FR 2025-03965

The document in question is a notice from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding their plan to extend a collection of qualitative feedback from customers and stakeholders, as part of their efforts to improve service delivery under the guidelines of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The feedback gathered is intended to offer insights into perceptions and opinions rather than statistical data that can be generalized. The SEC anticipates conducting about 20 activities each year, expecting approximately 30,000 respondents, each taking about 10 minutes to provide feedback. The public is invited to comment on the necessity, accuracy, and efficiency of this information collection until April 14, 2025.

General Summary

At its core, the document reveals an initiative by the SEC to gather qualitative feedback in order to enhance their service delivery. This feedback is not designed to collect consistent statistical data but to accumulate reflections that can guide improvements in communication, training, and operational adjustments. The SEC's approach involves a planned series of activities which have a defined structure in terms of respondent engagement and estimated time commitment.

Significant Issues or Concerns

There are several concerns raised by the document:

• Lack of Cost Details: The document does not offer a detailed breakdown of potential costs associated with gathering this qualitative feedback, making it challenging to evaluate cost-effectiveness or justify expenditures.

• Vagueness in Beneficiaries: It's unclear which specific organizations or individuals the SEC intends to benefit from this feedback, raising concerns about potential favoritism or uneven distribution of benefits.

• Technical Jargon: Terms like “Generic ICR” and “OMB Control Number” are mentioned without explanation, which could be confusing to the general public not familiar with such terminology.

• Bulleted Information Without Context: The document lists estimated activities and burdens in a bulleted format without comprehensive context, which might be challenging for readers to interpret.

• Complex Terminology: References such as the “Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995” are not fully explained, possibly alienating readers who are not versed in federal legislative language.

• Lack of Specific Utility Details: There is no in-depth explanation of how the collected feedback will be actively used to improve agency processes, leaving ambiguity around the practical benefits of the initiative.

Impact on the Public

For the public, this document indicates an opportunity to influence the SEC's service delivery through their comments. Participation in the feedback collection also provides individuals a platform to share their perceptions, potentially leading to more responsive and customer-friendly SEC operations.

Impact on Specific Stakeholders

For stakeholders directly involved with the SEC, there is potential for positive impact through improved communication and service delivery tailored to their expressed needs and expectations. However, the lack of clarity around who will benefit and how feedback will be operationalized poses risks of misinterpretation and missed opportunities for genuine improvements. Stakeholders would benefit from clearer communication on how exactly their feedback will effect change within the SEC.

Overall, while the SEC's initiative to collect qualitative feedback appears well-intentioned, its execution and communication would benefit from greater transparency and clearer articulation of costs, benefits, and processes involved.