FCC Redux: More Paperwork Approval Begging for Small Biz
Published Date: 3/5/2025
Notice
Summary
The FCC is asking for public feedback on its paperwork rules to make them easier, especially for small businesses with fewer than 25 employees. They want to keep reducing the hassle of filling out forms and need approval from the Office of Management and Budget by April 4, 2025. This helps ensure no one faces penalties for missing paperwork without a valid approval number.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
New Wi‑Fi hotspot certifications added
The Commission revised FCC Form 473 to add certifications for participating service providers about Wi‑Fi hotspot rules (from the July 29, 2024 Report and Order). The certifications cover hotspot non‑usage notice and termination requirements, a prohibition against charging the balance for terminated services, and that the cost of Wi‑Fi hotspots does not exceed commercial value (Report and Order referenced at 89 FR 67303, August 20, 2024).
New duplicative‑funding certification
FCC Forms 472 and 474 were revised to add a certification that applicants and service providers must make that there is no duplicative funding and that funding is not being requested for eligible equipment or services already funded by other sources.
Forms required to get E‑Rate reimbursements
To obtain E‑Rate reimbursements, billed entities and service providers must use OMB Control Number 3060-0856 and submit FCC Forms 472, 473, and 474. The FCC estimates 27,953 respondents and 133,214 responses with a total annual burden of 195,615 hours; estimated time per response is 1.5 hours for Form 472, 2 hours for Form 473, 1.5 hours for Form 474, plus 0.5 hours for recordkeeping.
FCC seeks comments to reduce burden for very small firms
The FCC requests public comment by April 4, 2025, and specifically asks how to "further reduce the information collection burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees" under the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002.
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