Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for Comment; National 911 Profile Database |
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Nanda Narayanan Srinivasan
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
19 April 2021
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 73 (Monday, April 19, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20431-20433]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-08003]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA-2021-0027]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for
Comment; National 911 Profile Database
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice and request for comments on a request for extension of a
currently-approved information collection.
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SUMMARY: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
invites public comments about our intention to request approval from
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for an extension of a
currently-approved information collection. Before a Federal agency can
collect certain information from the public, it must receive approval
from OMB. Under procedures established by the Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995, before seeking OMB approval, Federal agencies must solicit
public comment on proposed collections of information, including
extensions and reinstatement of previously approved collections. This
document describes a collection of information for which NHTSA intends
to seek OMB approval on the National 911 Profile Database.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before June 18, 2021.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by the Docket No. NHTSA-
_-_ through any of the following methods:
Electronic submissions: Go to the Federal eRulemaking
Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions
for submitting comments.
[[Page 20432]]
Fax: (202) 493-2251.
Mail or Hand Delivery: Docket Management, U.S. Department
of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Room W12-
140, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except on Federal holidays. To be sure someone is there to help
you, please call (202) 366-9322 before coming.
Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and
docket number for this notice. Note that all comments received will be
posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any
personal information provided. Please see the Privacy Act heading
below.
Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all
comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on
April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78) or you may visit https://www.transportation.gov/privacy.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov or the street
address listed above. Follow the online instructions for accessing the
dockets via internet.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or access
to background documents, contact Ms. Laurie Flaherty, Coordinator,
National 911 Program, Office of Emergency Medical Services, National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration, US Department of Transportation,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, NPD-400, Room W44-322, Washington, DC 20590.
Ms. Flaherty's phone number is (202) 366-2705 and her email address is
laurie.flaherty@dot.gov. Please identify the relevant collection of
information by referring to its OMB Control Number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), before an agency submits a proposed
collection of information to OMB for approval, it must first publish a
document in the Federal Register providing a 60-day comment period and
otherwise consult with members of the public and affected agencies
concerning each proposed collection of information. The OMB has
promulgated regulations describing what must be included in such a
document. Under OMB's regulation (at 5 CFR 1320.8(d)), an agency must
ask for public comment on the following: (a) Whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of
the functions of the agency, including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of
the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) how to enhance
the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected;
(d) how to minimize the burden of the collection of information on
those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology, e.g. permitting electronic
submission of responses. In compliance with these requirements, NHTSA
asks for public comments on the following proposed collection of
information for which the agency is seeking approval from OMB.
Title: National 911 Profile Database.
OMB Control Number: 2127-0679.
Type of Request: Request for extension of a currently-approved
information collection.
Type of Review Requested: Regular
Requested Expiration Date of Approval: 3 years from date of
approval.
Summary of the Collection of Information: The National 911 Program
is housed within NHTSA's Office of Emergency Medical Services, which
has a mission to provide coordination in assessing, planning,
developing, and promoting comprehensive, evidence-based emergency
medical services and 911 systems. Pursuant to 47 U.S.C. 942,
Coordination of 911, E911, and Next Generation 911 implementation, the
National 911 Program exists to coordinate 911 efforts, collect and
create resources for State and local 911 agencies, and to oversee a
grant program, specifically to upgrade the nation's outdated 911
infrastructure.
NHTSA is requesting an extension of its information collection,
carried out under 47 U.S.C. 942 (a)(3)(B), to continue to collect and
aggregate information from State-level reporting entities that can be
used to measure the progress of 911 authorities across the country in
upgrading and enhancing their existing operations and migrating to more
advanced--digital, internet-Protocol-enabled--emergency networks. The
data will be maintained in a ``National 911 Profile Database.'' The
National 911 Profile Database maintains State-specific and benchmarking
data, which is later analyzed by the 911 Program for trends and
findings. Collecting and sharing nationwide 911 statistics helps the
911 community better understand the state of the industry. The National
911 Profile Database enables voluntary submission of data by State and
territorial 911 agencies via annual data submission. The information to
be collected includes data useful for evaluating the status of 911
programs across the country, along with their progress in implementing
upgraded and advanced systems and capabilities. The data elements
involved will fall within two major categories: Baseline and progress
benchmarks.
``Baseline'' data elements reflect the current status and
nature of 911 operations from State to State. These elements are
largely descriptive in nature, are intended to provide a general view
of existing 911 services across the country, and are grouped within
five categories: Total 911 Calls and Call Type, Number of Public Safety
Answering Points (PSAPs) and Equipment Positions, Emergency Medical
Dispatch and Operations, Call-Handling Quality Assurance, and Minimum
Training Requirements.
``Progress benchmarks'' reflect the status of State
efforts to implement advanced next generation 911 systems and
capabilities. As titled, these data elements are largely implementation
or deployment benchmarks against which progress can be measured, and
include: Planning, Procurement, Transition, Operations, and Maturity
Level.
Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the
Information
To support NHTSA's mission to save lives, the National 911 Program
develops, collects, and disseminates information concerning practices,
procedures, and technology used in the provision of 911 services; and
to support 911 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) and related State
and local public safety agencies' 911 technological and operational
upgrades.
The technology impacting 911 services continues to evolve
substantially. Both public and private sectors have increasingly
focused on addressing the need to upgrade and enhance the technology
utilized by 911 services across the Nation. In addition, it is
essential that emergency responders are able to coordinate and
collaborate with 911 agencies via comprehensive and seamless emergency
communication systems as they update their own part of the emergency
communications network. This information collection supports efforts to
upgrade 911 services by providing up-to-date information to State and
local public safety entities to allow them to adequately gauge progress
towards
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implementing more current and advanced 911 systems in a comparative
fashion. While the National 911 Program will benefit from this
information, it is anticipated that the greatest benefit will accrue to
the State and local public safety community faced with the challenge of
migrating to the next generation of 911 services and technology as they
strive to respond to emergencies.
The National 911 Profile Database is used to follow the progress of
911 authorities in enhancing their existing systems and implementing
next-generation networks to more current functionality. The data in
this national profile has been used and will continue to be used to
accurately measure and depict the current status and capabilities of
911 systems across the United States, as well as progress made in
implementing advanced technologies and operations--known as Next
Generation (NG) 911. Assessments, based upon the data collected, will
help draw attention to key roadblocks as well as solutions in NG911
implementation processes. Analysis of the data will also help target
possible future activities and resources consistent with the goals of
the program. The information collected will be available in aggregated
form to national, Federal, State and local stakeholders in the public
safety community. This information collection supports NHTSA's mission
to save lives, prevent injuries and reduce economic costs due to road
traffic crashes by ensuring emergency responses to crashes of all
nature (e.g. planes, trains, and automobiles) and maximizing the
chances of survival for crash victims.
Affected Public: State 911 agency administrators.
Estimated Number of Respondents: Maximum number of responses: 56.
Frequency: Annual.
Number of Responses: Maximum number of responses: 56.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: NHTSA estimates that
submitting responses to the questions included in the proposed survey
instrument utilizing the Web-based tool would require an average of 98
hours per State entity to collect, aggregate and submit. Estimating the
maximum number of respondents at 56 (the fifty States, the District of
Columbia, and five U.S. Territories), this would result in a total
burden of 5,488 hours (98 hours x 56 respondents).
The total labor costs associated with the burden hours are
estimated by finding the average hourly wage and multiplying by the
number of burden hours. Respondents will be State, territory, and
tribal government management personnel. To estimate reasonable staff
expenses to respond to this information collection, the Agencies
reviewed the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Outlook
Handbook and determined that the Administrative Services Manager
description closely aligns with the positions of recipient staff
responsible for completing this request. BLS lists the average hourly
wage as $46.45.\1\ Further, BLS estimates that State and local
government wages represent 61.8% of total labor compensation costs.\2\
Therefore, NHTSA estimates the hourly labor costs to be $75.16 (46.45 /
0.618). The total labor cost based on the estimated burden hours is
estimated at $412,478. The table below provides a summary of the
estimated burden hours and the labor costs associated with those burden
hours.
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\1\ May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
by ownership, Federal, State, and local government, including
government-owned schools and hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service,
at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/999001.htm#11-0000 (BLS code 11-
3010).
\2\ Table 1 at https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.t01.htm.
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Estimated annual Total estimated Total estimated
Number of Annual hours per Average hourly labor cost per annual burden annual labor
respondents respondent compensation respondent hours costs
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56 98 75.16 $7,365.68 5,488 $412,478.08 or
$412,478
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: There are no capital, start-up,
or annual operation and maintenance costs involved in the collection of
information. The respondents would not incur any reporting costs from
the information collection beyond the labor costs associated with the
burden hours to gather the information, prepare it for reporting and
then populate the Web-based data collection tool. The respondents also
would not incur any recordkeeping burden or recordkeeping costs from
the information collection.
Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspects of
this information collection, including (a) whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of
the functions of the Department, including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Department's estimate
of the burden of the proposed information collection; (c) ways to
enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of
information on respondents, including the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C.
Chapter 35, as amended; 49 CFR 1.49; and DOT Order 1351.29.
Issued in Washington, DC
Nanda Narayanan Srinivasan,
Associate Administrator, Research and Program Development.
[FR Doc. 2021-08003 Filed 4-16-21; 8:45 am]
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