Agencies and Commissions January 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In this document, the Commission adopted a document seeking comment on its proposal to amend the Commission's rules governing the Emergency Alert System (EAS) rules to provide for national EAS testing and collection of data from such tests. The purpose of this testing and data collection is to determine whether the EAS will function as required should the President issue a national alert.

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 newly formed Education and Public Outreach Committee of the NASA Advisory Council. This will be the first meeting of this Committee.

The Postal Service proposes to revise its standards to reflect changes and updates for Express Mail[supreg] Open and Distribute and Priority Mail[supreg] Open and Distribute to improve efficiencies in processing and to control costs.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'' or ``SEC'') is proposing amendments to Rule 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (``Exchange Act''), which provides issuers with a ``safe harbor'' from liability for manipulation when they repurchase their common stock in the market in accordance with the Rule's manner, timing, price, and volume conditions. The proposed amendments are intended to clarify and modernize the safe harbor provisions in light of market developments since Rule 10b-18's adoption in 1982.

We are requesting your comments about our operating procedures for determining disability for persons whose drug addiction or alcoholism (DAA) may be a contributing factor material to our determination of disability.

This action adds to the Procurement List a service to be furnished by a nonprofit agency employing persons who are blind or have other severe disabilities.

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 Commercial Space Committee to the NASA Advisory Council.

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 of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520. 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 (PRA) 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; (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 and (e) ways to further reduce the information burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees.

The Commission is adding Inbound International Expedited International Services 3 to the Competitive Product List. This action is consistent with changes in a recent law governing postal operations. Republication of the lists of market dominant and competitive products is also consistent with new requirements in the law.

This notice lists the projects approved by rule by the Susquehanna River Basin Commission during the period set forth in DATES.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) (collectively, the agencies) are amending their general risk- based and advanced risk-based capital adequacy frameworks by adopting a final rule that eliminates the exclusion of certain consolidated asset- backed commercial paper programs from risk-weighted assets; provides for an optional two-quarter implementation delay followed by an optional two-quarter partial implementation of the effect on risk- weighted assets that will result from changes to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles; provides for an optional two-quarter delay, followed by an optional two-quarter phase-in, of the application of the agencies' regulatory limit on the inclusion of the allowance for loan and lease losses (ALLL) in tier 2 capital for the portion of the ALLL associated with the assets a banking organization consolidates as a result of changes to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles; and provides a reservation of authority to permit the agencies to require a banking organization to treat entities that are not consolidated under accounting standards as if they were consolidated for risk-based capital purposes, commensurate with the risk relationship of the banking organization to the structure. The delay and subsequent phase-in periods of the implementation will apply only to the agencies' risk-based capital requirements, not the leverage ratio requirement.

The Federal Maritime Commission is issuing this Inquiry to solicit information and comments concerning the benefits and burdens of the current Commission requirements by which passenger vessel operators establish proof of financial responsibility in the event of nonperformance of a contracted cruise from a U.S. port. Comments received from the public and interested segments of the passenger cruise industry will assist in determining whether or not the Commission should amend its regulations at 46 CFR part 540, subpart A.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is issuing public notice of its intent to establish a new system of records maintained in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended, entitled ``USAID-029, On-Line Collaboration Records''. This action is necessary to meet the requirements of the Privacy Act to publish in the Federal Register notice of the existence and character of record systems maintained by the agency (5 U.S.C. 522a(e)(4)).

Notice is hereby given that a complaint was filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission on December 29, 2009, under section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, 19 U.S.C. 1337, on behalf of Nokia Corporation of Finland and Nokia Inc. of White Plains, New York. The complaint alleges violations of section 337 based upon the importation into the United States, the sale for importation, and the sale within the United States after importation of certain electronic devices, including mobile phones, portable music players, and computers, by reason of infringement of certain claims of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,714,091; 6,834,181; 6,895,256; 6,518,957; 6,073,036; 6,262,735; and 6,924,789. The complaint further alleges that an industry in the United States exists as required by subsection (a)(2) of section 337.