National Institute of Standards and Technology 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Interim Meeting of the 97th National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM) will be held January 22 to 25, 2012. This notice contains information about significant items on the NCWM Committee agendas, but does not include all agenda items. As a result, the items are not consecutively numbered.

The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), United States Department of Commerce, is issuing a final rule amending the regulations pertaining to the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP). Regulations concerning the establishment of laboratory accreditation programs (LAPs) within NVLAP are being amended to clarify the original intent of this section and to improve the readability and understanding of the agency's regulations.

The National Construction Safety Team (NCST) Advisory Committee (Committee), will hold a meeting via teleconference on Wednesday, December 21, 2011 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time. The primary purpose of this meeting is to discuss the NCST Advisory Committee's draft annual report to Congress. A copy of the draft report will be posted on the NCST Advisory Committee's web site at https:// www.nist.gov/el/disasterstudies/ncst/index.cfm. Interested members of the public will be able to participate in the meeting from remote locations by calling into a central phone number.

The Technology Innovation Program (TIP) Advisory Board will hold a meeting via teleconference on Tuesday, December 6, 2011, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, Eastern time. The primary purpose of this meeting is to discuss the future of TIP. Interested members of the public will be able to participate in the meeting from remote locations by calling into a central phone number.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is publishing this notice on behalf of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to announce the NFPA's proposal to revise some of its fire safety codes and standards and requests proposals from the public to amend existing or begin the process of developing new NFPA fire safety codes and standards. The purpose of this request is to increase public participation in the system used by NFPA to develop its codes and standards.

The Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology announces that the closing deadline for submission of comments responsive to the September 21, 2011, request for information on the requirements of, and possible approaches to, creating a voluntary industry code of conduct to address the detection, notification and mitigation of botnets, has been extended until 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on November 14, 2011. Comments received between November 4, 2011, the due date for comments announced in the September 21, 2011 notice, and publication of this notice in the Federal Register, are deemed to be timely.

On September 12, 2011, NIST published a Request for Comment in the Federal Register, inviting interested parties to submit written comments on various possible features of a new nationwide interoperable public safety broadband network. The comments will be used by NIST to help determine research and development priorities in anticipation of the President's Wireless Innovation (WIN) Fund to help drive innovation of next-generation network technologies. NIST is publishing this notice to extend the deadline for the submission of comments pertaining to the September 12, 2011 notice until 5 p.m., Eastern Time, on Wednesday, October 26, 2011. No other changes are being made to the originally published Request for Comment.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) invites interested parties to attend a pre-consortium meeting on November 8, 2011 to be held at the NIST campus, with the option of participating via web-based meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to evaluate industry interest in creating a NIST/industry/Academia consortium focused on ``Concrete Rheology: Enabling Metrology (CREME)''. The goal of such a consortium could include determining key rheological parameters that best characterize the placement, finishability and consolidation of concrete. This goal would be achieved by developing test methods and models to measure and predict the performance parameters of fresh concrete in the lab and at the construction site. To move these ideas into practice and to engage industry, test bed facilities and quality control test methods for the field would be developed at NIST consortium members' participation. The consortium would be administered by NIST with consortium members' participation. Consortium planning, research and development would be conducted by NIST staff along with at least one technical representative from each participating member entities. Each member of the consortium will be required to sign a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (``CRADA'') with NIST. Membership fees for participation in the consortium will be Twenty-five Thousand ($25,000) per year. The initial term of the consortium is intended to be three years.

The Advisory Committee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction (ACEHR or Committee), will meet on Tuesday, November 8, 2011 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday, November 9, 2011, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The primary purposes of this meeting are to discuss the relationship of Presidential Policy Directive/PPD-8: National Preparedness to National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) activities, to review the conclusions of the National Research Council Report on National Earthquake Resilience, and to review NEHRP agency updates on their latest activities. The agenda may change to accommodate Committee business. The final agenda will be posted on the NEHRP Web site at https://nehrp.gov/.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. app., notice is hereby given that the Panel of Judges of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award will meet on Monday, November 14, 2011, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, November 15, 2011, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, November 16, 2011, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Thursday, November 17, 2011, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Friday, November 18, 2011, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Panel of Judges is composed of twelve members prominent in the fields of quality, innovation, and performance management and appointed by the Secretary of Commerce, assembled to advise the Secretary of Commerce on the conduct of the Baldrige Award. The purpose of this meeting is to conduct final judging of the 2011 applicants. The applications under review by Judges contain trade secrets and proprietary commercial information submitted to the Government in confidence.

On July 22, 2011, NIST published a Request for Information in the Federal Register inviting interested parties to submit written comments on how to best structure a potential new public-private partnership program, the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia (AMTech) Program, which was proposed in the NIST fiscal year (FY) 2012 budget. NIST is publishing this notice to extend the deadline for the submission of comments pertaining to the proposed AMTech Program until 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on Thursday, October 20, 2011. No other changes are being made to the originally published Request for Information.

The U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Department of Homeland Security are requesting information on the requirements of, and possible approaches to creating, a voluntary industry code of conduct to address the detection, notification and mitigation of botnets.\1\ Over the past several years, botnets have increasingly put computer owners at risk. A botnet infection can lead to the monitoring of a consumer's personal information and communication, and exploitation of that consumer's computing power and Internet access. Networks of these compromised computers are often used to disseminate spam, to store and transfer illegal content, and to attack the servers of government and private entities with massive, distributed denial of service attacks. The Departments seek public comment from all Internet stakeholders, including the commercial, academic, and civil society sectors, on potential models for detection, notification, prevention, and mitigation of botnets' illicit use of computer equipment.

The U.S. Department of Commerce's (DoC) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking input on various possible features of a new nationwide interoperable public safety broadband network. This input will be used by NIST to help determine research and development priorities in anticipation of the President's Wireless Innovation (WIN) Fund to help drive innovation of next-generation network technologies.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announces that the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Advisory Board, NIST will hold an open meeting on Wednesday, September 21, 2011, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Smart Grid Advisory Committee (SGAC or Committee) will hold a meeting via teleconference on Tuesday, August 23, 2011 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Time (E.T.). The primary purpose of this meeting is to review sections of the Committee's draft report to the NIST Director. The sections of the draft report that the Committee will consider at the meeting will be posted on the SGAC Web site at https:// www.nist.gov/smartgrid. Interested members of the public will be able to participate in the meeting from remote locations by calling into a central phone number.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) invites interested parties to provide input on how to best structure a new public-private partnership program, the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia (AMTech) program, proposed in the NIST fiscal year (FY) 2012 budget (see https://www.osec.doc.gov/bmi/budget/12CJ/2012_ NIST_&_NTIS_Cong_Budget.pdf pp. NIST-250 to NIST-254) for a copy of the AMTech budget justification). As envisioned, the AMTech program will provide Federal financial assistance to leverage existing or newly created industry-led consortia to develop precompetitive enabling manufacturing technologies. These consortia would develop roadmaps of critical long-term industrial manufacturing research needs, and issue subawards to fund research by universities, government laboratories, and U.S. businesses. This initiative will support research and development (R&D) in advanced manufacturing, with the goal of strengthening long-term U.S. leadership in the development of critical technologies that lead to sustainable economic growth and job creation.

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), United States Department of Commerce, announces the establishment of a National Construction Safety Team pursuant to the National Construction Safety Team Act. The Team was established to study the effects of the tornado that touched down in Joplin, MO, on May 22, 2011.

The Department of Commerce's (Department) Internet Policy Task Force is conducting a comprehensive review of the nexus between cybersecurity and innovation in the Internet economy. On July 28, 2010, the Department published a Notice of Inquiry seeking comment from all Internet stakeholders on the impact of cybersecurity policy issues in the United States and around the world on the pace of innovation in the information economy. The Department now seeks further comment on its report entitled, ``Cybersecurity, Innovation and the Internet Economy,'' available at https://www.nist.gov/itl. Through this Notice requesting comments on the report, the Department hopes to spur further discussion with Internet stakeholders that will lead to the development of a series of Administration positions that will help develop an action plan in this important area.

The Department of Commerce (Department) is conducting a comprehensive review of governance models for a governance body to administer the processes for policy and standards adoption for the Identity Ecosystem Framework in accordance with the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC or ``Strategy''). The Strategy refers to this governance body as the ``steering group.'' The Department seeks public comment from all stakeholders, including the commercial, academic and civil society sectors, and consumer and privacy advocates on potential models, in the form of recommendations and key assumptions in the formation and structure of the steering group. The Department seeks to learn and understand approaches for: (1) The structure and functions of a persistent and sustainable private sector-led steering group and (2) the initial establishment of the steering group. This Notice specifically seeks comment on the structures and processes for Identity Ecosystem governance. This Notice does not solicit comments or advice on the policies that will be chosen by the steering group or specific issues such as accreditation or trustmark schemes, which will be considered by the steering group at a later date. Responses to this Notice will serve only as input for a Departmental report of government recommendations for establishing the NSTIC steering group.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), as the National Metrology Institute (NMI) of the U.S., is signatory to the Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) of the Comit[eacute] International des Poids et Mesures (CIPM). Section 6.1 of the MRA provides for cases in which an NMI may designate a laboratory other than itself to participate in CIPM key comparisons on behalf of its nation and to be responsible for disseminating the national measurement standards relevant to that particular measurand. This notice announces that NIST has designated the Cannon Instrument Company (State College, PA) pursuant to the MRA for the measurements of viscosity until January 1, 2013.

NIST announces the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) Governance Workshop to be held on Thursday, June 9, 2011, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Friday, June 10, 2011, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. This workshop will identify and discuss various governance models to administer the process for policy and standards adoption for the Identity Ecosystem Framework in accordance with the Strategy. The goals of this workshop are to provide a venue for discussion and additional clarity on the forthcoming Notice of Inquiry (NOI) on models for a governance structure for the NSTIC Identity Ecosystem, including an overview of key issues pertaining to structure, stakeholder representation, steering group initiation, and priorities. Additional workshops will be announced in the Federal Register.

NIST is soliciting interest in supplying voting equipment used in an election in 2008 or later and/or certified (or submitted for certification) by the Election Assistance Commission for use by NIST in research to develop and assess NIST's test procedures for voting equipment. Manufacturers interested in participating in this research will be asked to execute a Letter of Understanding. Interested parties are invited to contact NIST for information regarding participation, Letters of Understanding and shipping.

NIST announces that the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Advisory Board, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will hold an open meeting on Sunday, May 15, 2011, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Panel of Judges and Board of Overseers will hold a meeting on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss and review information received from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and from the Chair of the Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The agenda will include: Baldrige Program Update, Baldrige Fellows Program Discussion, and Strategic Planning.