Editor’s Note: When the PRA process is used as intended, the Paperwork Reduction Act is a powerful tool empowering people to effectively participate in Commission proceedings, including in the development and shaping of the agency’s information collection needs and in determining how the data collected will be used. For more information about appropriate use of the PRA process, please see, Comments on the Draft Report to The Administrative Conference of the United States on the Paperwork Reduction Act.
From: Federal Communications Commissioner Mignon L. Clyburn (Testimony, House Subcommittee on Communications & Technology, December 12, 2013)
“As you consider FCC process reform, I would also encourage you to consider looking at the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), and how it could be improved to take into account how agencies now engage with citizens. Like so many consumers today, agencies are also taking advantage of the technological revolution.
For example, the FCC is using its website to inform consumers and industry of our proceedings, and is providing facts on communications issues and tips on how consumers can resolve any problems they may encounter. Yet, to obtain voluntary feedback on our website, its usefulness, and how it should be improved, the PRA requires OMB approval to do so. As a result, the Commission cannot be as nimble and responsive to users without engaging in a lengthy OMB approval process.”