Agencies and Commissions March 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Premerger Notification Office of the Federal Trade Commission, with the concurrence of the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division of the Department, is issuing this Formal Interpretation of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act to repeal Formal Interpretation 15, which governs the reportability of certain transactions involving the formation of a Limited Liability Company (``LLC''). All transactions involving LLCs will be governed by 16 CFR parts 801, 802 and 803 beginning on the effective date of this notice.

This document seeks public comment on a speed of answer requirement for the provision of Video Relay Service (VRS). The speed of answer requirement is currently waived as a mandatory minimum standard for VRS. The Federal Communications Commission (Commission) has reviewed the comments provided in response to the Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) contained in the 2004 TRS Report and Order, and found that they lack specificity on certain elements of a speed of answer rule. In this document, the Commission is seeking additional comment on whether a speed of answer rule should be adopted for VRS and, if so, what the rule should be.

This document grants four new FM broadcast allotments in Adams, Massachusetts; Ashtabula, Ohio; Crested Butte, Colorado; Lawrence Park, Pennsylvania. The Audio Division, Media Bureau, at the request of Dana Puopolo, allots Channel 255A at Adams, Massachusetts, as the community's local aural transmission service. That allotment also requires a site change for Channel 255A at Rosendale, NY. Channel 255A is allotted to Adams in compliance with the Commission's minimum distance separation requirements with a site restriction of 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) west of the community. The reference coordinates for Channel 255A at Adams are 42-37-12 NL and 73-08-12 WL. The reference coordinates for Channel 255A at Rosendale are 41-54-47 NL and 74-09-00 WL. Since Adams is located within 320 kilometers (200 miles) of the U.S.-Canadian border, concurrence from the Canadian government has been received. See Supplementary Information, infra.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, as amended, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announces a meeting of the NASA Solar System Exploration Strategic Roadmap Committee.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) proposes to amend its fire protection regulations for nuclear power facilities operating prior to January 1, 1979. The amendment would allow nuclear power plant licensees to use manual actions by plant operators as an alternative method to achieve hot shutdown conditions in the event of fires in certain plant areas, provided that the actions are evaluated against specified criteria and determined to be acceptable and that fire detectors and an automatic fire suppression system are provided in the fire area. The Commission believes that the proposed action would provide realistically conservative regulatory acceptance criteria for operator manual actions to achieve and maintain hot shutdown condition. The NRC is also proposing and requesting comments on a draft regulatory guide to support this proposed rulemaking. The NRC has developed the Regulatory Guide Series to describe and make available to the public such information as methods that are acceptable to the NRC staff for implementing specific parts of the NRC's regulations, techniques that the staff uses in evaluating specific problems or postulated accidents, and data that the staff needs in its review of applications for permits and licenses. The draft regulatory guide, entitled ``Demonstrating the Feasibility and Reliability of Operator Manual Actions in Response to Fire,'' is temporarily identified by its task number, DG-1136, which should be mentioned in all related correspondence. This proposed regulatory guide offers guidance for NRC licensees and applicants to use in implementing the feasibility and reliability criteria that the staff developed for post-fire operator manual actions.

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Secretariat has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve an extension of a currently approved information collection requirement concerning OMB Circular A-119. A request for public comments was published at 69 FR 74504, December 14, 2004. No comments were received. Public comments are particularly invited on: Whether this collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of functions of the FAR, and whether it will have practical utility; whether our estimate of the public burden of this collection of information is accurate, and based on valid assumptions and methodology; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways in which we can minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, through the use of appropriate technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

This document proposes several revisions to the procedural rules governing practice before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

The Committee is proposing to add to the Procurement List a product to be furnished by nonprofit agencies employing persons who are blind or have other severe disabilities, and to delete products previously furnished by such agencies. Comments Must Be Received on or Before: April 3, 2005.

The Federal Communications Commission, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burden invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection(s), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Public Law 104-13. An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid control number. No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act that does not display a valid control number. Comments are requested concerning (a) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Commission's burden estimate; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on the respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.