2017 Fee Schedule for National Travel and Tourism Office for the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS)/I-92 Program, I-94 International Arrivals Program, and Survey of International Air Travelers Program, 48982-48985 [2017-22953]
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 203 / Monday, October 23, 2017 / Notices
subheadings are provided for convenience
and customs purposes, the written
description of the merchandise covered by
these investigations is dispositive.
towers from the PRC.3 On May 31, 2017,
the petitioner timely withdrew its
request for an administrative review of
all 56 companies for which it had
requested a review.4
[FR Doc. 2017–22931 Filed 10–20–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P
Rescission of Review
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A–570–981]
Utility Scale Wind Towers From the
People’s Republic of China: Notice of
Rescission of Antidumping Duty
Administrative Review; 2016–2017
Enforcement and Compliance,
International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce
(the Department) is rescinding its
administrative review of utility scale
wind towers (wind towers) from the
People’s Republic of China (PRC) for the
period or review (POR) February 1,
2016, through January 31, 2017, based
on the withdrawal of request for review.
DATES: Applicable October 23, 2017.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Trisha Tran, AD/CVD Operations, Office
IV, Enforcement and Compliance,
International Trade Administration,
U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington,
DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482–4852.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
AGENCY:
Background
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On February 8, 2017, the Department
published the notice of opportunity to
request an administrative review of the
antidumping duty order on wind towers
from the PRC for the above POR.1 On
February 28, 2017, in accordance with
section 751(a) of the Tariff Act of 1930,
as amended (the Act), and 19 CFR
351.213(b), the Department received a
timely request from the Wind Tower
Coalition (the petitioner) to conduct an
administrative review of this
antidumping duty order.2
Pursuant to this request, and in
accordance with 19 CFR
351.225(c)(1)(i), on April 10, 2017, the
Department published a notice of
initiation of an administrative review of
the antidumping duty order on wind
1 See Antidumping or Countervailing Duty, Order,
Finding, or Suspended Investigation; Opportunity
to Request Administrative Review, 82 FR 9709
(February 8, 2017).
2 See Letter from the petitioner, ‘‘Utility Scale
Wind Towers from the People’s Republic of China:
Request for Administrative Review,’’ dated
February 28, 2017.
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Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.213(d)(1), the
Department will rescind an
administrative review, in whole or in
part, if the party that requested a review
withdraws the request within 90 days of
the publication date of the notice of
initiation of the requested review. As
noted above, the petitioner withdrew its
request for review within 90 days of the
publication date of the Initiation Notice.
No other parties requested an
administrative review of the order.
Therefore, in accordance with 19 CFR
351.213(d)(1), we are rescinding this
review on wind towers from the PRC in
its entirety.
Assessment
The Department will instruct U.S.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to
assess antidumping duties on all
appropriate entries of wind towers from
the PRC. Antidumping duties shall be
assessed at rates equal to the cash
deposit of estimated antidumping duties
required at the time of entry, or
withdrawal from warehouse, for
consumption in accordance with 19
CFR 351.212(c)(1)(i). The Department
intends to issue appropriate assessment
instructions to CBP 15 days after the
date of publication of this notice of
rescission of administrative review in
the Federal Register.
This notice also serves as a final
reminder to importers for whom this
review is being rescinded of their
responsibility under 19 CFR
351.402(f)(2) to file a certificate
regarding the reimbursement of
antidumping duties prior to liquidation
of the relevant entries during this
review period. Failure to comply with
this requirement could result in the
Secretary’s presumption that
reimbursement of the antidumping
duties occurred and the subsequent
assessment of double antidumping
duties.
3 See Initiation of Antidumping and
Countervailing Duty Administrative Reviews, 82 FR
17188 (April 10, 2017).
4 See Letter from the petitioner, ‘‘Utility Scale
Wind Towers from the People’s Republic of China:
Withdrawal of Request for Administrative Review,’’
dated May 31, 2017.
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Fmt 4703
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Dated: October 17, 2017.
James Maeder,
Senior Director performing the duties of
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping
and Countervailing Duty Operations.
[FR Doc. 2017–22932 Filed 10–20–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[Docket No.: 170413395–7395–02]
RIN 0625–XCO3
2017 Fee Schedule for National Travel
and Tourism Office for the Advance
Passenger Information System (APIS)/
I–92 Program, I–94 International
Arrivals Program, and Survey of
International Air Travelers Program
International Trade
Administration, Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Final notice of implementation
of user fees.
AGENCY:
Notification to Importers
PO 00000
Notification Regarding Administrative
Protective Orders
This notice also serves as a reminder
to parties subject to administrative
protective orders (APO) of their
responsibility concerning the return or
destruction of proprietary information
disclosed under APO in accordance
with 19 CFR 351.305, which continues
to govern business proprietary
information in this segment of the
proceeding. Timely written notification
of the return/destruction of APO
materials or conversion to judicial
protective order is hereby requested.
Failure to comply with the regulations
and terms of an APO is a violation
which is subject to sanction.
This notice is published in
accordance with section 777(i)(1) of the
Act, and 19 CFR 351.213(d)(4).
The International Trade
Administration (ITA) solicited public
feedback on its proposal to adjust the
National Travel & Tourism Office
(NTTO) 2017 I–94/APIS & SIAT data
user fees for three programs after
considering an independent cost study
which concluded that ITA is not fully
covering its costs for providing services
under the current fee structure. Federal
agencies are directed by Office of
Management and Budget (OMB)
Circular A–25 to ensure they recoup
their costs when providing certain
services. The NTTO provides key
market intelligence to the government
and travel industry to help U.S.
businesses expand travel exports. ITA,
through the NTTO, will continue to
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 203 / Monday, October 23, 2017 / Notices
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provide information and services that
benefit the general public without
charge. No changes were made to the
proposed user fees in response to public
feedback, although the NTTO did
expand the number of surveys for the
2017 Survey of International Air
Travelers from 77,000 to 80,000. As part
of this announcement, ITA announces
the final user fees schedule for its 2017
data.
DATES: The user fees schedule will be
applicable November 22, 2017.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Richard Champley at (202) 482–4753 or
Richard.Champley@trade.gov; or
Claudia Wolfe at (202) 482–4555 or
Claudia.Wolfe@trade.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
There are three main research
programs through which the public may
obtain data on international travelers to
and from the United States additional to
the free information already posted to
the NTTO Web site. The proposed 2017
data fees are for (1) the monthly,
quarterly and annual data from the
APIS/I–92 Program, (2) the I–94
International Arrivals Program, and (3)
the annual custom reports, data tables
and files from the Survey of
International Air Travelers (SIAT)
Program.
Consistent with the guidelines in
OMB Circular A–25 federal agencies are
responsible for conducting a biennial
review of all programs to determine the
types of activities subject to user fees
and the basis upon which user fees are
to be set.
In addition to OMB Circular A–25, the
NTTO also follows OMB Circular
A–130, which mandates federal
agencies to develop and to maintain a
comprehensive set of information
management policies for use across the
government, and to promote the
application of information technology to
improve the use and dissemination of
information in the operation of Federal
programs. The role of NTTO is to
enhance the international
competitiveness of the U.S. travel and
tourism industry and to increase its
exports, thereby creating U.S.
employment and economic growth. The
primary functions of the NTTO are: (1)
Management of the travel and tourism
statistical system for assessing the
economic contribution of the industry
and providing the sole source for
characteristic statistics on international
travel to and from the United States; (2)
design and administration of export
expansion activities; (3) development
and management of tourism policy,
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strategy and advocacy; and (4) technical
assistance for expanding this key export
(international tourism) and assisting in
domestic economic development.
The NTTO has provided the I–94/
APIS & SIAT data for many years and
has developed a subscriber base for each
of these programs. The fees collected for
these reports pay for ITA costs to
develop the reports and support
research for the continuation and
expansion of improvements to the data
provided by NTTO. In 2016, the NTTO
issued Fee Schedule increases for the
APIS/I–92 program, the I–94
International Arrivals Program and the
SIAT Program. The contractor prices are
six percent greater than the 2016
contract prices for the SIAT base
program and 27 percent greater for the
I–94 program. This increase is due in
part to increased quality management
checks associated with this program.
Additionally, there is a nearly 30
percent increase in the cost for custom
reports for both programs. Custom
reports costs increased because of the
necessity to combine multiple years of
sample, as well as incorporate
additional data in Table 1A and Table
1. Fees for the APIS/I–92 program are
being increased to help offset an ITA
budget cut and the much larger
increases in costs to the I–94 and SIAT
program, because all three programs are
interdependent upon one another and
used to provide the SIAT data.
Additionally, for 2017 data, to
ameliorate the increased costs while
keeping the program fees as low as
possible, ITA proposed to cut the SIAT
sample from 96,000 surveys in 2016 to
77,000 surveys in 2017, but because of
the overwhelming response to the
Federal Register Notice, the NTTO has
decided the sample will be set at 80,000,
up from 77,000. NTTO anticipates that
the 2018 sample level will also be
80,000 depending upon the FY2018
budget. The increased fees for 2017 data
are necessary to avoid additional cuts.
The NTTO had asked about the
industry’s preference on a cut in sample
as a method to keep the fee increases
lower. The response was
overwhelmingly against cutting the
sample.
Amendments to Original User Fee
Proposal in Response to Public
Comments
ITA solicited public comment on the
proposed revisions to the user fees
during a 30-day period from June 26,
2017 to July 26, 2017 (82 FR 28820, June
26, 2017). Over 40 comments were
received in response to the proposal.
The individual comments can be
viewed on the Federal eRulemaking
PO 00000
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48983
Portal: www.Regulations.gov. The
identification number is ITA–2017–
0005. All comments received during
this time were reviewed and considered
with respect to the final user fee
schedule. A summary of the comments
is provided below:
Comment: The overwhelming
response to the Federal Register Notice
was related to the proposed cut in the
2017 sample from 96,000 to 77,000.
Nearly 95 percent of the respondents
registered their complaint about the
sample size reductions.
Response: The last two years for the
SIAT were the largest sample ever for
this program. In 2015 it was nearly
97,000, and in 2016 it was over 96,000.
Prior to those two years, the NTTO SIAT
sample had been between 73,500 to
80,000 from 2007 to 2013 and lower in
previous years. As stated previously,
sharply increasing costs in 2017 and
budget uncertainty for future fiscal years
required a sample size cut. The NTTO
takes this opportunity to remind users
that most clients combine samples for
their custom reports and with the two
highest sample years prior to 2017,
clients will benefit from those years. In
response to overwhelming comments for
a larger sample, the NTTO has issued a
task order to set the 2017 sample to
80,000, up from the initial 77,000
surveys.
Comment: Nearly 50 percent of the
respondents expressed concern over the
reliability or related terms of the sample
due to the reductions.
Response: The SIAT sample is not the
only item used to provide the visitation,
spending, and traveler characteristics
data from the SIAT. The data is
weighted to the I–94 count of overseas
and Mexican air travelers to the USA
and to the ports of entry data. The
weights for each respondent are
assigned to all responses so when the
SIAT estimates for country of residency
and port of entry are compared to the I–
94 population counts, the variance is 0.0
percent, showing the weighting aligns
the sample with the travel population.
This weighting coupled with two years
of robust sample sizes in 2015 and 2016
ensures the reliability of the data.
Comment: 40 percent of the
respondents supported the fee increase
to mitigate the cut in sample, while only
14% objected to the fee increase.
Response: The NTTO will implement
the proposed fee increase for the 2017
data given the majority of customers
requested a greater sample size and 40
percent of the respondents are willing to
accept the 15 percent fee increase.
Comment: 40 percent of the
respondents noted that the decline in
the sample for 2017 would have a larger
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 203 / Monday, October 23, 2017 / Notices
impact on small and medium size
destinations.
Response: Unfortunately, in a
representative sample of the
international travel market to and from
the U.S., the top destinations will obtain
a larger sample. It should be noted that
the NTTO reviews the sample
collections yearly and tries to adjust it
to keep the sample representative of
both the inbound and outbound travel
population. ITA is considering
encouraging additional destinations/
ports to cooperate in our Supplemental
Airport Survey Program to increase the
data supplied from small and medium
size destinations.
Comment: 14 percent of the
respondents opposed the fee increase
stating it would hurt smaller
destinations more than larger ones.
Response: 40 percent of respondents
supported the increase, many of which
are small businesses or destinations. As
noted above, the demand for a larger
sample, the increasing costs of operating
the program and declining budget
require ITA to raise fees.
Comment: 10 percent of the
respondents commented that these
programs should continue to be
adequately funded and sustained
because the research and data is
important to the industry.
Response: Congress has mandated,
through the Travel Promotion Act, that
the Department of Commerce continue
and expand its research programs. ITA
will continue to provide this program if
it is supported by the Department of
Commerce and Congress.
Comment: 10 percent of the
respondents commented about the
continued delays and lack of timeliness
in delivery of the data, especially given
the fee increase.
Response: The NTTO and its
contractors work very hard to provide
quality and timely data. However, I–94
automation issues and APIS/I–92 data
delays have negatively impacted timely
delivery due to additional time required
to review and revise the data when
necessary. Delays related to the I–94 and
APIS/I–92 programs cause
corresponding delays in release of the
SIAT data because the SIAT data is
weighted to the I–94 and APIS/I–92
program data.
Comment: There were a few
comments in which industry clients
tried to calculate the SIAT’s share of the
travel population based on total arrivals
to the U.S.
Response: The NTTO wants to remind
the industry that the travel population
for this program is both inbound and
outbound travelers and that it only
includes all overseas (all countries
except Canada & Mexico) and Mexican
air travelers. The NTTO has travel
population totals from the I–94 (for the
inbound markets) and APIS/I–92 for the
U.S. outbound market. The share of the
inbound travel population is around 0.3
percent. This is much smaller than the
1 percent sample mandated by the
Travel Promotion Act (TPA) and
Congress has not provided dedicated
funding. The NTTO has conducted
several tests to reduce program costs
and improve the quality of the data. To
date, the current survey method delivers
more complete results than any of the
tests. The program is competitively bid.
Comment: A few comments included
a request to reduce the sample of U.S.
residents and to equivalently increase
the non-resident side.
Response: The non-resident sample
has traditionally been higher than the
U.S. resident sample; decreasing the
sample from one part of the program to
benefit another would drive up costs
and not allow the NTTO to fulfill its
mandate to federal agencies that depend
upon the U.S. outbound SIAT data.
Comment: There was a comment on
preventing future significant cost
increases.
Response: To control costs this
contract is competitively bid every three
years. The low-cost contractor wins the
bid.
The NTTO wants to thank everyone
who responded to this notice and
greatly appreciates the feedback and
concerns. The NTTO is in the process of
preparing a request for information to
solicit ideas from the industry to
improve the SIAT program.
User Fee Schedule
Fee Schedule increases for the APIS/
I–92 program, the I–94 International
Arrivals Program and the Survey of
International Air Travelers (SIAT)
Program are shown in the tables below.
All fees shown are 15 percent greater in
2017 than in 2016, except for certain
SIAT reports as explained above. For
the I–94 program, ITA has eliminated
the print files and will only provide a
PDF and Excel file to save costs. The
custom reports, data tables, and files
will also see a 15 percent fee increase
in 2017.
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2017 Fee
APIS/I–92 Program:
Monthly Reports printed ...................................................................................................................................
Monthly Reports (PDF and Excel) ...................................................................................................................
Quarterly Reports printed .................................................................................................................................
Quarterly Reports (PDF and Excel) .................................................................................................................
Annual Report printed ......................................................................................................................................
Annual Report (PDF and Excel) .......................................................................................................................
Data Files, for internal use only .......................................................................................................................
I–94 International arrivals program:
Monthly Subscription (PDF and Excel) ............................................................................................................
Quarterly Subscription (PDF & Excel) ..............................................................................................................
Annual Issue (PDF and Excel) .........................................................................................................................
Annual, data file (CD–ROM) ............................................................................................................................
Quarterly, data file (CD–ROM) .........................................................................................................................
Combined 2015 and 2016 International I–94 arrivals data:
Monthly Subscription (PDF & Excel) ................................................................................................................
Quarterly Subscription (PDF & Excel) ..............................................................................................................
Annual Issue (PDF and Excel) .........................................................................................................................
Survey of International Air Travelers program:
CUSTOM TABLE—1st table, in Excel .............................................................................................................
CUSTOM TABLE—all other tables in Excel ....................................................................................................
Custom Reports with Excel and PDF (First banner) .......................................................................................
Custom Reports with Excel and PDF (Second banner) ..................................................................................
Custom Reports with Excel and PDF (Third + banners) .................................................................................
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E:\FR\FM\23OCN1.SGM
23OCN1
2016 Fee
$2,295
3,435
2,070
3,095
1,610
2,405
27,310
$1,995
2,985
1,800
2,690
1,400
2,090
23,745
2,450
2,155
1,485
16,770
18,820
2,130
1,870
1,290
14,580
16,365
3,730
3,170
2,000
3,240
2,755
1,740
2,720
1,645
10,210
9,185
8,220
2,365
1,430
8,875
7,985
7,145
48985
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 203 / Monday, October 23, 2017 / Notices
Determining the Cost of Performing
Each Service
Please refer to the Federal Register
Notice published on June 26, 2017 (82
FR 28820) for information on how ITA
determines the costs of performing each
service.
Dated: October 18, 2017.
Isabel Hill,
Director, National Travel & Tourism Office,
International Trade Administration, U.S.
Department of Commerce.
[FR Doc. 2017–22953 Filed 10–18–17; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510–DR–P
Conclusion
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
For the reasons provided above, ITA
believes its revised fees are consistent
with the objective of OMB Circular A–
25 to ‘‘promote efficient allocation of
the Nation’s resources by establishing
charges for special benefits provided to
the recipient that are at least as great as
costs to the Government of providing
the special benefits.’’ OMB Circular A–
25(5) (b). For 2017 data, the fees will be
increased as proposed. ITA will
continue to reassess the fee schedule, in
accordance with OMB Circular A–25, at
least every two years thereafter.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Marine Mammals and Endangered
Species
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; issuance of permits and
permit amendments or modifications.
AGENCY:
Notice is hereby given that
permits or permit amendments have
been issued to the following entities
under the Marine Mammal Protection
Act (MMPA) and the Endangered
Species Act (ESA), as applicable.
SUMMARY:
The permits and related
documents are available for review
upon written request or by appointment
in the Permits and Conservation
Division, Office of Protected Resources,
NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room
13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone
(301) 427–8401; fax (301) 713–0376.
ADDRESSES:
Erin
Markin (File No. 17304–03); Courtney
Smith (File No. 21143), Lisa Lierheimer
(File No. 21486), Sara Young (File Nos.
20466, 21006, 21018, 21158), and Shasta
McClenahan (File Nos. 16609–01,
17115–05 and 20951) at (301) 427–8401.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Notices
were published in the Federal Register
on the dates listed below that requests
for a permit or permit amendment had
been submitted by the below-named
applicants. To locate the Federal
Register notice that announced our
receipt of the application and a
complete description of the research, go
to www.regulations.gov and search on
the permit number provided in the table
below.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
RIN
Applicant
Previous Federal Register Notice
Permit or amendment
issuance date
16609–01 .....
0648–XF213
September 20, 2017.
0648–XC100
77 FR 41171; July 12, 2012 ..........
September 12, 2017.
17304–03 .....
0648–XC667
82 FR 12806; March 7, 2017 ........
September 5, 2017.
20466 ...........
0648–XF272
82 FR 16995; April 7, 2017 ...........
September 20, 2017.
20951 ...........
0648–XF367
82 FR 22517; May 16, 2017 ..........
September 5, 2017.
21006 ...........
0648–XF530
82 FR 32344; July 13, 2017 ..........
September 15, 2017.
21018 ...........
0648–XF536
82 FR 32789; July 18, 2017 ..........
September 27, 2017.
21143 ...........
0648–XF500
82 FR 31950; July 11, 2017 ..........
September 1, 2017.
21158 ...........
0648–XF592
82 FR 37574; August 11, 2017 .....
September 25, 2017.
21486 ...........
0648–XF620
Zoological Society of San Diego (Douglas Myers,
Responsible Party), P.O. Box 120551, San
Diego, CA 92112.
James Lloyd-Smith, University of California, Los
Angeles, 610 Charles E. Young Dr. South, Box
723905, Los Angeles, California 90095.
Kristen Hart, Ph.D., U.S. Geological Survey, 3205
College Ave., Davie, Florida 33314.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G),
Division of Wildlife Conservation, Juneau, AK.
Ann Zoidis, Ph.D., Cetos Research Organization,
11 Des Isle Avenue, Bar Harbor, ME 04609.
Linnea Pearson, California Polytechnic State University, 1 Grand Ave., San Luis Obispo, CA
93407.
Brent Stewart, Ph.D., Hubbs-SeaWorld Research
Institute, 2595 Ingraham Street, San Diego, CA
92109.
Jeremy Kiszka, Ph.D., Florida International University, 3000 NE 151st Street, Marine Science
Building, Room 250D, North Miami, Florida,
33181.
Robert Garrott, Ph.D., Montana State University,
310 Lewis Hall, Bozeman, MT 59717.
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Worldwide
Americas, Inc., on behalf of BBC Natural History Unit, 28 Whiteladies Rd., Bristol, UK, BS8
2LR.
82 FR 37426; August 10, 2017 .....
17115–05 .....
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File No.
82 FR 40144; September 24, 2017
September 27, 2017.
In compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), a final
determination has been made that the
activities proposed are categorically
excluded from the requirement to
prepare an environmental assessment or
environmental impact statement.
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As required by the ESA, as applicable,
issuance of these permit was based on
a finding that such permits: (1) were
applied for in good faith; (2) will not
operate to the disadvantage of such
endangered species; and (3) are
consistent with the purposes and
PO 00000
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Sfmt 4703
policies set forth in Section 2 of the
ESA.
Authority: The requested permits have
been issued under the Marine Mammal
Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16
U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the regulations
governing the taking and importing of marine
mammals (50 CFR part 216), the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 203 (Monday, October 23, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48982-48985]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-22953]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[Docket No.: 170413395-7395-02]
RIN 0625-XCO3
2017 Fee Schedule for National Travel and Tourism Office for the
Advance Passenger Information System (APIS)/I-92 Program, I-94
International Arrivals Program, and Survey of International Air
Travelers Program
AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Final notice of implementation of user fees.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The International Trade Administration (ITA) solicited public
feedback on its proposal to adjust the National Travel & Tourism Office
(NTTO) 2017 I-94/APIS & SIAT data user fees for three programs after
considering an independent cost study which concluded that ITA is not
fully covering its costs for providing services under the current fee
structure. Federal agencies are directed by Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) Circular A-25 to ensure they recoup their costs when
providing certain services. The NTTO provides key market intelligence
to the government and travel industry to help U.S. businesses expand
travel exports. ITA, through the NTTO, will continue to
[[Page 48983]]
provide information and services that benefit the general public
without charge. No changes were made to the proposed user fees in
response to public feedback, although the NTTO did expand the number of
surveys for the 2017 Survey of International Air Travelers from 77,000
to 80,000. As part of this announcement, ITA announces the final user
fees schedule for its 2017 data.
DATES: The user fees schedule will be applicable November 22, 2017.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Champley at (202) 482-4753 or
[email protected]; or Claudia Wolfe at (202) 482-4555 or
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
There are three main research programs through which the public may
obtain data on international travelers to and from the United States
additional to the free information already posted to the NTTO Web site.
The proposed 2017 data fees are for (1) the monthly, quarterly and
annual data from the APIS/I-92 Program, (2) the I-94 International
Arrivals Program, and (3) the annual custom reports, data tables and
files from the Survey of International Air Travelers (SIAT) Program.
Consistent with the guidelines in OMB Circular A-25 federal
agencies are responsible for conducting a biennial review of all
programs to determine the types of activities subject to user fees and
the basis upon which user fees are to be set.
In addition to OMB Circular A-25, the NTTO also follows OMB
Circular A-130, which mandates federal agencies to develop and to
maintain a comprehensive set of information management policies for use
across the government, and to promote the application of information
technology to improve the use and dissemination of information in the
operation of Federal programs. The role of NTTO is to enhance the
international competitiveness of the U.S. travel and tourism industry
and to increase its exports, thereby creating U.S. employment and
economic growth. The primary functions of the NTTO are: (1) Management
of the travel and tourism statistical system for assessing the economic
contribution of the industry and providing the sole source for
characteristic statistics on international travel to and from the
United States; (2) design and administration of export expansion
activities; (3) development and management of tourism policy, strategy
and advocacy; and (4) technical assistance for expanding this key
export (international tourism) and assisting in domestic economic
development.
The NTTO has provided the I-94/APIS & SIAT data for many years and
has developed a subscriber base for each of these programs. The fees
collected for these reports pay for ITA costs to develop the reports
and support research for the continuation and expansion of improvements
to the data provided by NTTO. In 2016, the NTTO issued Fee Schedule
increases for the APIS/I-92 program, the I-94 International Arrivals
Program and the SIAT Program. The contractor prices are six percent
greater than the 2016 contract prices for the SIAT base program and 27
percent greater for the I-94 program. This increase is due in part to
increased quality management checks associated with this program.
Additionally, there is a nearly 30 percent increase in the cost for
custom reports for both programs. Custom reports costs increased
because of the necessity to combine multiple years of sample, as well
as incorporate additional data in Table 1A and Table 1. Fees for the
APIS/I-92 program are being increased to help offset an ITA budget cut
and the much larger increases in costs to the I-94 and SIAT program,
because all three programs are interdependent upon one another and used
to provide the SIAT data.
Additionally, for 2017 data, to ameliorate the increased costs
while keeping the program fees as low as possible, ITA proposed to cut
the SIAT sample from 96,000 surveys in 2016 to 77,000 surveys in 2017,
but because of the overwhelming response to the Federal Register
Notice, the NTTO has decided the sample will be set at 80,000, up from
77,000. NTTO anticipates that the 2018 sample level will also be 80,000
depending upon the FY2018 budget. The increased fees for 2017 data are
necessary to avoid additional cuts. The NTTO had asked about the
industry's preference on a cut in sample as a method to keep the fee
increases lower. The response was overwhelmingly against cutting the
sample.
Amendments to Original User Fee Proposal in Response to Public Comments
ITA solicited public comment on the proposed revisions to the user
fees during a 30-day period from June 26, 2017 to July 26, 2017 (82 FR
28820, June 26, 2017). Over 40 comments were received in response to
the proposal. The individual comments can be viewed on the Federal
eRulemaking Portal: www.Regulations.gov. The identification number is
ITA-2017-0005. All comments received during this time were reviewed and
considered with respect to the final user fee schedule. A summary of
the comments is provided below:
Comment: The overwhelming response to the Federal Register Notice
was related to the proposed cut in the 2017 sample from 96,000 to
77,000. Nearly 95 percent of the respondents registered their complaint
about the sample size reductions.
Response: The last two years for the SIAT were the largest sample
ever for this program. In 2015 it was nearly 97,000, and in 2016 it was
over 96,000. Prior to those two years, the NTTO SIAT sample had been
between 73,500 to 80,000 from 2007 to 2013 and lower in previous years.
As stated previously, sharply increasing costs in 2017 and budget
uncertainty for future fiscal years required a sample size cut. The
NTTO takes this opportunity to remind users that most clients combine
samples for their custom reports and with the two highest sample years
prior to 2017, clients will benefit from those years. In response to
overwhelming comments for a larger sample, the NTTO has issued a task
order to set the 2017 sample to 80,000, up from the initial 77,000
surveys.
Comment: Nearly 50 percent of the respondents expressed concern
over the reliability or related terms of the sample due to the
reductions.
Response: The SIAT sample is not the only item used to provide the
visitation, spending, and traveler characteristics data from the SIAT.
The data is weighted to the I-94 count of overseas and Mexican air
travelers to the USA and to the ports of entry data. The weights for
each respondent are assigned to all responses so when the SIAT
estimates for country of residency and port of entry are compared to
the I-94 population counts, the variance is 0.0 percent, showing the
weighting aligns the sample with the travel population. This weighting
coupled with two years of robust sample sizes in 2015 and 2016 ensures
the reliability of the data.
Comment: 40 percent of the respondents supported the fee increase
to mitigate the cut in sample, while only 14% objected to the fee
increase.
Response: The NTTO will implement the proposed fee increase for the
2017 data given the majority of customers requested a greater sample
size and 40 percent of the respondents are willing to accept the 15
percent fee increase.
Comment: 40 percent of the respondents noted that the decline in
the sample for 2017 would have a larger
[[Page 48984]]
impact on small and medium size destinations.
Response: Unfortunately, in a representative sample of the
international travel market to and from the U.S., the top destinations
will obtain a larger sample. It should be noted that the NTTO reviews
the sample collections yearly and tries to adjust it to keep the sample
representative of both the inbound and outbound travel population. ITA
is considering encouraging additional destinations/ports to cooperate
in our Supplemental Airport Survey Program to increase the data
supplied from small and medium size destinations.
Comment: 14 percent of the respondents opposed the fee increase
stating it would hurt smaller destinations more than larger ones.
Response: 40 percent of respondents supported the increase, many of
which are small businesses or destinations. As noted above, the demand
for a larger sample, the increasing costs of operating the program and
declining budget require ITA to raise fees.
Comment: 10 percent of the respondents commented that these
programs should continue to be adequately funded and sustained because
the research and data is important to the industry.
Response: Congress has mandated, through the Travel Promotion Act,
that the Department of Commerce continue and expand its research
programs. ITA will continue to provide this program if it is supported
by the Department of Commerce and Congress.
Comment: 10 percent of the respondents commented about the
continued delays and lack of timeliness in delivery of the data,
especially given the fee increase.
Response: The NTTO and its contractors work very hard to provide
quality and timely data. However, I-94 automation issues and APIS/I-92
data delays have negatively impacted timely delivery due to additional
time required to review and revise the data when necessary. Delays
related to the I-94 and APIS/I-92 programs cause corresponding delays
in release of the SIAT data because the SIAT data is weighted to the I-
94 and APIS/I-92 program data.
Comment: There were a few comments in which industry clients tried
to calculate the SIAT's share of the travel population based on total
arrivals to the U.S.
Response: The NTTO wants to remind the industry that the travel
population for this program is both inbound and outbound travelers and
that it only includes all overseas (all countries except Canada &
Mexico) and Mexican air travelers. The NTTO has travel population
totals from the I-94 (for the inbound markets) and APIS/I-92 for the
U.S. outbound market. The share of the inbound travel population is
around 0.3 percent. This is much smaller than the 1 percent sample
mandated by the Travel Promotion Act (TPA) and Congress has not
provided dedicated funding. The NTTO has conducted several tests to
reduce program costs and improve the quality of the data. To date, the
current survey method delivers more complete results than any of the
tests. The program is competitively bid.
Comment: A few comments included a request to reduce the sample of
U.S. residents and to equivalently increase the non-resident side.
Response: The non-resident sample has traditionally been higher
than the U.S. resident sample; decreasing the sample from one part of
the program to benefit another would drive up costs and not allow the
NTTO to fulfill its mandate to federal agencies that depend upon the
U.S. outbound SIAT data.
Comment: There was a comment on preventing future significant cost
increases.
Response: To control costs this contract is competitively bid every
three years. The low-cost contractor wins the bid.
The NTTO wants to thank everyone who responded to this notice and
greatly appreciates the feedback and concerns. The NTTO is in the
process of preparing a request for information to solicit ideas from
the industry to improve the SIAT program.
User Fee Schedule
Fee Schedule increases for the APIS/I-92 program, the I-94
International Arrivals Program and the Survey of International Air
Travelers (SIAT) Program are shown in the tables below. All fees shown
are 15 percent greater in 2017 than in 2016, except for certain SIAT
reports as explained above. For the I-94 program, ITA has eliminated
the print files and will only provide a PDF and Excel file to save
costs. The custom reports, data tables, and files will also see a 15
percent fee increase in 2017.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2017 Fee 2016 Fee
------------------------------------------------------------------------
APIS/I-92 Program:
Monthly Reports printed............. $2,295 $1,995
Monthly Reports (PDF and Excel)..... 3,435 2,985
Quarterly Reports printed........... 2,070 1,800
Quarterly Reports (PDF and Excel)... 3,095 2,690
Annual Report printed............... 1,610 1,400
Annual Report (PDF and Excel)....... 2,405 2,090
Data Files, for internal use only... 27,310 23,745
I-94 International arrivals program:
Monthly Subscription (PDF and Excel) 2,450 2,130
Quarterly Subscription (PDF & Excel) 2,155 1,870
Annual Issue (PDF and Excel)........ 1,485 1,290
Annual, data file (CD-ROM).......... 16,770 14,580
Quarterly, data file (CD-ROM)....... 18,820 16,365
Combined 2015 and 2016 International I-
94 arrivals data:
Monthly Subscription (PDF & Excel).. 3,730 3,240
Quarterly Subscription (PDF & Excel) 3,170 2,755
Annual Issue (PDF and Excel)........ 2,000 1,740
Survey of International Air Travelers
program:
CUSTOM TABLE--1st table, in Excel... 2,720 2,365
CUSTOM TABLE--all other tables in 1,645 1,430
Excel..............................
Custom Reports with Excel and PDF 10,210 8,875
(First banner).....................
Custom Reports with Excel and PDF 9,185 7,985
(Second banner)....................
Custom Reports with Excel and PDF 8,220 7,145
(Third + banners)..................
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 48985]]
Determining the Cost of Performing Each Service
Please refer to the Federal Register Notice published on June 26,
2017 (82 FR 28820) for information on how ITA determines the costs of
performing each service.
Conclusion
For the reasons provided above, ITA believes its revised fees are
consistent with the objective of OMB Circular A-25 to ``promote
efficient allocation of the Nation's resources by establishing charges
for special benefits provided to the recipient that are at least as
great as costs to the Government of providing the special benefits.''
OMB Circular A-25(5) (b). For 2017 data, the fees will be increased as
proposed. ITA will continue to reassess the fee schedule, in accordance
with OMB Circular A-25, at least every two years thereafter.
Dated: October 18, 2017.
Isabel Hill,
Director, National Travel & Tourism Office, International Trade
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.
[FR Doc. 2017-22953 Filed 10-18-17; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-P
