Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Modifies Cost Submission Timeframes Associated With Implementation of the Numbering System for Internet-Based Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS), 60172-60173 [E8-24006]
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60172
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 198 / Friday, October 10, 2008 / Rules and Regulations
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No.
97.022, ‘‘Flood Insurance.’’)
Dated: September 29, 2008.
Michael K. Buckley,
Acting Assistant Administrator,Mitigation
Directorate,Department of Homeland
Security,Federal Emergency Management
Agency.
[FR Doc. E8–24079 Filed 10–9–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110–12–P
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION
47 CFR Parts 52 and 64
[CG Docket No. 03–123 and WC Docket No.
05–196; DA 08–2130]
Consumer and Governmental Affairs
Bureau Modifies Cost Submission
Timeframes Associated With
Implementation of the Numbering
System for Internet-Based
Telecommunications Relay Services
(TRS)
Federal Communications
Commission.
ACTION: Final rule.
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with RULES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: In this document, the
Consumer and Governmental Affairs
Bureau (Bureau) modifies the filing
timeframes in which Video Relay
Service (VRS) and Internet Protocol (IP)
Relay providers requesting
compensation from the Interstate TRS
Fund (Fund) must submit their initial
filing for costs associated with
implementation of the numbering
system for Internet-based TRS.
DATES: Initial filing deadline is January
30, 2009.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Thomas Chandler, Consumer and
Governmental Affairs Bureau, Disability
Rights Office at (202) 418–1475 (voice),
(202) 418–0597 (TTY), or e-mail at
Thomas.Chandler@fcc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a
summary of the Bureau’s document DA
08–2130, released September 22, 2008
in CG Docket No. 03–123 and WC
Docket No. 05–196. The full text of
document DA 08–2130 will be available
for public inspection and copying
during regular business hours at the
FCC Reference Information Center,
Portals II, 445 12th Street, SW., Room
CY–A257, Washington, DC 20554.
Document DA 08–2130 and copies of
subsequently filed documents in this
matter may also be purchased from the
Commission’s duplicating contractor at
Portals II, 445 12th Street, SW., Room
CY–B402, Washington, DC 20554.
Customers may contact the
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:42 Oct 09, 2008
Jkt 217001
Commission’s duplicating contractor at
its Web site, https://www.bcpiweb.com,
or by calling 1–800–378–3160. To
request materials in accessible formats
for people with disabilities (Braille,
large print, electronic files, audio
format), send an e-mail to
fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer
and Governmental Affairs Bureau at
(202) 418–0530 (voice) or (202) 418–
0432 (TTY). Document DA 08–2130 also
can be downloaded in Word or Portable
Document Format (PDF) at: https://
www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/trs.html#orders.
Synopsis
On June 24, 2008, the Commission
released Telecommunications Relay
Services and Speech-to-Speech Services
for Individuals with Hearing and Speech
Disabilities; E911 Requirements for IPEnabled Service Providers, CG Docket
No. 03–123, WC Docket No. 05–196,
Report and Order and Further Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking, 23 FCC Rcd
11591 (Numbering Order), published at
73 FR 41286, July 18, 2008 and 73 FR
41307, July 18, 2008. In document DA
08–2130, the Bureau modifies the filing
timeframes in which VRS and IP Relay
providers requesting compensation from
the Fund must submit their initial filing
for costs associated with implementing
the requirements of the June 24, 2008
Numbering Order. Specifically, VRS and
IP Relay providers must submit their
initial filings by January 30, 2009, for
the period of June 24, 2008 through
December 31, 2008. Further, VRS and IP
Relay providers subsequently must
submit costs 30 days after the end of
each calendar quarter for costs incurred
during the preceding quarter.
In the Numbering Order, the
Commission adopted a system for
assigning users of Internet-based TRS,
specifically VRS and IP Relay, ten-digit
telephone numbers linked to the North
American Numbering Plan. In so doing,
the Commission also determined that
VRS and IP Relay providers could be
compensated for their costs of
implementing the mandates of the
Numbering Order. The Commission
noted that although VRS and IP Relay
providers presently are compensated
based on a per-minute rate calculated
pursuant to the Commission’s rules, the
providers’ additional costs necessary to
implement the numbering and
emergency call handling requirements
have not been factored into the present
compensation rates. The Commission
therefore concluded that it would
‘‘compensate these costs separately from
the other costs presently encompassed
by the per-minute compensation rates.’’
The Commission directed that VRS and
IP Relay providers seeking
PO 00000
Frm 00076
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
compensation for their actual reasonable
costs of complying with the new
requirements in the Numbering Order
submit to the Fund administrator
(currently, the National Exchange
Carrier Association) reasonably detailed
explanations of those costs. The
Commission further directed that those
costs be submitted to the Fund
administrator every three months,
beginning three months after the release
date of the Numbering Order, for the
costs actually incurred during the prior
three-month period. By these terms of
the Numbering Order, which was
released on June 24, 2008, the initial
submission of those costs would be due
September 24, 2008.
In order to allow sufficient time for
providers to prepare their filings upon
the close of the cost reporting period,
the Bureau recognizes that it is
appropriate to afford providers
additional time to report their costs.
Accordingly, and in order to ensure that
providers’ filings include costs that are
incurred up to and including the final
date of the reporting period, the Bureau
modifies the reporting timeframes to
allow providers an additional 30 days to
file their costs after the end of a
reporting period. In addition, for
administrative convenience, the Bureau
conforms the three-month reporting
periods to calendar quarters. Finally,
because these cost submissions
constitute new information collections
subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995 (PRA), Public Law 104–13, this
requirement cannot go into effect until
the Office of Management and Budget
approves the collections under the PRA
and the Commission publishes a notice
in the Federal Register announcing
such approval and the relevant effective
date(s). In order to afford time for the
Commission to receive and publish PRA
approval to be received and announced,
the Bureau extends the initial filing
deadline until January 30, 2009. In other
words, the first cost submissions to the
Fund administrator must be filed by
January 30, 2009, and will cover the
period from the release date of the
Numbering Order, June 24, 2008,
through December 31, 2008. Subsequent
reports will be due 30 days after the
close of each calendar quarter.
To illustrate, the first few subsequent
reporting periods and filing due dates
will be as follows:
January 1, 2009, through March 31,
2009: Cost submission due April 30,
2009.
April 1, 2009, through June 30, 209:
Cost submission due July 30, 2009.
July 1, 2009, through September 30,
2009: Cost submission due October
30, 2009.
E:\FR\FM\10OCR1.SGM
10OCR1
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 198 / Friday, October 10, 2008 / Rules and Regulations
October 1, 2009, through December 31,
2009: Cost submission due January
30, 2010.
Federal Communications Commission.
Nicole McGinnis,
Deputy Chief, Consumer and Governmental
Affairs Bureau.
[FR Doc. E8–24006 Filed 10–9–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 224
[Docket No. 040506143–7024–03]
RIN 0648–AS36
Endangered Fish and Wildlife; Final
Rule To Implement Speed Restrictions
to Reduce the Threat of Ship Collisions
With North Atlantic Right Whales
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule.
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with RULES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: NMFS establishes regulations
to implement speed restrictions of no
more than 10 knots applying to all
vessels 65 ft (19.8 m) or greater in
overall length in certain locations and at
certain times of the year along the east
coast of the U.S. Atlantic seaboard. The
purpose of the regulations is to reduce
the likelihood of deaths and serious
injuries to endangered North Atlantic
right whales that result from collisions
with ships.
DATES: This final rule is effective
December 9, 2008 through December 9,
2013.
ADDRESSES: Copies of this rule and
Regulatory Impact Review, Final
Environmental Impact Statement,
Economic Analysis and Record of
Decision related to this final rule can be
obtained from the Web site listed under
the electronic access portion of this
document. Written requests for copies of
these documents should be addressed
to: Chief, Marine Mammal Conservation
Division, Attn: Right Whale Ship Strike
Reduction Rule, Office of Protected
Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
Written comments regarding the
burden-hour estimates or other aspects
of the collection-of-information
requirements contained in this final rule
may be submitted to NMFS, Office of
Protected Resources.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:42 Oct 09, 2008
Jkt 217001
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Gregory Silber, PhD, or Shannon
Bettridge, PhD, Fishery Biologists,
Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, at
(301) 713–2322.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Electronic Access
Several background documents
related to this final rule, including the
Regulatory Impact Review, Final
Environmental Impact Statement,
Economic Analysis and Record of
Decision can be downloaded from
https://www/nmfs.noaa.gov/shipstrike.
Background
The Western North Atlantic right
whale (Eubalaena glacialis) was
severely depleted by commercial
whaling. The only remaining population
off North America was reduced to a few
hundred whales or less by the early
1900s. Despite protection from
commercial whaling since 1935, the
remaining population has failed to fully
recover. The best current estimate of
minimum population size is 313 whales
(Waring et al., 2007), which is
approximately the same as it was 25
years ago (Best et al., 2001). At this
level, with the exception of North
Pacific right whales, North Atlantic
right whales are the world’s most
critically endangered large whale
species and one of the world’s most
endangered mammals.
Population models suggest that their
abundance may have increased at about
2 percent per year during the 1980s, but
that it declined at about the same rate
in the 1990s (Caswell et al., 1999). Data
on the minimum number of whales
alive during 1995–2002 indicate a slight
increase in the number of catalogued
whales during the period, but with
statistically significant inter-annual
variation in numbers due to declines in
the minimum number of animals found
alive during 1998–1999 (Waring et al.,
2007). Such population trends are very
low compared to trends for populations
of other large whales that are recovering,
such as south Atlantic right whales and
western Arctic bowhead whales, which
have been recovering steadily at rates of
4 percent or more per year. Inherently
low rates of reproduction in large whale
populations mean that recovery rates for
large whale populations can be low
under the best of circumstances. North
Atlantic right whales may live 60 years
or more. The age of first reproduction
for female North Atlantic right whales is
about 7 to 10 years old and calving
intervals for the population have been
estimated to average from about 3.5 to
more than 5 years over the past three
decades (Kraus et al., 2001; Kraus et al.,
PO 00000
Frm 00077
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
60173
2007). Considering the high rates of
natural mortality for calves and
juveniles compared to adults,
population projections estimate that
female right whales must produce at
least four calves over their lifetime to
replace themselves. To ensure
population growth, adult females would
need to produce more than four calves
over their lifetime, because half of the
calves born are male, and the survival
of female calves to adulthood is less
than 0.5 (Kraus et al., 2001).
Between the mid 1980s and late
1990s, documented calf production for
the North Atlantic right whale
population averaged about 11 calves per
year (Kraus et al., 2001). Since 2000, a
series of good calving years has
provided a source of optimism for future
recovery. Between 2000/01 and 2005/
06, calf production increased to an
average of more than 22 calves per year
and the average calving interval for
adult females has declined to close to its
lowest recorded level (Kraus et al.,
2007). However, the mean number of
cows recruited into the population was
3.8 per year (Kraus et al., 2001).
Because of the species’ low
reproduction level and small population
size, even low levels of human-caused
mortality can pose a significant obstacle
for North Atlantic right whale recovery.
Population modeling studies in the late
1990s (Caswell et al., 1999; Fujiwara
and Caswell, 2001) indicated that
preventing the death of two adult
females per year could be sufficient to
reverse the slow decline detected in
right whale population trends in the
1990s. In this regard, the primary cause
of the species’ failure to recover is
believed to be mortality caused by
collisions with ships and entanglement
in commercial fishing gear (Kraus, 1990;
Knowlton and Kraus, 2001; Moore et al.,
2005; NMFS, 2005; MMC, 2006). Since
1970, there have been more than 73
confirmed right whale deaths, nearly
half of which (49 percent) have been
attributed to ship collisions (29 deaths)
or entanglements (7 deaths). NOAA
believes the actual number of deaths is
almost certainly higher than those
documented as some deaths likely go
undetected or unreported, and in many
cases when deaths are detected or
reported it is not possible to determine
the cause of death from recovered
carcasses. The number of documented
deaths may be as little as 17 percent of
the actual number of deaths (Kraus et
al., 2005).
The number of human-caused right
whale deaths and serious injuries may
be increasing. Since 1990, there have
been more than 50 confirmed deaths, 56
percent of which have been attributed to
E:\FR\FM\10OCR1.SGM
10OCR1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 198 (Friday, October 10, 2008)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 60172-60173]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-24006]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
47 CFR Parts 52 and 64
[CG Docket No. 03-123 and WC Docket No. 05-196; DA 08-2130]
Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Modifies Cost Submission
Timeframes Associated With Implementation of the Numbering System for
Internet-Based Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS)
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Final rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In this document, the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau
(Bureau) modifies the filing timeframes in which Video Relay Service
(VRS) and Internet Protocol (IP) Relay providers requesting
compensation from the Interstate TRS Fund (Fund) must submit their
initial filing for costs associated with implementation of the
numbering system for Internet-based TRS.
DATES: Initial filing deadline is January 30, 2009.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Chandler, Consumer and
Governmental Affairs Bureau, Disability Rights Office at (202) 418-1475
(voice), (202) 418-0597 (TTY), or e-mail at Thomas.Chandler@fcc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Bureau's document
DA 08-2130, released September 22, 2008 in CG Docket No. 03-123 and WC
Docket No. 05-196. The full text of document DA 08-2130 will be
available for public inspection and copying during regular business
hours at the FCC Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th
Street, SW., Room CY-A257, Washington, DC 20554. Document DA 08-2130
and copies of subsequently filed documents in this matter may also be
purchased from the Commission's duplicating contractor at Portals II,
445 12th Street, SW., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554. Customers may
contact the Commission's duplicating contractor at its Web site, http:/
/www.bcpiweb.com, or by calling 1-800-378-3160. To request materials in
accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print,
electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or
call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530
(voice) or (202) 418-0432 (TTY). Document DA 08-2130 also can be
downloaded in Word or Portable Document Format (PDF) at: https://
www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/trs.html#orders.
Synopsis
On June 24, 2008, the Commission released Telecommunications Relay
Services and Speech-to-Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and
Speech Disabilities; E911 Requirements for IP-Enabled Service
Providers, CG Docket No. 03-123, WC Docket No. 05-196, Report and Order
and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 23 FCC Rcd 11591 (Numbering
Order), published at 73 FR 41286, July 18, 2008 and 73 FR 41307, July
18, 2008. In document DA 08-2130, the Bureau modifies the filing
timeframes in which VRS and IP Relay providers requesting compensation
from the Fund must submit their initial filing for costs associated
with implementing the requirements of the June 24, 2008 Numbering
Order. Specifically, VRS and IP Relay providers must submit their
initial filings by January 30, 2009, for the period of June 24, 2008
through December 31, 2008. Further, VRS and IP Relay providers
subsequently must submit costs 30 days after the end of each calendar
quarter for costs incurred during the preceding quarter.
In the Numbering Order, the Commission adopted a system for
assigning users of Internet-based TRS, specifically VRS and IP Relay,
ten-digit telephone numbers linked to the North American Numbering
Plan. In so doing, the Commission also determined that VRS and IP Relay
providers could be compensated for their costs of implementing the
mandates of the Numbering Order. The Commission noted that although VRS
and IP Relay providers presently are compensated based on a per-minute
rate calculated pursuant to the Commission's rules, the providers'
additional costs necessary to implement the numbering and emergency
call handling requirements have not been factored into the present
compensation rates. The Commission therefore concluded that it would
``compensate these costs separately from the other costs presently
encompassed by the per-minute compensation rates.'' The Commission
directed that VRS and IP Relay providers seeking compensation for their
actual reasonable costs of complying with the new requirements in the
Numbering Order submit to the Fund administrator (currently, the
National Exchange Carrier Association) reasonably detailed explanations
of those costs. The Commission further directed that those costs be
submitted to the Fund administrator every three months, beginning three
months after the release date of the Numbering Order, for the costs
actually incurred during the prior three-month period. By these terms
of the Numbering Order, which was released on June 24, 2008, the
initial submission of those costs would be due September 24, 2008.
In order to allow sufficient time for providers to prepare their
filings upon the close of the cost reporting period, the Bureau
recognizes that it is appropriate to afford providers additional time
to report their costs. Accordingly, and in order to ensure that
providers' filings include costs that are incurred up to and including
the final date of the reporting period, the Bureau modifies the
reporting timeframes to allow providers an additional 30 days to file
their costs after the end of a reporting period. In addition, for
administrative convenience, the Bureau conforms the three-month
reporting periods to calendar quarters. Finally, because these cost
submissions constitute new information collections subject to the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), Public Law 104-13, this
requirement cannot go into effect until the Office of Management and
Budget approves the collections under the PRA and the Commission
publishes a notice in the Federal Register announcing such approval and
the relevant effective date(s). In order to afford time for the
Commission to receive and publish PRA approval to be received and
announced, the Bureau extends the initial filing deadline until January
30, 2009. In other words, the first cost submissions to the Fund
administrator must be filed by January 30, 2009, and will cover the
period from the release date of the Numbering Order, June 24, 2008,
through December 31, 2008. Subsequent reports will be due 30 days after
the close of each calendar quarter.
To illustrate, the first few subsequent reporting periods and
filing due dates will be as follows:
January 1, 2009, through March 31, 2009: Cost submission due April 30,
2009.
April 1, 2009, through June 30, 209: Cost submission due July 30, 2009.
July 1, 2009, through September 30, 2009: Cost submission due October
30, 2009.
[[Page 60173]]
October 1, 2009, through December 31, 2009: Cost submission due January
30, 2010.
Federal Communications Commission.
Nicole McGinnis,
Deputy Chief, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau.
[FR Doc. E8-24006 Filed 10-9-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P