Agencies and Commissions June 13, 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Commission has before it a petition for rulemaking filed by Ocean State Television, LLC (Petitioner or OST), licensee of television station WPXQ-TV, channel 17, Block Island, Rhode Island (WPXQ). WPXQ operates on channel 17 on a shared basis with commercial television station WLWC, New Bedford, Massachusetts, also licensed to OST. OST requests an amendment of the DTV Table of Allotments to delete channel 17 at Block Island, Rhode Island, and substitute channel 17 at Newport, Rhode Island. Petitioner also requests modification of WPXQ's license to specify Newport as its community of license pursuant to agency rules. The Petitioner asserts that substantial public interests weigh heavily in favor of reallocating WPXQ to Newport. Newport has a population of 24,027 while Block Island's population consists of approximately 1,000. Petitioner asserts that the proposed reallotment will cause no public harm because Block Island will not only continue to be served by five full-power commercial and one full-power non- commercial television stations, but will also continue to receive the exact same over-the-air service from Petitioner that they are receiving currently. The proposal would result in a preferential allotment by providing Newport with its first local full-power television services in satisfaction of the Commission's second allotment priority, which is also consistent with Commission precedent and consistent with the public interest.

The National Endowment for the Humanities will hold six meetings of the Humanities Panel, a federal advisory committee, during July 2018. The purpose of the meetings is for panel review, discussion, evaluation, and recommendation of applications for financial assistance under the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965.

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. International Trade Commission has received a complaint entitled Certain Convertible Sofas and Components Thereof, DN 3321; the Commission is soliciting comments on any public interest issues raised by the complaint or complainant's filing pursuant to the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure.

The Commission is noticing a recent filing requesting that the Commission initiate an informal rulemaking proceeding to consider changes to an analytical method for use in periodic reporting (Proposal Three). This document informs the public of the filing, invites public comment, and takes other administrative steps.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) establishes the Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and the Connect USVI Fund to rebuild, improve and expand voice and broadband networks in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Through the Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund, the Commission will make available up to $750 million of funding to carriers in Puerto Rico, including an immediate infusion of $51.2 million for restoration efforts in 2018. Through the Connect USVI Fund, the Commission will make available up to $204 million of funding to carriers in the U.S. Virgin Islands, including an immediate infusion of $13 million for restoration efforts in 2018. As a result of these Funds, as well as the Commission's decision not to offset more than $65 million in advance payments it made to carriers last year, it will make available up to $256 million in additional high-cost support for rebuilding, improving, and expanding broadband-capable networks in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.