Guidelines for Evaluating the Environmental Effects of Radiofrequency Radiation

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 1

[ET Docket No. 93-62; DA 94-34]

Guidelines for Evaluating the Environmental Effects of

Radiofrequency Radiation

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Chief of the Commission's Office of Engineering and

Technology has granted a 14 day extension for filing comments and reply

comments in response to the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM). This

extension is in response to a motion filed by CBS, Inc. (``CBS''). The

additional time will allow for further analysis with respect to recent

data and information relevant to the Commission's implementation of new

radiofrequency exposure guidelines.

DATES: Comments are due by January 25, 1994. Reply comments are due by

February 24, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Federal Communications Commission, 1919 M Street, NW.,

Washington, DC 20554.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Robert Cleveland, Office of Engineering and Technology, Federal

Communications Commission, (202) 653-8169.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 1. On January 3, 1994, CBS Inc. (``CBS'')

filed with the Commission a ``Motion for Extension of Time'' in the

above-named proceeding. CBS requested that the Commission extend, by a

period of fourteen (14) days, the time for filing comments and reply

comments.

2. The Commission has proposed to incorporate into its rules the

newly revised standard of the American National Standards institute

(ANSI) developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics

Engineers (IEEE) and designated IEEE C95.1-1991 (also ANSI/IEEE C95.1-

1992) for human exposure to radiofrequency (RF) fields.\1\ The deadline

originally established for filing comments in this proceeding was

August 13, 1993, and the date for reply comments was September 13,

1993.

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\1\See Notice of Proposed Rule Making in ET Docket 93-62, 58 FR

19393 (1993).

3. Previously, on August 3, 1993, the Commission granted a request

filed by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) for an

extension of time of ninety (90) days for filing comments and reply

comments.\2\ This action established a new deadline for filing comments

of November 12, 1993, and a new deadline for filing reply comments of

December 13, 1993.

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\2\See Order Extending Time for Comments and Reply Comments, ET

Docket 93-62, 58 FR 43091 (1993).

4. Subsequently, on November 2, 1993, CBS and Capital Cities/ABC

Inc. filed a request to extend the comment and reply comment deadlines

an additional sixty (60) days. The Commission approved this request

establishing a new deadline for filing comments of January 11, 1994,

and a new deadline for filing reply comments of February 10, 1994.\3\

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\3\58 FR 60827 (1993).

5. The first extension was granted to allow NAB time to complete a

study commissioned to develop non-measurement based techniques for

determining compliance with new guidelines. THe second extension was

granted in response to filings by CBS, Capital Cities, and Hammett and

Edison, Inc., noting that new information from the NAB study and other

experimental results relevant to the consequences of the proposed

guidelines had only recently become available. CBS and Capital Cities

maintained that additional time was necessary to consider the

implications of the new data, both to determine whether further study

was required and to assess the effect that the proposed guidelines will

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have on broadcast operations.

6. The most recent motion filed by CBS requests an additional

fourteen day (14) extension of the comment and reply comment deadlines.

CBS states that it has not had sufficient time to perform measures and

analysis of data due to a delay in obtaining the equipment necessary to

measure induced currents. CBS states that it has acquired preliminary

data that it believes will be useful to the Commission in considering

the implementation of the induced current limits. However, additional

time is needed to organize and analyze the data. Further, CBS states

that it hopes that the additional time will make possible the filing of

a single set of comments representing the views of itself and several

other broadcast entities.

7. The Commission does not routinely grant requests for extensions

of time.\4\ However, we continue to recognize the complexity of the

issues raised by the new exposure guidelines and the difficulties in

developing reasonable methods by which compliance can be evaluated. In

that regard, the request by CBS for a nominal further extension does

not appear to be unreasonable.

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\4\47 CFR Section 1.46 (1991).

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8. Accordingly, it is ordered, That the deadline for filing

comments is extended to January 25, 1994, and the deadline for filing

reply comments is extended to February 24, 1994. This action is taken

pursuant to sections 4(i) and 303 of the Communications Act of 1934, as

amended, 47 U.S.C. 154(i) and 303, and pursuant to Secs. 0.31, 0.241

and 1.46 of the Commission's Rules, 47 CFR 0.31, 0.241 and 1.46.

Federal Communications Commission.

Thomas P. Stanley,

Chief Engineer.

[FR Doc. 94-1328 Filed 1-19-94; 8:45 am]

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