Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request, 2988-2992 [2018-00972]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 14 / Monday, January 22, 2018 / Notices
loan holding company and/or to acquire
the assets or the ownership of, control
of, or the power to vote shares of a
savings association and nonbanking
companies owned by the savings and
loan holding company, including the
companies listed below.
The applications listed below, as well
as other related filings required by the
Board, are available for immediate
inspection at the Federal Reserve Bank
indicated. The application also will be
available for inspection at the offices of
the Board of Governors. Interested
persons may express their views in
writing on the standards enumerated in
the HOLA (12 U.S.C. 1467a(e)). If the
proposal also involves the acquisition of
a nonbanking company, the review also
includes whether the acquisition of the
nonbanking company complies with the
standards in section 10(c)(4)(B) of the
HOLA (12 U.S.C. 1467a(c)(4)(B)). Unless
otherwise noted, nonbanking activities
will be conducted throughout the
United States.
Unless otherwise noted, comments
regarding each of these applications
must be received at the Reserve Bank
indicated or the offices of the Board of
Governors not later than February 15,
2018.
A. Federal Reserve Bank of
Philadelphia (William Spaniel, Senior
Vice President) 100 North 6th Street,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19105–
1521. Comments can also
be sent electronically to
Comments.applications@phil.frb.org:
1. William Penn Mutual Holding
Company and William Penn Bancorp,
Levittown, Pennsylvania; to acquire
voting shares of Audubon Savings Bank,
Audubon, New Jersey, and thereby
merge it with William Penn Bank,
Levittown, Pennsylvania.
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve
System, January 16, 2018.
Ann E. Misback,
Secretary of the Board.
[FR Doc. 2018–00947 Filed 1–19–18; 8:45 am]
bank holding company and all of the
banks and nonbanking companies
owned by the bank holding company,
including the companies listed below.
The applications listed below, as well
as other related filings required by the
Board, are available for immediate
inspection at the Federal Reserve Bank
indicated. The applications will also be
available for inspection at the offices of
the Board of Governors. Interested
persons may express their views in
writing on the standards enumerated in
the BHC Act (12 U.S.C. 1842(c)). If the
proposal also involves the acquisition of
a nonbanking company, the review also
includes whether the acquisition of the
nonbanking company complies with the
standards in section 4 of the BHC Act
(12 U.S.C. 1843). Unless otherwise
noted, nonbanking activities will be
conducted throughout the United States.
Unless otherwise noted, comments
regarding each of these applications
must be received at the Reserve Bank
indicated or the offices of the Board of
Governors not later than February 14,
2018.
A. Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
(Robert L. Triplett III, Senior Vice
President) 2200 North Pearl Street,
Dallas, Texas 75201–2272:
1. Independent Bank Group, Inc.,
McKinney, Texas; to acquire 100 percent
of the voting shares of Integrity
Bancshares, Inc., and indirectly acquire
shares of Integrity Bank, SSB, both of
Houston, Texas.
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve
System, January 16, 2018.
Ann E. Misback,
Secretary of the Board.
[FR Doc. 2018–00948 Filed 1–19–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
FEDERAL RETIREMENT THRIFT
INVESTMENT
Board Member Meeting
77 K Street NE, 10th Floor, Washington, DC
20002, January 22, 2018, 8:30 a.m. (InPerson)
BILLING CODE P
Open Session
Formations of, Acquisitions by, and
Mergers of Bank Holding Companies
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FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
1. Approval of the minutes for the
December 18, 2017 Board Meeting
2. Monthly Reports
(a) Participant Activity Report
(b) Legislative Report
3. Quarterly Reports
(c) Investment Policy
(d) Budget Review
(e) Audit Status
4. IT Update
5. Annual Expense Ratio Review
6. Blended Retirement Update
7. Vendor Financials
The companies listed in this notice
have applied to the Board for approval,
pursuant to the Bank Holding Company
Act of 1956 (12 U.S.C. 1841 et seq.)
(BHC Act), Regulation Y (12 CFR part
225), and all other applicable statutes
and regulations to become a bank
holding company and/or to acquire the
assets or the ownership of, control of, or
the power to vote shares of a bank or
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Closed Session
Information covered under 5 U.S.C.
552b (c)(4) and (c)(9)(B).
CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Kimberly Weaver, Director, Office of
External Affairs, (202) 942–1640.
Dated: January 16, 2018.
Kimberly Weaver,
Director, Office of External Affairs.
Megan Grumbine,
General Counsel, Federal Retirement Thrift
Investment Board.
[FR Doc. 2018–01050 Filed 1–19–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Proposed Collection;
Comment Request
Federal Trade Commission
(FTC or Commission).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The information collection
requirements described below will be
submitted to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for review, as
required by the Paperwork Reduction
Act (PRA). The FTC seeks public
comments on its proposal to extend for
three years the current PRA clearance
for information collection requirements
pertaining to the Commission’s
administrative activities. That clearance
expires on April 30, 2018, and consists
of: (a) Applications to the Commission,
including applications and notices
contained in the Commission’s Rules of
Practice (primarily Parts I, II, and IV);
(b) the FTC’s consumer complaint
systems; and (c) the FTC’s program
evaluation activities.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before March 23, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Interested parties may file a
comment online or on paper by
following the instructions in the
Request for Comments part of the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section
below. Write ‘‘Paperwork Reduction
Act: FTC File No. P072108’’ on your
comment, and file your comment online
at https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/
ftc/adminactivitiespra by following the
instructions on the web-based form. If
you prefer to file your comment on
paper, mail your comment to the
following address: Federal Trade
Commission, Office of the Secretary,
600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite
CC–5610 (Annex J), Washington, DC
20580, or deliver your comment to the
following address: Federal Trade
Commission, Office of the Secretary,
SUMMARY:
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Constitution Center, 400 7th Street SW,
5th Floor, Suite 5610 (Annex J),
Washington, DC 20024.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
purposes specific to this Federal
Register Notice: (a) Applications to the
Commission: Gary Greenfield (Office of
the General Counsel), 202–326–2753; (b)
Complaint Systems: Nicholas
Mastrocinque (Nick M.) and Ami
Dziekan (Ami D.) (Bureau of Consumer
Protection); Nick M., 202–326–3188 and
Ami D., 202–326–2648; and (c) Program
Evaluations: Jennifer Lee (Divestiture
Orders), 202–326–2246; Katherine
Ambrogi (Review of Competition
Advocacy Program), 202–326–2205.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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Proposed Information Collection
Activities
Under the PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501–3521,
federal agencies must get OMB approval
for each collection of information they
conduct, sponsor, or require.
‘‘Collection of information’’ means
agency requests or requirements to
submit reports, keep records, or provide
information to a third party. 44 U.S.C.
3502(3); 5 CFR 1320.3(c). As required by
section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, the
FTC is providing this opportunity for
public comment before requesting that
OMB extend the existing PRA clearance
for the information collection
requirements pertaining to the
Commission’s administrative activities
(OMB Control Number 3084–0047).
The FTC invites comments on: (1)
Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
agency, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(2) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate
of the burden of the proposed collection
of information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
(3) ways to enhance the quality, utility,
and clarity of the information to be
collected; and (4) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on those who are to respond.
Estimated annual hours burden:
1,167,181 hours (110 + 1,166,994 + 72
+ 5).
Estimated annual labor cost: $25,240
($14,300 + $0 + $10,440 + $500).
Estimated annual non-labor/capital
cost: $0.
(a) Applications to the Commission,
including applications and notices
supported pursuant to the Commission’s
Rules of Practice: 110 hours.
Most applications to the Commission
generally fall within the ‘‘law
enforcement’’ exception to the PRA and
are mostly found in Part III (Rules of
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Practice for Adjudicative Proceedings)
of the Commission’s Rules of Practice.
See 16 CFR 3.1–3.83. Nonetheless, there
are various applications and notices to
the Commission contained in other
rules (generally in Parts I, II, and IV of
the Commission’s Rule of Practice). For
example, based on an averaging of
results in recent years, staff estimates
that the FTC annually receives
approximately 30 requests for clearance
submitted by former FTC employees in
order to participate in certain matters
and screening affidavits submitted by
partners or legal or business associates
of former employees pursuant to Rule
4.1, 16 CFR 4.1. There are also
procedures set out in Rule 4.11(e) for
agency review of outside requests for
Commission employee testimony,
through compulsory process or
otherwise, in cases or matters to which
the agency is not a party. Rule 4.11(e)
requires that a person who seeks such
testimony submit a statement in support
of the request. Staff estimates that
agency personnel receive approximately
15 requests per year. Cumulatively, the
above, along with various sundry
additional requests of sporadic nature
for which the Commission also specifies
particular information required of the
applicant or requester, amount to about
55 applications or notices per year. Staff
estimates each respondent will incur, on
average, approximately 2 hours of
burden to submit an application or
notice, resulting in a cumulative 110
burden hours per year (55 applications
or notices × 2 burden hours).
Annual labor cost burden: Using the
burden hours estimated above, staff
estimates that the total annual labor
cost, based on an estimated average of
$130/hour for executives’ and attorneys’
wages, would be approximately $14,300
(110 hours × $130).1 There are no
capital, start-up, operation,
maintenance, or other similar costs to
respondents.
(b) Complaint Systems: 1,166,994
annual hours.
Consumer Response Center
Consumers can submit complaints
about fraud and other practices to the
FTC’s Consumer Response Center (CRC)
by telephone or through the FTC’s
website. Telephone complaints and
inquiries to the FTC are answered both
by FTC staff and contractors. These
telephone counselors ask for the same
information that consumers would enter
1 Figures based on national median salaries,
including bonuses and benefits, divided by a 2,080
hour work year (52 weeks × 40 hours/week), for a
‘‘Managing Attorney ($145,’’ ‘‘Attorney II,’’
‘‘Attorney III,’’ ‘‘Attorney IV,’’ and Attorney V’’ at
www.salary.com.
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on the applicable forms available on the
FTC’s website. For telephone inquiries
and complaints, the FTC staff estimates
that it takes 6.1 minutes per call to
gather information, and an estimated 4.8
minutes for consumers to enter a
complaint online. The burden estimate
conservatively assumes that all of the
phone call is devoted to collecting
information from consumers, although
frequently telephone counselors devote
a small portion of the call to providing
requested information to consumers.
Complaints Concerning the National Do
Not Call Registry
To receive complaints from
consumers of possible violations of the
rules governing the National Do Not Call
Registry, 16 CFR 310.4(b), the FTC
maintains both an online form and a toll
free hotline with automated voice
response system. Consumer
complainants must provide the phone
number that was called, whether the
call was prerecorded, and the date and
time of the call. They may also provide
either the name or telephone number of
the company about which they are
complaining, their name and address so
they can be contacted for additional
information, as well as for a brief
comment regarding their complaint. In
addition, complainants have the option
of answering three yes-or-no questions
to help law enforcement investigating
complaints. The FTC staff estimates that
the time required of consumer
complainants is 3.0 minutes for phone
complaints and 2.5 minutes for online
complaints.
Identity Theft
To handle complaints about identity
theft, the FTC must obtain more detailed
information than is required of other
complainants. Identity theft complaints
generally require more information
(such as a description of actions
complainants have taken with credit
bureaus, companies, and law
enforcement, and the identification of
multiple suspects) than general
consumer complaints and fraud
complaints.2 Moreover, since January
2016, with the rollout of enhanced
features within the FTC’s
IdentityTheft.gov website, consumers
can create a personal recovery plan and
review various steps to implement it.
For those that do, FTC staff estimates,
based on contractor-provided
information, that consumers will need
15 minutes, on average, to complete the
2 The FTC received a mandate from a presidential
executive order entitled ‘‘Improving the security of
Consumer Financial Transactions’’ on October 17,
2014 to create a complete service and complaint
form for Identity Theft victims.
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complaint form, create an
IdentityTheft.gov account, and to review
their personalized recovery plan. For
those that do not, and based on
contractor-provided information, FTC
staff estimates that consumers will need
8.5 minutes, on average, to complete the
online complaint form.3
For consumers who call the CRC with
an identity theft complaint, staff
estimates that it will take 6 minutes per
call to obtain identity theft-related
information. A substantial portion of
identity theft-related calls typically
consists of counseling consumers on
other steps they should consider taking
to obtain relief (which may include
directing consumers to a revised online
complaint form). The time needed for
counseling is excluded from the
estimate.
CRC Surveys
Consumer customer satisfaction
surveys give the agency information
about the overall effectiveness and
timeliness of the CRC. Subsets of
consumers contacted throughout the
year are questioned about specific
aspects of CRC customer service. Each
consumer surveyed is asked several
questions chosen from a list prepared by
staff. The questions are designed to
elicit information from consumers about
the overall effectiveness of the call
center and online complaint intake. For
the online survey, half of the questions
ask consumers to rate CRC performance
on a scale or require a yes-or-no
response. The second half of the online
survey asks more open-ended questions
seeking a short answer. In addition, the
CRC may survey a sample of consumers
immediately after they file their
complaints regarding the services they
received. Staff estimates that each
respondent will require 4.3 minutes to
answer the questions during the phone
survey and about 3.1 minutes for the
online survey (approximately 20–30
seconds per question).
In addition, the FTC currently uses
ForeSee, Inc. for online customer
satisfaction surveys on
www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov. It
randomly selects consumers to take part
in a brief survey to provide feedback
about the website. Staff estimates the
brief survey will require 6.5 minutes per
respondent. This estimate and others
relating to ForeSee surveys are included
under ‘‘Misc. and fraud-related
consumer complaints (Web chat)’’ in the
table below.
Consumer Sentinel Network Survey
The FTC might conduct a brief survey
of Consumer Sentinel Network
satisfaction within the next three years.
It will likely be an online survey with
ten-minute duration. If so, estimated
maximum burden would be 417 hours
if every member completed it, given that
the maximum possible Sentinel user
base is 2,500 users.
What follows is a tabular presentation
of staff’s estimates of burden for these
various collections of information,
including the surveys. The figures for
the online forms and consumer hotlines
are an average of annualized volume for
the respective programs, including both
current and projected volumes over the
3-year clearance period sought. The
number of respondents for each activity
has been rounded to the nearest
thousand. The vast increase from the
last estimate, 186,884 hours, to the
current estimate, 1,166,994 hours,
reflects strong consumer participation in
the agency’s complaint collection
process.4
Number of
respondents
Activity
Number of
minutes/
activity
Total
hours
973,690
1,228,635
175,926
1,795,155
13,800,657
1,183,533
589,209
6.1
4.8
6.5
3.0
2.5
6.0
15.0
98,992
98,291
19,058
89,758
575,027
118,353
147,302
112,230
20,084
47,572
2,500
8.5
4.3
3.1
10
15,899
1,439
2,458
417
Totals ....................................................................................................................................
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Misc. and fraud-related consumer complaints (phone) ...............................................................
Misc. and fraud-related consumer complaints (online) ...............................................................
Misc. and fraud-related consumer complaints (web chat) ..........................................................
Do-Not-Call related consumer complaints (phone) .....................................................................
Do-Not-Call related consumer complaints (online) .....................................................................
Identity theft complaints (phone) .................................................................................................
Identity theft complaints (online) (those who create a personal recovery plan) .........................
Identity theft complaints (online) (those who complete online form but do not create a personal recovery plan) .................................................................................................................
CRC Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire(phone) .....................................................................
CRC Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire (online) ....................................................................
Consumer Sentinel Network Survey ...........................................................................................
19,929,191
........................
1,166,994
Annual Labor Cost Burden: The cost
per respondent should be negligible.
Participation is voluntary and will not
require any labor expenditures by
respondents. There are no capital, startup, operation, maintenance, or other
similar costs to the respondents.
(c) Program Evaluations: 77 hours.
Review of Divestiture Orders—72
hours.
The Commission issues, on average,
approximately 15–17 orders in merger
cases per year that require divestitures
or other remedies. As a result of a 1999
divestiture study and a more recent
2015 remedy study authorized by OMB
and conducted by the staffs of the
Bureau of Competition (BC) and the
Bureau of Economics, as well as ongoing
experience, BC monitors these required
remedies by interviewing
representatives of the Commissionapproved buyers of the divested assets
or other affected market participants
within the first year after the divestiture
is completed.
BC staff interviews representatives of
the buyers to ask whether all assets
required to be divested were, in fact,
divested; whether the buyer has used
the divested assets to enter the market
of concern to the Commission and, if so,
the extent to which the buyer is
participating in the market; whether the
divestiture met the buyer’s expectations;
and whether the buyer believes the
3 According to system-generated results, 84% of
complainants using IdentityTheft.gov opt to create
a personalized recovery plan. By extension, 16% do
not. These apportionments inform the associated
population figures that appear in the table below
regarding identity theft complaints online.
4 The population estimates generally present
marked increases from prior submissions for OMB
clearance regarding information collected through
these activities. While the FTC cannot definitively
explain such pronounced increase in consumer
visits to the FTC complaint site, the following are
several possible factors: (1) A sharp rise in Do-NotCall violations (by extension, an associated increase
in consumer complaints); (2) increased media
coverage regarding the Do-Not-Call and identity
theft portals; and (3) expanded FTC outreach
regarding its ftccomplaintassistant.gov website.
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divestiture has been successful. In a few
cases, BC staff may also interview
monitors, if appropriate. In cases in
which a remedy other than a divestiture
is required, staff will interview market
participants such as competitors or
customers to monitor the effectiveness
of the remedy. In all these interviews,
staff seeks to learn about pricing and
other basic facts regarding competition
in the markets of concern to the FTC.
Participation by the buyers or other
market participants is voluntary. Each
responding company designates the
company representative most likely to
have the necessary information;
typically, a company executive and an
attorney represent the company. Each
interview takes less than one hour to
complete. BC staff further estimates that
it takes each participant no more than
one hour to prepare for the interview.
Staff conservatively estimates that, for
each interview of the responding
company, two individuals (a company
executive and an attorney) will devote
two hours (one hour preparing and one
hour participating) each to responding
to questions for a total of four hours.
Interviews of monitors typically involve
only the monitor and take
approximately one hour to complete
with no more than one hour to prepare
for the interview. Assuming that staff
evaluates approximately 17 divestitures
per year during the three-year clearance
period, the total hours burden for the
responding companies will be
approximately 68 hours per year (17
divestiture reviews × 4 hours for
preparing and participating). Staff may
include approximately 2 monitor
interviews a year, which would add at
most 4 hours (2 interviews × 2 hours for
preparing and participating).
Annual Labor Cost Burden: Using the
burden hours estimated above, staff
estimates that the total annual labor
cost, based on a conservative estimated
average of $145/hour for executives’ and
attorneys’ wages, would be
approximately $10,440 (72 hours ×
$145).5 There are no capital, start-up,
operation, maintenance, or other similar
costs to respondents.
Review of Competition Advocacy
Program—5 hours.
The FTC’s competition advocacy
program draws on the Commission’s
expertise in competition and consumer
protection matters to encourage state
and federal legislators, agencies and
regulatory officials, and courts to
consider the effects of their decisions on
competition and consumer welfare. The
Commission and staff send
5 See supra note 1 (attorney salary source data for
‘‘Managing Attorney’’).
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approximately 20 letters to such
decision makers annually regarding the
likely effects of various bills and
regulations.
In the past, the Office of Policy
Planning (‘‘OPP’’) has evaluated the
effectiveness of these advocacy
comments by surveying comment
recipients and other relevant decision
makers. OPP intends to continue this
evaluation by sending a paper or
electronic questionnaire to relevant
parties within a year after sending an
advocacy.
Most survey questions ask the
respondent to agree or disagree with a
statement concerning the advocacy
comment that they received.
Specifically, these questions ask about
the consideration, content, influence,
and public effect of our comments. The
questionnaire also provides respondents
with an opportunity to provide
additional remarks regarding the
comments they received, advocacy
comments in general, and the outcome
of the matter. These survey results are
also included in the FTC’s internal
performance management indicators,
and are used to guide the FTC’s
selection and prioritization of future
competition advocacy opportunities.
OPP staff estimates that, on average,
respondents will each require 15
minutes or less to complete the
questionnaire. Thus, staff estimates a
cumulative total of 5 burden hours per
year (15 minutes of burden per
respondent × 20 respondents per year).
OPP staff does not intend to conduct
any follow-up activities that would
involve the respondents’ participation.
Annual Labor Cost Burden: OPP staff
estimates a conservative hourly labor
cost of $100 for the time of the survey
participants (primarily state
representatives and senators). Thus,
staff estimates a total labor cost of $25
for each response (15 minutes of burden
at $100 per hour). Assuming 20
respondents will complete the
questionnaire on an annual basis, staff
estimates cumulative yearly labor costs
will approximate $500. There are no
capital, start-up, operation,
maintenance, or other similar costs to
respondents.
Request for Comments
You can file a comment online or on
paper. For the FTC to consider your
comment, we must receive it on or
before March 23, 2018. Write
‘‘Paperwork Reduction Act: FTC File
No. P072108’’ on your comment. Your
comment—including your name and
your state—will be placed on the public
record of this proceeding, including, to
the extent practicable, on the public
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Commission website, at https://
www.ftc.gov/os/publiccomments.shtm.
As a matter of discretion, the
Commission tries to remove individuals’
home contact information from
comments before placing them on the
Commission website.
Postal mail addressed to the
Commission is subject to delay due to
heightened security screening. As a
result, we encourage you to submit your
comments online, or to send them to the
Commission by courier or overnight
service. To make sure that the
Commission considers your online
comment, you must file it at https://
ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/
adminactivitiespra by following the
instructions on the web-based form.
When this Notice appears at https://
www.regulations.gov/#!home, you also
may file a comment through that
website.
If you file your comment on paper,
write ‘‘Paperwork Reduction Act: FTC
File No. P072108’’ on your comment
and on the envelope, and mail it to the
following address: Federal Trade
Commission, Office of the Secretary,
600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite
CC–5610 (Annex J), Washington, DC
20580, or deliver your comment to the
following address: Federal Trade
Commission, Office of the Secretary,
Constitution Center, 400 7th Street SW,
5th Floor, Suite 5610 (Annex J),
Washington, DC 20024. If possible,
submit your paper comment to the
Commission by courier or overnight
service.
Because your comment will be placed
on the publicly accessible FTC website
at https://www.ftc.gov/, you are solely
responsible for making sure that your
comment does not include any sensitive
or confidential information. In
particular, your comment should not
include any sensitive personal
information, such as your or anyone
else’s Social Security number; date of
birth; driver’s license number or other
state identification number, or foreign
country equivalent; passport number;
financial account number; or credit or
debit card number. You are also solely
responsible for making sure that your
comment does not include any sensitive
health information, such as medical
records or other individually
identifiable health information. In
addition, your comment should not
include any ‘‘trade secret or any
commercial or financial information
which . . . is privileged or
confidential’’—as provided by Section
6(f) of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. 46(f), and
FTC Rule 4.10(a)(2), 16 CFR 4.10(a)(2)—
including in particular competitively
sensitive information such as costs,
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sales statistics, inventories, formulas,
patterns, devices, manufacturing
processes, or customer names.
Comments containing material for
which confidential treatment is
requested must be filed in paper form,
must be clearly labeled ‘‘Confidential,’’
and must comply with FTC Rule 4.9(c).
In particular, the written request for
confidential treatment that accompanies
the comment must include the factual
and legal basis for the request, and must
identify the specific portions of the
comment to be withheld from the public
record. See FTC Rule 4.9(c). Your
comment will be kept confidential only
if the General Counsel grants your
request in accordance with the law and
the public interest. Once your comment
has been posted on the public FTC
website—as legally required by FTC
Rule 4.9(b)—we cannot redact or
remove your comment from the FTC
website, unless you submit a
confidentiality request that meets the
requirements for such treatment under
FTC Rule 4.9(c), and the General
Counsel grants that request.
The FTC Act and other laws that the
Commission administers permit the
collection of public comments to
consider and use in this proceeding as
appropriate. The Commission will
consider all timely and responsive
public comments that it receives on or
before March 23, 2018. For information
on the Commission’s privacy policy,
including routine uses permitted by the
Privacy Act, see https://www.ftc.gov/
site-information/privacy-policy.
David C. Shonka,
Acting General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2018–00972 Filed 1–19–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6750–01–P
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Proposed Collection;
Comment Request
Federal Trade Commission
(FTC or Commission).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The information collection
requirements described below will be
submitted to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for review, as
required by the Paperwork Reduction
Act (PRA). The FTC seeks public
comments on its proposal to extend for
three years the current PRA clearances
for information collection requirements
contained in the Commission’s rules
and regulations under the Textile Fiber
Products Identification Act (Textile
ethrower on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:00 Jan 19, 2018
Jkt 244001
Rules). The clearance expires on April
30, 2018.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before March 23, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Interested parties may file a
comment online or on paper by
following the instructions in the
Request for Comments part of the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section
below. Write ‘‘Textile Rules: FTC File
No. P072108’’ on your comment, and
file your comment online at https://
ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/
textilerulespra1 by following the
instructions on the web-based form. If
you prefer to file your comment on
paper, mail or deliver your comment to
the following address: Federal Trade
Commission, Office of the Secretary,
600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite
CC–5610 (Annex J), Washington, DC
20580, or deliver your comment to the
following address: Federal Trade
Commission, Office of the Secretary,
Constitution Center, 400 7th Street SW,
5th Floor, Suite 5610 (Annex J),
Washington, DC 20024.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for copies of the collection of
information and supporting
documentation should be addressed to
Jock K. Chung, Attorney, Division of
Enforcement, Bureau of Consumer
Protection, Federal Trade Commission,
Mail Code CC–9528, 600 Pennsylvania
Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20580, (202)
326–2984.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed Information Collection
Activities
Under the Paperwork Reduction Act
(PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501–3520, federal
agencies must get OMB approval for
each collection of information they
conduct, sponsor, or require.
‘‘Collection of information’’ means
agency requests or requirements to
submit reports, keep records, or provide
information to a third party. 44 U.S.C.
3502(3); 5 CFR 1320.3(c). As required by
section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, the
FTC is providing this opportunity for
public comment before requesting that
OMB extend the existing PRA clearance
for the information collection
requirements associated with the
Commission’s rules and regulations
under the Textile Fiber Products
Identification Act (Textile Rules), 16
CFR part 303 (OMB Control Number
3084–0101).
The FTC invites comments on: (1)
Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
agency, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
PO 00000
Frm 00035
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
(2) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate
of the burden of the proposed collection
of information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
(3) ways to enhance the quality, utility,
and clarity of the information to be
collected; and (4) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on those who are to respond. All
comments must be received on or before
March 23, 2018.
Burden Estimates
Staff’s burden estimates are based on
data from the Department of
Commerce’s Bureau of the Census, the
International Trade Commission, the
Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS), and data or other input
from the main industry association, the
American Apparel and Footwear
Association (AAFA), and from
SICCode.com, which specializes in the
business classification of SIC (Standard
Industrial Classification) and NAICS
(North American Industry Classification
System) codes for business
identification, verification, and
targeting. The AAFA, a national trade
association which represents U.S.
apparel, footwear and other sewn
products companies and their suppliers,
has stated that ‘‘[t]he use of labels on
textiles and apparels is beneficial to
consumers, manufacturers, and business
in general as it allows for the necessary
flow of information along the supply
chain.’’ 1 The relevant information
collection requirements in these rules
and staff’s corresponding burden
estimates follow. The estimates address
the number of hours needed and the
labor costs incurred to comply with the
requirements. Staff believes that a
significant portion of hours and labor
costs currently attributable to burden
below are time and financial resources
usually and customarily incurred by
persons in the course of their regular
activity (e.g., industry participants
already have and/or would have fiber
content labels regardless of the rule(s))
and could be excluded from PRArelated burden.2
The Textile Fiber Products
Identification Act (‘‘Textile Act’’) 3
prohibits the misbranding and false
advertising of textile fiber products. The
Textile Rules establish disclosure
requirements that assist consumers in
making informed purchasing decisions,
1 Page one from comment by Kevin M. Burke,
President and CEO, American Apparel & Footwear
Association, March 26, 2012, Advance Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking; Request for Public Comment;
Rules and Regulations under the Wool Products
Labeling Act of 1939; 77 FR 4498 (Jan. 30, 2012).
2 5 CFR 1320.3(b)(2).
3 15 U.S.C. 70 et seq.
E:\FR\FM\22JAN1.SGM
22JAN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 14 (Monday, January 22, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2988-2992]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-00972]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection;
Comment Request
AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The information collection requirements described below will
be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review,
as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The FTC seeks public
comments on its proposal to extend for three years the current PRA
clearance for information collection requirements pertaining to the
Commission's administrative activities. That clearance expires on April
30, 2018, and consists of: (a) Applications to the Commission,
including applications and notices contained in the Commission's Rules
of Practice (primarily Parts I, II, and IV); (b) the FTC's consumer
complaint systems; and (c) the FTC's program evaluation activities.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 23, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Interested parties may file a comment online or on paper by
following the instructions in the Request for Comments part of the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below. Write ``Paperwork Reduction
Act: FTC File No. P072108'' on your comment, and file your comment
online at https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/adminactivitiespra by
following the instructions on the web-based form. If you prefer to file
your comment on paper, mail your comment to the following address:
Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, 600 Pennsylvania
Avenue NW, Suite CC-5610 (Annex J), Washington, DC 20580, or deliver
your comment to the following address: Federal Trade Commission, Office
of the Secretary,
[[Page 2989]]
Constitution Center, 400 7th Street SW, 5th Floor, Suite 5610 (Annex
J), Washington, DC 20024.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For purposes specific to this Federal
Register Notice: (a) Applications to the Commission: Gary Greenfield
(Office of the General Counsel), 202-326-2753; (b) Complaint Systems:
Nicholas Mastrocinque (Nick M.) and Ami Dziekan (Ami D.) (Bureau of
Consumer Protection); Nick M., 202-326-3188 and Ami D., 202-326-2648;
and (c) Program Evaluations: Jennifer Lee (Divestiture Orders), 202-
326-2246; Katherine Ambrogi (Review of Competition Advocacy Program),
202-326-2205.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed Information Collection Activities
Under the PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3521, federal agencies must get OMB
approval for each collection of information they conduct, sponsor, or
require. ``Collection of information'' means agency requests or
requirements to submit reports, keep records, or provide information to
a third party. 44 U.S.C. 3502(3); 5 CFR 1320.3(c). As required by
section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, the FTC is providing this opportunity
for public comment before requesting that OMB extend the existing PRA
clearance for the information collection requirements pertaining to the
Commission's administrative activities (OMB Control Number 3084-0047).
The FTC invites comments on: (1) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the information will have practical
utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who
are to respond.
Estimated annual hours burden: 1,167,181 hours (110 + 1,166,994 +
72 + 5).
Estimated annual labor cost: $25,240 ($14,300 + $0 + $10,440 +
$500).
Estimated annual non-labor/capital cost: $0.
(a) Applications to the Commission, including applications and
notices supported pursuant to the Commission's Rules of Practice: 110
hours.
Most applications to the Commission generally fall within the ``law
enforcement'' exception to the PRA and are mostly found in Part III
(Rules of Practice for Adjudicative Proceedings) of the Commission's
Rules of Practice. See 16 CFR 3.1-3.83. Nonetheless, there are various
applications and notices to the Commission contained in other rules
(generally in Parts I, II, and IV of the Commission's Rule of
Practice). For example, based on an averaging of results in recent
years, staff estimates that the FTC annually receives approximately 30
requests for clearance submitted by former FTC employees in order to
participate in certain matters and screening affidavits submitted by
partners or legal or business associates of former employees pursuant
to Rule 4.1, 16 CFR 4.1. There are also procedures set out in Rule
4.11(e) for agency review of outside requests for Commission employee
testimony, through compulsory process or otherwise, in cases or matters
to which the agency is not a party. Rule 4.11(e) requires that a person
who seeks such testimony submit a statement in support of the request.
Staff estimates that agency personnel receive approximately 15 requests
per year. Cumulatively, the above, along with various sundry additional
requests of sporadic nature for which the Commission also specifies
particular information required of the applicant or requester, amount
to about 55 applications or notices per year. Staff estimates each
respondent will incur, on average, approximately 2 hours of burden to
submit an application or notice, resulting in a cumulative 110 burden
hours per year (55 applications or notices x 2 burden hours).
Annual labor cost burden: Using the burden hours estimated above,
staff estimates that the total annual labor cost, based on an estimated
average of $130/hour for executives' and attorneys' wages, would be
approximately $14,300 (110 hours x $130).\1\ There are no capital,
start-up, operation, maintenance, or other similar costs to
respondents.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Figures based on national median salaries, including bonuses
and benefits, divided by a 2,080 hour work year (52 weeks x 40
hours/week), for a ``Managing Attorney ($145,'' ``Attorney II,''
``Attorney III,'' ``Attorney IV,'' and Attorney V'' at
www.salary.com.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(b) Complaint Systems: 1,166,994 annual hours.
Consumer Response Center
Consumers can submit complaints about fraud and other practices to
the FTC's Consumer Response Center (CRC) by telephone or through the
FTC's website. Telephone complaints and inquiries to the FTC are
answered both by FTC staff and contractors. These telephone counselors
ask for the same information that consumers would enter on the
applicable forms available on the FTC's website. For telephone
inquiries and complaints, the FTC staff estimates that it takes 6.1
minutes per call to gather information, and an estimated 4.8 minutes
for consumers to enter a complaint online. The burden estimate
conservatively assumes that all of the phone call is devoted to
collecting information from consumers, although frequently telephone
counselors devote a small portion of the call to providing requested
information to consumers.
Complaints Concerning the National Do Not Call Registry
To receive complaints from consumers of possible violations of the
rules governing the National Do Not Call Registry, 16 CFR 310.4(b), the
FTC maintains both an online form and a toll free hotline with
automated voice response system. Consumer complainants must provide the
phone number that was called, whether the call was prerecorded, and the
date and time of the call. They may also provide either the name or
telephone number of the company about which they are complaining, their
name and address so they can be contacted for additional information,
as well as for a brief comment regarding their complaint. In addition,
complainants have the option of answering three yes-or-no questions to
help law enforcement investigating complaints. The FTC staff estimates
that the time required of consumer complainants is 3.0 minutes for
phone complaints and 2.5 minutes for online complaints.
Identity Theft
To handle complaints about identity theft, the FTC must obtain more
detailed information than is required of other complainants. Identity
theft complaints generally require more information (such as a
description of actions complainants have taken with credit bureaus,
companies, and law enforcement, and the identification of multiple
suspects) than general consumer complaints and fraud complaints.\2\
Moreover, since January 2016, with the rollout of enhanced features
within the FTC's IdentityTheft.gov website, consumers can create a
personal recovery plan and review various steps to implement it. For
those that do, FTC staff estimates, based on contractor-provided
information, that consumers will need 15 minutes, on average, to
complete the
[[Page 2990]]
complaint form, create an IdentityTheft.gov account, and to review
their personalized recovery plan. For those that do not, and based on
contractor-provided information, FTC staff estimates that consumers
will need 8.5 minutes, on average, to complete the online complaint
form.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ The FTC received a mandate from a presidential executive
order entitled ``Improving the security of Consumer Financial
Transactions'' on October 17, 2014 to create a complete service and
complaint form for Identity Theft victims.
\3\ According to system-generated results, 84% of complainants
using IdentityTheft.gov opt to create a personalized recovery plan.
By extension, 16% do not. These apportionments inform the associated
population figures that appear in the table below regarding identity
theft complaints online.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
For consumers who call the CRC with an identity theft complaint,
staff estimates that it will take 6 minutes per call to obtain identity
theft-related information. A substantial portion of identity theft-
related calls typically consists of counseling consumers on other steps
they should consider taking to obtain relief (which may include
directing consumers to a revised online complaint form). The time
needed for counseling is excluded from the estimate.
CRC Surveys
Consumer customer satisfaction surveys give the agency information
about the overall effectiveness and timeliness of the CRC. Subsets of
consumers contacted throughout the year are questioned about specific
aspects of CRC customer service. Each consumer surveyed is asked
several questions chosen from a list prepared by staff. The questions
are designed to elicit information from consumers about the overall
effectiveness of the call center and online complaint intake. For the
online survey, half of the questions ask consumers to rate CRC
performance on a scale or require a yes-or-no response. The second half
of the online survey asks more open-ended questions seeking a short
answer. In addition, the CRC may survey a sample of consumers
immediately after they file their complaints regarding the services
they received. Staff estimates that each respondent will require 4.3
minutes to answer the questions during the phone survey and about 3.1
minutes for the online survey (approximately 20-30 seconds per
question).
In addition, the FTC currently uses ForeSee, Inc. for online
customer satisfaction surveys on www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov. It
randomly selects consumers to take part in a brief survey to provide
feedback about the website. Staff estimates the brief survey will
require 6.5 minutes per respondent. This estimate and others relating
to ForeSee surveys are included under ``Misc. and fraud-related
consumer complaints (Web chat)'' in the table below.
Consumer Sentinel Network Survey
The FTC might conduct a brief survey of Consumer Sentinel Network
satisfaction within the next three years. It will likely be an online
survey with ten-minute duration. If so, estimated maximum burden would
be 417 hours if every member completed it, given that the maximum
possible Sentinel user base is 2,500 users.
What follows is a tabular presentation of staff's estimates of
burden for these various collections of information, including the
surveys. The figures for the online forms and consumer hotlines are an
average of annualized volume for the respective programs, including
both current and projected volumes over the 3-year clearance period
sought. The number of respondents for each activity has been rounded to
the nearest thousand. The vast increase from the last estimate, 186,884
hours, to the current estimate, 1,166,994 hours, reflects strong
consumer participation in the agency's complaint collection process.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ The population estimates generally present marked increases
from prior submissions for OMB clearance regarding information
collected through these activities. While the FTC cannot
definitively explain such pronounced increase in consumer visits to
the FTC complaint site, the following are several possible factors:
(1) A sharp rise in Do-Not-Call violations (by extension, an
associated increase in consumer complaints); (2) increased media
coverage regarding the Do-Not-Call and identity theft portals; and
(3) expanded FTC outreach regarding its ftccomplaintassistant.gov
website.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of
Activity Number of minutes/ Total hours
respondents activity
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Misc. and fraud-related consumer complaints (phone)............. 973,690 6.1 98,992
Misc. and fraud-related consumer complaints (online)............ 1,228,635 4.8 98,291
Misc. and fraud-related consumer complaints (web chat).......... 175,926 6.5 19,058
Do-Not-Call related consumer complaints (phone)................. 1,795,155 3.0 89,758
Do-Not-Call related consumer complaints (online)................ 13,800,657 2.5 575,027
Identity theft complaints (phone)............................... 1,183,533 6.0 118,353
Identity theft complaints (online) (those who create a personal 589,209 15.0 147,302
recovery plan).................................................
Identity theft complaints (online) (those who complete online 112,230 8.5 15,899
form but do not create a personal recovery plan)...............
CRC Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire(phone).................. 20,084 4.3 1,439
CRC Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire (online)................ 47,572 3.1 2,458
Consumer Sentinel Network Survey................................ 2,500 10 417
-----------------------------------------------
Totals...................................................... 19,929,191 .............. 1,166,994
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual Labor Cost Burden: The cost per respondent should be
negligible. Participation is voluntary and will not require any labor
expenditures by respondents. There are no capital, start-up, operation,
maintenance, or other similar costs to the respondents.
(c) Program Evaluations: 77 hours.
Review of Divestiture Orders--72 hours.
The Commission issues, on average, approximately 15-17 orders in
merger cases per year that require divestitures or other remedies. As a
result of a 1999 divestiture study and a more recent 2015 remedy study
authorized by OMB and conducted by the staffs of the Bureau of
Competition (BC) and the Bureau of Economics, as well as ongoing
experience, BC monitors these required remedies by interviewing
representatives of the Commission-approved buyers of the divested
assets or other affected market participants within the first year
after the divestiture is completed.
BC staff interviews representatives of the buyers to ask whether
all assets required to be divested were, in fact, divested; whether the
buyer has used the divested assets to enter the market of concern to
the Commission and, if so, the extent to which the buyer is
participating in the market; whether the divestiture met the buyer's
expectations; and whether the buyer believes the
[[Page 2991]]
divestiture has been successful. In a few cases, BC staff may also
interview monitors, if appropriate. In cases in which a remedy other
than a divestiture is required, staff will interview market
participants such as competitors or customers to monitor the
effectiveness of the remedy. In all these interviews, staff seeks to
learn about pricing and other basic facts regarding competition in the
markets of concern to the FTC.
Participation by the buyers or other market participants is
voluntary. Each responding company designates the company
representative most likely to have the necessary information;
typically, a company executive and an attorney represent the company.
Each interview takes less than one hour to complete. BC staff further
estimates that it takes each participant no more than one hour to
prepare for the interview. Staff conservatively estimates that, for
each interview of the responding company, two individuals (a company
executive and an attorney) will devote two hours (one hour preparing
and one hour participating) each to responding to questions for a total
of four hours. Interviews of monitors typically involve only the
monitor and take approximately one hour to complete with no more than
one hour to prepare for the interview. Assuming that staff evaluates
approximately 17 divestitures per year during the three-year clearance
period, the total hours burden for the responding companies will be
approximately 68 hours per year (17 divestiture reviews x 4 hours for
preparing and participating). Staff may include approximately 2 monitor
interviews a year, which would add at most 4 hours (2 interviews x 2
hours for preparing and participating).
Annual Labor Cost Burden: Using the burden hours estimated above,
staff estimates that the total annual labor cost, based on a
conservative estimated average of $145/hour for executives' and
attorneys' wages, would be approximately $10,440 (72 hours x $145).\5\
There are no capital, start-up, operation, maintenance, or other
similar costs to respondents.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ See supra note 1 (attorney salary source data for ``Managing
Attorney'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Review of Competition Advocacy Program--5 hours.
The FTC's competition advocacy program draws on the Commission's
expertise in competition and consumer protection matters to encourage
state and federal legislators, agencies and regulatory officials, and
courts to consider the effects of their decisions on competition and
consumer welfare. The Commission and staff send approximately 20
letters to such decision makers annually regarding the likely effects
of various bills and regulations.
In the past, the Office of Policy Planning (``OPP'') has evaluated
the effectiveness of these advocacy comments by surveying comment
recipients and other relevant decision makers. OPP intends to continue
this evaluation by sending a paper or electronic questionnaire to
relevant parties within a year after sending an advocacy.
Most survey questions ask the respondent to agree or disagree with
a statement concerning the advocacy comment that they received.
Specifically, these questions ask about the consideration, content,
influence, and public effect of our comments. The questionnaire also
provides respondents with an opportunity to provide additional remarks
regarding the comments they received, advocacy comments in general, and
the outcome of the matter. These survey results are also included in
the FTC's internal performance management indicators, and are used to
guide the FTC's selection and prioritization of future competition
advocacy opportunities.
OPP staff estimates that, on average, respondents will each require
15 minutes or less to complete the questionnaire. Thus, staff estimates
a cumulative total of 5 burden hours per year (15 minutes of burden per
respondent x 20 respondents per year). OPP staff does not intend to
conduct any follow-up activities that would involve the respondents'
participation.
Annual Labor Cost Burden: OPP staff estimates a conservative hourly
labor cost of $100 for the time of the survey participants (primarily
state representatives and senators). Thus, staff estimates a total
labor cost of $25 for each response (15 minutes of burden at $100 per
hour). Assuming 20 respondents will complete the questionnaire on an
annual basis, staff estimates cumulative yearly labor costs will
approximate $500. There are no capital, start-up, operation,
maintenance, or other similar costs to respondents.
Request for Comments
You can file a comment online or on paper. For the FTC to consider
your comment, we must receive it on or before March 23, 2018. Write
``Paperwork Reduction Act: FTC File No. P072108'' on your comment. Your
comment--including your name and your state--will be placed on the
public record of this proceeding, including, to the extent practicable,
on the public Commission website, at https://www.ftc.gov/os/publiccomments.shtm. As a matter of discretion, the Commission tries to
remove individuals' home contact information from comments before
placing them on the Commission website.
Postal mail addressed to the Commission is subject to delay due to
heightened security screening. As a result, we encourage you to submit
your comments online, or to send them to the Commission by courier or
overnight service. To make sure that the Commission considers your
online comment, you must file it at https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/adminactivitiespra by following the instructions on the web-based
form. When this Notice appears at https://www.regulations.gov/#!home,
you also may file a comment through that website.
If you file your comment on paper, write ``Paperwork Reduction Act:
FTC File No. P072108'' on your comment and on the envelope, and mail it
to the following address: Federal Trade Commission, Office of the
Secretary, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite CC-5610 (Annex J),
Washington, DC 20580, or deliver your comment to the following address:
Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, Constitution Center,
400 7th Street SW, 5th Floor, Suite 5610 (Annex J), Washington, DC
20024. If possible, submit your paper comment to the Commission by
courier or overnight service.
Because your comment will be placed on the publicly accessible FTC
website at https://www.ftc.gov/, you are solely responsible for making
sure that your comment does not include any sensitive or confidential
information. In particular, your comment should not include any
sensitive personal information, such as your or anyone else's Social
Security number; date of birth; driver's license number or other state
identification number, or foreign country equivalent; passport number;
financial account number; or credit or debit card number. You are also
solely responsible for making sure that your comment does not include
any sensitive health information, such as medical records or other
individually identifiable health information. In addition, your comment
should not include any ``trade secret or any commercial or financial
information which . . . is privileged or confidential''--as provided by
Section 6(f) of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. 46(f), and FTC Rule 4.10(a)(2),
16 CFR 4.10(a)(2)--including in particular competitively sensitive
information such as costs,
[[Page 2992]]
sales statistics, inventories, formulas, patterns, devices,
manufacturing processes, or customer names.
Comments containing material for which confidential treatment is
requested must be filed in paper form, must be clearly labeled
``Confidential,'' and must comply with FTC Rule 4.9(c). In particular,
the written request for confidential treatment that accompanies the
comment must include the factual and legal basis for the request, and
must identify the specific portions of the comment to be withheld from
the public record. See FTC Rule 4.9(c). Your comment will be kept
confidential only if the General Counsel grants your request in
accordance with the law and the public interest. Once your comment has
been posted on the public FTC website--as legally required by FTC Rule
4.9(b)--we cannot redact or remove your comment from the FTC website,
unless you submit a confidentiality request that meets the requirements
for such treatment under FTC Rule 4.9(c), and the General Counsel
grants that request.
The FTC Act and other laws that the Commission administers permit
the collection of public comments to consider and use in this
proceeding as appropriate. The Commission will consider all timely and
responsive public comments that it receives on or before March 23,
2018. For information on the Commission's privacy policy, including
routine uses permitted by the Privacy Act, see https://www.ftc.gov/site-information/privacy-policy.
David C. Shonka,
Acting General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2018-00972 Filed 1-19-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6750-01-P
