Procedures for Submitting Comments to the WRC-97 Advisory Committee

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

Procedures for Submitting Comments to the WRC-97 Advisory

Committee

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: On June 7, 1996 the Commission released a public notice which

provides procedures for submitting comments to the WRC-97 Advisory

Committee.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Crystal Foster, FCC International

Bureau at (202) 418-0749, or consult the WRC-97 Homepage on the

Internet (http://www.fcc.gov/ib/wrc97/).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 1. On March 14, 1996, the Commission

released Public Notice (No. 61997) (Streamlining Notice), that

announced its new streamlined World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC)

preparatory process. Under this new process, formal Notice of Inquiry

(NOI) proceedings are eliminated in favor of developing WRC proposals

in the Commission's WRC-97 Advisory Committee. This removes the

redundancy that was inherent in our previous ``NOI-WRC Advisory

Committee'' process and enables the United States to respond more

effectively to the rapidly evolving international environment and to

the ITU's new two-year WRC schedule.

2. The Streamlining Notice included general guidelines for

submission of public comments to the Advisory Committee. The Notice

stated that procedures would be developed to ensure that members of the

public continue to have full opportunity to participate in the

development of WRC proposals under the new streamlined process,

including those parties who do not attend meetings of the Advisory

Committee and IWGs.

3. Since the release of the Streamlining Notice, we have gained

experience with our new process. We now provide these procedures for

submitting comments to the Advisory Committee.

Comments on Ongoing Advisory Committee Matters: Parties

who wish to comment on the ongoing deliberations of the Advisory

Committee and its IWGs may do so at any time.

Comments on Preliminary Proposals: As announced in the

Streamlining Notice, preliminary WRC proposals developed by the

Advisory Committee will be released by the Commission in periodic

Public Notices. These Public Notices will allow an opportunity for

public comment and will provide the appropriate procedures, such as

filing deadlines, to be followed.

4. In either case, parties wishing their comments to be considered

directly by the appropriate Advisory Committee group and to become part

of the Advisory Committee's public record should submit their comments

in

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writing to Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission,

Washington, D.C. 20554, or by e-mail at ``[email protected].'' Commenters

are requested to file an original plus one copy.

5. The comment should reference the Advisory Committee public

record file number, ``Reference No. ISP-96-005'' and the appropriate

Advisory Committee Informal Working Group, if known, in which their

submission should be considered. The FCC staff will ensure that

comments filed are considered in the appropriate groups.

6. For the most expeditious and efficient consideration of their

comments, parties should refrain from filing comments directly with the

Chair of the WRC-97 Advisory Committee, with the Chairs and Vice-Chairs

of the Informal Working Groups, with individual FCC staff members or

private sector participants in the Advisory Committee process.

Federal Communications Commission.

William F. Caton,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 96-16394 Filed 6-26-96; 8:45 am]

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