceed the permissible interference levels in the rules pursuant to an agreement
with the affected parties submit a copy of the agreement with their application. This submission is being made to OMB for
approval of these new burdens.

OMB Control Number: 3060-0466.

Title: Sections 74.783, 74.791, 73.1201 and 74.1283, Station Identification.

Form Number: Not applicable.

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities; Not for-profit institutions; State, Local or Tribal Government.

Number of Respondents and Responses: 29,146 respondents; 29,146 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: 0.166-1 hour.

Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement; Recordkeeping requirement; Third party disclosure requirement.

Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or maintain benefits. The statutory authority for this collection of information is contained in 47 U.S.C.
151, 152, 154(i), 303, 307 and 308.

Total Annual Burden: 26,884 hours.

Total Annual Costs: No costs.

Needs and Uses: On December 19, 2025, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) released a Report and Order concerning the advancement
of the Class A, Low Power Television (LPTV) and TV translator services (LPTV Service). The Commission revised its LPTV Service
call sign rule—74.791 to require that stations have a call sign that is appropriate for their service designation. Stations
without an appropriate call sign will be required to file a call sign change to designate a rule complaint call sign. Grandfathering
of existing call signs is allowed for Class A and LPTV stations. This submission is being made to OMB for approval of these
new burdens.

OMB Control No.: 3060-1216.

Title: Media Bureau Incentive Auction Implementation, Sections 73.3700(c), (h)(5) and (h)(6).

Form No.: N/A.

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities; Not for profit institutions.

Number of Respondents and Responses: 1,236 respondents and 40,686 responses.

Estimated Time per Response:.004-15 hours.

Frequency of Response: One-time reporting requirement; on occasion reporting requirement; recordkeeping requirement.

Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. Statutory authority for these collections are contained in 47 U.S.C. 151, 154, 301,
303, 307, 308, 309, 310, 316, 319, 325(b), 332, 336(f), 338, 339, 340, 399b, 403, 534, 535, 1404, 1452, and 1454.

Total Annual Burden: 6,570 hours.

Annual Cost Burden: $961,800.

Needs and Uses: On December 19, 2025, the Commission released a Report and Order, FCC 25-84, concerning the advancement of the Class A, Low
Power Television (LPTV) and TV translator services (LPTV Service). The Commission eliminated the requirement in 47 CFR 73.3700(g)(4)
that wireless licensees assigned to frequencies in the 600 MHz band under 47 CFR part 27 notify low power TV and TV translator
stations of their intent to commence wireless operations and the likelihood of receiving harmful interference from the low
power TV or TV translator station to such operations within the wireless licensee's licensed geographic service area. This
submission is being made to OMB for approval of these new burdens.

Federal Communications Commission.

Marlene Dortch, Secretary, Office of the Secretary. [FR Doc. 2026-07358 Filed 4-15-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6712-01-P

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