January 3, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This document seeks comment on a Petition for Expedited Declaratory Ruling filed by the National City Mortgage Co. (NCMC), asking the Commission to preempt a Florida telemarketing law, Florida Statute Section 501.059, prohibiting prerecorded messages without consent.

This document seeks comment on a Petition for Declaratory Ruling filed by the Consumer Bankers Association (CBA), asking the Commission to preempt certain sections of the Indiana Revised Statutes and Indiana Administrative Code as it relates to interstate telephone calls.

The FAA is revising the regulations concerning registering aircraft and recording security documents. The Cape Town Treaty establishes a new International Registry for registering interests against certain aircraft and aircraft engines. Section 4 of the Cape Town Treaty Implementation Act of 2004 requires the FAA to make certain changes. This action will enable persons to transmit information to the new International Registry concerning certain aircraft and aircraft engines by making the FAA Aircraft Registry the U.S. authorizing entry point to the International Registry. We are also making unrelated technical changes to other portions of the regulations in this document.

The Commission seeks comment on applying to Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) service providers its revised interpretation of the commercial time limits applicable to children's programming. Specifically, the Commission proposes to require that the display of Internet Web site addresses during DBS program material is permitted as within the time limits only if the Web site meets certain requirements, including the requirement that it offer a substantial amount of bona fide program-related or other noncommercial content and is not primarily intended for commercial purposes. In addition, the Commission proposes to apply to DBS its revised definition of ``commercial matter'' as including promotions of television programs or video programming services other than children's educational and informational programming. The Commission also seeks comment on how to tailor its rules to allow innovation in interactivity in children's television programming, while at the same time ensuring that parents can control what information their children can access.

The Department of Health and Human Services is amending its acquisition regulation (HHSAR) for the purpose of making administrative and editorial changes to reflect organizational title changes resulting from Office of the Secretary (OS) and Operating Division (OpDiv) reorganizations; updating and removing outdated references; providing procedural guidance for reporting violations of the Procurement Integrity Act; assigning unique document numbers for contracts and task orders, in accordance with an Office of Management and Budget Memorandum dated August 6, 2003; adding a new training requirement for HHS project officers; adding the terms ``veteran-owned'' and ``service- disabled veteran-owned'' to describe small business categories consistent with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR); permitting a total of basic and option periods of up to ten years for all service contracts not subject to the Service Contract Act or other statutory requirements; adding the Choice of Law (Overseas) clause in solicitations and contracts when contract performance will be outside the United States, its possessions, and Puerto Rico, except as otherwise provided in a government-to-government agreement; removing the reference to the Department's General Administration Manual with respect to major system acquisitions; deleting unconstitutional and unenforceable portions of the Confidentiality of Information clause resulting from the outcome of Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior Univ. v. Sullivan, and providing current references with respect to assurances and regulations governing the protection of human subjects. HHS is issuing a direct final rule for this action because HHS expects there will be no significant adverse comments on the rule.