[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 70 (Friday, April 10, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20276-20277]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-07586]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
[WC Docket Nos. 17-108, 17-287, 11-42; DA 20-331; FRS 16607]
Telecommunications; Common Carriers; Internet
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) of the Federal
Communications Commission grants a 21-day extension of time for filing
comments and reply comments on the Public Notice seeking to refresh the
record in the Restoring Internet Freedom and Lifeline proceedings.
DATES: Comments are due on or before April 20, 2020, and reply comments
are due on or before May 20, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by WC Docket Nos. 17-
108, 17-287, and 11-42, by any of the following methods:
Federal Communications Commission's Website: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: Parties who choose to file by paper must file an
original and one copy of each filing. If more than one docket or
rulemaking number appears in the caption of this proceeding, filers
must submit two additional copies for each additional docket or
rulemaking number. Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery,
by commercial overnight courier, or by first-class or overnight U.S.
Postal Service mail. All filings must be addressed to the Commission's
Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission.
All hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings for the
Commission's Secretary must be delivered to FCC Headquarters at 445
12th St. SW, Room TW-A325, Washington, DC 20554. The filing hours are
8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. All hand deliveries must be held together with
rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes and boxes must be disposed of
before entering the building. Commercial overnight mail (other than
U.S. Postal Service Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to
9050 Junction Drive, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701. U.S. Postal Service
first-class, Express, and Priority mail must be addressed to 445 12th
Street SW, Washington, DC 20554.
People With Disabilities: To request materials in
accessible formats for people with disabilities (braille, large print,
electronic files, audio format), send an email to [email protected] or
call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530
(voice), 202-418-0432 (tty).
For detailed instructions for submitting comments and additional
information on the rulemaking process, see the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Annick Banoun, Competition Policy
Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, at (202) 418-1521 or
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 19, 2020, the Bureau released a
Public Notice seeking to refresh the record in the Restoring Internet
Freedom and Lifeline proceedings in light of the D.C. Circuit's
decision in Mozilla Corp. v. FCC, with filing deadlines of March 30,
2020 for comments and April 29, 2020 for reply comments. (85 FR 12555
(Mar. 3, 2020)) Among other things, the Public Notice sought to refresh
the record on how the changes adopted in the Restoring internet Freedom
Order might affect public safety.
On March 11, 2020, The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society,
California Public Utilities Commission, County of Santa Clara, City of
Los Angeles, Access Now, Center for Democracy and Technology, Common
Cause, Electronic Frontier Foundation, INCOMPAS, National Hispanic
Media Coalition, Next Century Cities, Open Technology Institute, and
Public Knowledge (Requesters) filed a motion to extend the comment and
reply comment deadlines by 30 days each, to April 29, 2020 and May 29,
2020, respectively. Requesters assert that, among other things, there
is a ``critical need for an extension'' to enable state, county, and
municipal governments to be able to respond adequately to the
[[Page 20277]]
issues raised in the Public Notice relating to how the Commission's
action affects public safety. NASUCA expressed support for the
Extension Request.
As set forth in section 1.46 of the Commission's rules, it is the
policy of the Commission that extensions of time shall not be routinely
granted. The deadlines stated in the Public Notice provided interested
parties more than a month to submit comments, and an additional month
for reply comments. Nevertheless, we find that Requesters have shown
good cause for an extension of the comment cycle, and that the public
interest will be served by extending the comment and reply deadlines.
Requesters assert that staff, officials, and first responders who
possess knowledge relevant to the public safety-related questions
raised in the Public Notice are presently occupied with preparing for
and conducting emergency responses to the COVID-19 public safety
crisis. Under such circumstances, we agree that an extension of three
weeks for each deadline is warranted. At the same time, we agree with
Requesters that ``the Commission has a duty to conduct its remand
proceedings in an expeditious manner,'' and we find that this
consideration counsels for a shorter extension than the full 30 days
requested.
These proceedings shall be treated as a ``permit-but-disclose''
proceeding in accordance with the Commission's ex parte rules. Persons
making ex parte presentations must file a copy of any written
presentation or a memorandum summarizing any oral presentation within
two business days after the presentation (unless a different deadline
applicable to the Sunshine period applies). Persons making oral ex
parte presentations are reminded that memoranda summarizing the
presentation must (1) list all persons attending or otherwise
participating in the meeting at which the ex parte presentation was
made, and (2) summarize all data presented and arguments made during
the presentation. If the presentation consisted in whole or in part of
the presentation of data or arguments already reflected in the
presenter's written comments, memoranda or other filings in the
proceeding, the presenter may provide citations to such data or
arguments in his or her prior comments, memoranda, or other filings
(specifying the relevant page and/or paragraph numbers where such data
or arguments can be found) in lieu of summarizing them in the
memorandum. Documents shown or given to Commission staff during ex
parte meetings are deemed to be written ex parte presentations and must
be filed consistent with rule 1.1206(b). In proceedings governed by
rule 1.49(f) or for which the Commission has made available a method of
electronic filing, written ex parte presentations and memoranda
summarizing oral ex parte presentations, and all attachments thereto,
must be filed through the electronic comment filing system available
for that proceeding, and must be filed in their native format (e.g.,
.doc, .xml, .ppt, searchable .pdf). Participants in this proceeding
should familiarize themselves with the Commission's ex parte rules.
Pursuant to sections 1.415 and 1.419 of the Commission's rules, 47
CFR 1.415, 1.419, interested parties may file comments and reply
comments on or before the dates indicated on the first page of this
document. Comments may be filed using the Commission's Electronic
Comment Filing System (ECFS). See Electronic Filing of Documents in
Rulemaking Proceedings, 63 FR 24121 (1998).
[ssquf] Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically
using the internet by accessing the ECFS: http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/.
[ssquf] Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must file
an original and one copy of each filing. If more than one docket or
rulemaking number appears in the caption of this proceeding, filers
must submit two additional copies for each additional docket or
rulemaking number.
Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, by commercial
overnight courier, or by first-class or overnight U.S. Postal Service
mail. All filings must be addressed to the Commission's Secretary,
Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission.
[ssquf] Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service
Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9050 Junction Drive,
Annapolis Junction, MD 20701.
[ssquf] U.S. Postal Service first-class, Express, and Priority mail
must be addressed to 445 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20554.
[ssquf] Effective March 19, 2020, and until further notice, the
Commission no longer accepts any hand or messenger delivered filings.
This is a temporary measure taken to help protect the health and safety
of individuals, and to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19. See FCC
Announces Closure of FCC Headquarters Open Window and Change in Hand-
Delivery Policy, Public Notice, DA 20-304 (March 19, 2020). https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-closes-headquarters-open-window-and-changes-hand-delivery-policy.
[ssquf] During the time the Commission's building is closed to the
general public and until further notice, if more than one docket or
rulemaking number appears in the caption of a proceeding, paper filers
need not submit two additional copies for each additional docket or
rulemaking number; an original and one copy are sufficient.
People With Disabilities: To request materials in accessible
formats for people with disabilities (braille, large print, electronic
files, audio format), send an email to [email protected] or call the
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-
418-0432 (tty).
Accordingly, it is ordered, pursuant to sections 0.204, 0.291, and
1.46 of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 0.204, 0.291, 1.46, that the
Motion for Extension of Time filed by Requestors on March 11, 2020 is
granted to the extent described herein.
It is also ordered that the date for filing comments on the Public
Notice is extended to April 20, 2020, and the date for filing reply
comments is extended to May 20, 2020.
Federal Communications Commission.
Daniel Kahn,
Associate Chief, Wireline Competition Bureau.
[FR Doc. 2020-07586 Filed 4-9-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P