The Employment and Training Administration is seeking to extend PRA authority for the Occupational Code Assignment information collection. Information collected on Form ETA-741, Occupational Code Assignment (OCA), is necessary to help occupational information users relate an occupational specialty or job title to an occupational code and title within the framework of the Occupational Information Network. The form helps provide occupation codes for jobs where duties have changed to the extent that the published information is no longer appropriate or the user is unable to classify the job on his or her own.
The thirty-day PRA notice appears in the August 23, 2019 FEDERAL REGISTER with instructions on the submission of comments. Comments should be submitted by September 23.
Digital Opportunity Data Collection: Federal Communications Commission Publishes Final Rule, Invites Comments on Proposed Rule by September 23
Final Rule
The Federal Communications Commission has adopted the Digital Opportunity Data Collection, which requires all fixed broadband providers to submit granular maps of the areas where they have broadband-capable networks and make service available. To complement this granular broadband availability data, the Report and Order published in the August 22 FEDERAL REGISTER also adopts a process to begin collecting public input, sometimes known as "crowdsourcing," on the accuracy of fixed providers' broadband deployment data. In addition, the Report and Order leaves in place for now the existing Form 477 data collection, but makes targeted changes to reduce reporting burdens for all providers by removing and clarifying certain requirements and modifying the collection.
The Rule and Order is effective on September 23, 2019, except for paragraphs 44 through 51 and 57 through 65 of the Report and Order and the addition of 47 CFR 54.1401 and 54.1402(b) and (c), (d)(2), and (e), which are delayed. The Commission will publish a document in the FEDERAL REGISTER announcing the delayed effective date.
New Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
In a separate August 22 FEDERAL REGISTER document , the Federal Communications Commission) adopts a Report and Order and Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Second FNPRM). This document seeks comment on certain aspects of the Digital Opportunity Data Collection to enhance its accuracy and usefulness. The Second FNPRM seeks comment on ways to develop location-specific data that could be used in conjunction with the polygon-based data in the new collection to precisely identify the homes and small businesses that have and do not have access to broadband services.
With respect to mobile wireless coverage, the Second FNPRM seeks comment on how to align the Digital Opportunity Data Collection with changes in mobile broadband deployment technology, markets, and policy needs. The Second FNPRM also seeks comment on how to improve satellite broadband deployment data given the unique characteristics of satellites.
For the Second FNPRM comments are due on or before September 23, 2019, and reply comments are due on or before October 7, 2019. Written comments on the Paperwork Reduction Act information collection requirements must be submitted by the public, OMB, and other interested parties on or before October 21, 2019.
ETA Updates WIOA Waiver Website: August 1 Summary Now Available
The Employment and Training Administration has updated the WIOA Waiver webpage to include an August 1, 2019 summary as well as copies of State request correspondence and ETA approvals/disapprovals through that date.
ETA Publishes Fiscal Year 2020 State Workforce Agency Unemployment Insurance (UI) Resource Planning Targets and Guidelines
The Employment and Training Administration has published Unemployment Insurance Program Letter 16-19 . This UIPL provides states information about preliminary FY 2020 UI State Administration base resource planning targets, general guidelines for resource planning, and an explanation of how the Department of Labor allocates base resources among the states.
DOI, ED, and IMLS Announce Opening of Registration for National Tribal Broadband Summit (September 23 – 24); Efforts to Promote Better Access to Broadband Internet Service to Rural America Includes Indian Country
August 27 – The Department of the Interior (DOI), in collaboration with the Department of Education (ED), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announce today that online registration is open for the two-day National Tribal Broadband Summit (Summit). The Summit, a landmark event aiming to equip participants with the tools to bridge the connectivity gap in Indian Country and unlock the opportunities that broadband access can provide, will convene on September 23 and 24, 2019, in Washington, D.C.
“There are communities across the United States that are still waiting to catch up with 21st century technology,” said Tara Katuk MacLean Sweeney, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior. “The Department of the Interior is committed to improving economic opportunity and quality of life for American Indians and Alaska Natives. This Summit is a key opportunity to engage the private sector and make the business case for investing in Indian Country.”
“All students need affordable broadband, at school and at home, if we are going to seriously address the achievement gaps in America. The issue is especially important in rural and Tribal communities where the growing digital divide could exacerbate persistent achievement gaps,” said Jim Blew, Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development, Department of Education. “The Department remains committed to working with our Federal, State, Tribal, and local colleagues to ensure that all students, including American Indian and Alaska Native students, have access to the tools that will enable them to find their pathway to success.”
“Tribal libraries and museums continue to serve as essential community anchors and resources for community cohesion,” said Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew, Director, Institute of Museum and Library Sciences. “These institutions are essential hubs for connectivity, digital literacy, and digital inclusion that help support lifelong learning and accessing vital information, such as health and job resources.”
Currently, broadband access in other rural parts of the country outpaces development on rural Tribal lands. Rural broadband deployment is achievable – 73.3% of rural non-Tribal locations have at least one broadband provider. However, only 46.6% of rural Tribal locations have coverage.
The Summit is open to Tribal Leaders, representatives of Tribal organizations, representatives of schools and school districts serving under-connected Native students, Tribal libraries, museums, and cultural centers, private sector, and federal program managers and policymakers. One of its primary goals is to lay a foundation for building capacity among Tribal communities to support broadband deployment and adoption, and identify new opportunities for private sector investment in broadband.