November 24, 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Commission considered a First Report and Order, Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, and Order of Proposed Modification that would adopt rules to repurpose 45 megahertz of spectrum in the 5.850-5.895 GHz band for unlicensed operations, retain 30 megahertz of spectrum in the 5.895-5.925 GHz band for the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) service, and require the transition of the ITS radio service standard from Dedicated Short-Range Communications technology to Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything technology. 2...................... INTERNATIONAL....... TITLE: Further Streamlining of Satellite Regulations (IB Docket No. 18-314). .................... SUMMARY: The Commission considered a Report and Order that would streamline its satellite licensing rules by creating an optional framework for authorizing space stations and blanket- licensed earth stations through a unified license. 3...................... INTERNATIONAL....... TITLE: Facilitating Next Generation Fixed- Satellite Services in the 17 GHz Band (IB Docket No. 20-330). .................... SUMMARY: The Commission considered a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would propose to add a new allocation in the 17.3-17.8 GHz band for Fixed-Satellite Service space-to-Earth downlinks and to adopt associated technical rules. 4...................... CONSUMER & TITLE: Telecommunications GOVERNMENTAL Relay Services and AFFAIRS. Speech-to-Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities (CG Docket No. 03-123); Structure and Practices of the Video Relay Service Program (CG Docket No. 10-51); and Misuse of Internet Protocol Relay Service (CG Docket No. 12-38). .................... SUMMARY: The Commission considered a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would propose expansion of the Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) Fund contribution base for supporting Video Relay Service (VRS) and Internet Protocol Relay Service (IP Relay) to include intrastate telecommunications revenue, as a way of strengthening the funding base for these forms of TRS and making it more equitable without increasing the size of the Fund itself. 5...................... MEDIA............... TITLE: Revision of the Commission's Part 76 Review Procedures (MB Docket No. 20-70); Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative (MB Docket No. 17-105); and Revision of the Commission's Program Carriage Rules (MB Docket No. 11-131). .................... SUMMARY: The Commission considered a Report and Order that would modify the Commission's rules governing the resolution of program carriage disputes between video programming vendors and multichannel video programming distributors. 6...................... WIRELESS TELE- TITLE: Licensing Matter. COMMUNICATIONS AND OFFICE OF GENERAL COUNSEL. .................... SUMMARY: The Commission considered a licensing matter. 7...................... ENFORCEMENT......... TITLE: Enforcement Bureau Action. .................... SUMMARY: The Commission considered an enforcement action.

We are announcing an upcoming meeting of the State, Local, Tribal, and Private Sector Policy Advisory Committee (SLTPS-PAC) in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act and implementing regulations.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeks to gain a comprehensive understanding of the impact of changes adopted by health care systems and health care providers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many healthcare systems and clinicians have rapidly reengineered their policies and programs to improve access, safety, quality, outcomes including mortality and morbidity, cost, and value for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 related medical conditions. HHS plans to identify and learn from effective innovative approaches and best practices implemented by non-HHS organizations in order to inform HHS priorities and programs.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request approval of a new collection, entitled: Agritourism Directory, from the Office of Management and Budget. Upon approval, we request that this collection be merged into OMB 0581-0169, Local Food Directories and Survey, which was approved January 29, 2020.

This action amends Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface in Toccoa, GA, due to the decommissioning of the Foothills Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range/Distance Measuring Equipment (VOR/DME) and cancellation of the associated approaches at Toccoa RG Letourneau Field Airport. This action also updates the geographic coordinates of the airport, as well as Habersham County Airport. Controlled airspace is necessary for the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations in the area.

This rule establishes, amends, suspends, or removes Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPS) and associated Takeoff Minimums and Obstacle Departure procedures (ODPs) for operations at certain airports. These regulatory actions are needed because of the adoption of new or revised criteria, or because of changes occurring in the National Airspace System, such as the commissioning of new navigational facilities, adding new obstacles, or changing air traffic requirements. These changes are designed to provide safe and efficient use of the navigable airspace and to promote safe flight operations under instrument flight rules at the affected airports.

The Copyright Royalty Judges announce a cost of living adjustment (COLA) of 1.2% in the royalty rates satellite carriers pay for a compulsory license under the Copyright Act. The COLA is based on the change in the Consumer Price Index from October 2019 to October 2020.

The FAA proposes to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2017-17-01, which applies to certain Airbus Helicopters Model AS332L2 and EC225LP helicopters. AD 2017-17-01 requires repetitive inspections of the main rotor blade (MRB) attachment pins. Since issuing AD 2017- 17-01, the FAA has determined that it is necessary to measure the attachment pin chamfer after corrosion removal, that replacement of an attachment pin after four corrosion removals is no longer necessary, and that all Airbus Helicopters Model AS332L2 and EC225LP helicopters are affected by the unsafe condition. This proposed AD would continue to require the repetitive inspections of the MRB attachment pins, and would include a new requirement to repetitively measure the attachment pin chamfer at certain intervals after corrosion removal, as specified in a European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which will be incorporated by reference. This proposed AD would also continue to require replacing the attachment pin if there is corrosion pitting. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

This action modifies the Class E airspace designated as an extension to a Class D or Class E surface area at Truckee-Tahoe Airport. This action also modifies the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface. Lastly, this action proposes an administrative correction to all of the airspaces' legal descriptions.

The FAA announces the availability of and requests comments on proposed airworthiness criteria for the 3DRobotics Government Services Model 3DR-GS H520-G unmanned aircraft system (UAS). This document proposes airworthiness criteria the FAA finds to be appropriate and applicable for the UAS design.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a source-specific State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Air Quality (DAQ), in final form, through a letter dated September 3, 2020. North Carolina's September 3, 2020, source- specific SIP revision requests that EPA incorporate into the SIP more stringent sulfur dioxide (SO2) permit limits than those currently contained in the SIP for the Blue Ridge Paper Products, LLC (also known as BRPP) facility located in the Beaverdam Township Area of Haywood County, North Carolina. Specifically, EPA is approving, into the SIP, specific SO2 permit limits and associated operating restrictions, monitoring, recordkeeping, reporting (MRR) and testing compliance requirements established in BRPP's title V operating permit as permanent and enforceable SO2 control measures. North Carolina submitted these limits to support its recommendation that EPA designate the Beaverdam Township Area as ``attainment/unclassifiable'' under the 2010 primary SO2 national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS or standard) (also referred to as the 2010 1-hour SO2 NAAQS). The purpose of this rulemaking is not to take action on whether these SO2 emissions limits are adequate for EPA to designate the Beaverdam Township Area as attainment under the 2010 1-hour SO2 NAAQS. Instead, EPA will determine the air quality status and designate remaining undesignated areas for the 2010 1-hour SO2 NAAQS, including the Beaverdam Township Area, in a separate action. This SIP approval does not prejudge that future designation action.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving the negative declarations submitted to satisfy the requirements of the Emission Guidelines and Compliance times for Municipal Solid Waste Landfills (MSW) for the City of Philadelphia, located in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. The negative declaration certifies that there are no existing facilities in the City of Philadelphia or the District of Columbia that must comply with this rule.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (Commission) is granting an exemption to UBS AG (UBS), a firm designated by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), from the application of certain of the Commission's foreign futures and option regulations based upon substituted compliance with certain comparable regulatory and self-regulatory requirements of a foreign regulatory authority consistent with conditions specified by the Commission, as set forth herein. This Order is issued pursuant to Commission Sec. 30.10(a), which permits persons to file a petition with the Commission for exemption from the application of certain of the regulations set forth in part 30 and authorizes the Commission to grant such an exemption if such action would not be otherwise contrary to the public interest or to the purposes of the provision from which exemption is sought. The Commission notes that this Order does not pertain to any transaction in swaps, as defined in Section 1a(47) of the Commodity Exchange Act (Act).

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (Commission or CFTC) is granting an exemption to certain member firms designated by the National Stock Exchange International Financial Service Centre Limited (NSE IFSC) from the application of certain of the Commission's foreign futures and option regulations based upon substituted compliance with certain comparable regulatory and self-regulatory requirements of a foreign regulatory authority consistent with conditions specified by the Commission, as set forth herein. This Order is issued pursuant to Commission regulation 30.10, which permits persons to file a petition with the Commission for exemption from the application of certain of the regulations set forth in part 30 and authorizes the Commission to grant such an exemption if such action would not be otherwise contrary to the public interest or to the purposes of the provision from which exemption is sought. The Commission notes that this Order does not pertain to any transaction in swaps, as defined in Section 1a(47) of the Commodity Exchange Act (Act).

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (``CFTC'') and the Securities and Exchange Commission (``SEC'') (collectively, the ``Commissions'') are adopting rule amendments to lower the margin requirement for an unhedged security futures position from 20% to 15% and adopting certain conforming revisions to the security futures margin offset table.

On May 14, 2020, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) published a proposal to clarify the Federal regulations about how OSMRE notifies State regulatory authorities, via issuance of a ten-day notice (TDN), of possible violations of any requirement of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA). This final rule adopts, with minor adjustments, much of OSMRE's proposals to streamline the process for OSMRE's coordination with State regulatory authorities in order to minimize duplication of inspections, enforcement, and administration of SMCRA. This final rule comports with the specific language of SMCRA, remedies internal disparate application of existing regulations, and will operate to ensure more effective enforcement of SMCRA. Additionally, the final rule will enhance the procedures for early identification of, and implementation of corrective action to address, State regulatory program issues.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is promulgating revisions to its major New Source Review (NSR) applicability regulations to clarify when the requirement to obtain a major NSR permit applies to a source proposing to undertake a physical change or a change in the method of operation (i.e., a project) under the major NSR preconstruction permitting programs. Under these programs, an existing major stationary source proposing to undertake a project must determine whether that project will constitute a major modification subject to the major NSR preconstruction permitting requirements by following a two-step applicability test. The first step is to determine if the proposed project would result in a ``significant emissions increase'' of a regulated NSR pollutant (Step 1). If the proposed project is determined to result in such an increase, the second step is to determine if the project would also result in a ``significant net emissions increase'' of that pollutant from the source (Step 2). In this action, we are promulgating revisions to our major NSR applicability regulations to clarify that both increases and decreases in emissions resulting from a proposed project can be considered in Step 1 of the major NSR major modification applicability test. We refer to the consideration of emissions increases and decreases in Step 1 as project emissions accounting.