The FCC said it plans to give the...
The FCC said it plans to give the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) information that E-rate applicants submitted in FCC Form 471 Item 21, along with funding request number (FRN)-level data from the Universal Service Administrative Co.’s (USAC)…
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Program Integrity Assurance (PIA) review classifications, in response to an IMLS request. Form 471 Item 21 provides “a narrative description of products and services for which discounts are sought, as well as line item detail and the cost associated with the products and services,” the FCC said in a Friday public notice. USAC’s PIA reviewers determine each FRN based on the predominant service or requested product involved, such as voice services, the FCC said. The commission said it “recognizes that this disaggregated, filer-specific data” should generally be exempt from public disclosure, but said it can disclose such information to IMLS because it’s a federal agency. IMLS said in its request that it’s using the data for policy research, to identify national library and museums’ needs and to measure how federal programs affect both institutions. IMLS said it would maintain the data’s confidentiality by restricting access to a minimal number of staff members, and plans to refer any Freedom of Information Acts requests to the FCC. Affected parties have until April 28 to protest IMLS’s request. The FCC said if it does not receive any oppositions by that time, it will disclose the data to IMLS (http://bit.ly/RvIaoX).