Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 126 / Thursday, June 29, 2000 / Notices 40081

hazards. Recent technological advances,

however, have fostered new and

innovative methods of bringing hazard

warnings to the public. To reach the

maximum number of people, we must

utilize all available communications

technologies—both current and

emerging—to deliver better, faster, more

affordable, and more effective hazard

warnings. Partnerships between

government agencies and public and

private parties will help to ensure that

these life saving hazard warnings are

provided through various means of

communication available to consumers.

These communications technologies

include both wireline and wireless

telephone services, Internet, paging,

broadcast television and radio, both

satellite and cable television, and

emerging technologies.

Questions for Public Comment

Interested parties are requested to

submit written comments on any issue

of fact, law, or policy that may inform

the U.S. Department of Commerce on

hazard warnings. Specifically,

comments are requested on the

questions below. These questions are

designed to assist the public and should

not be construed as a limitation on the

issues on which public comments may

be submitted. Comments should cite the

number of the question(s) being

addressed. Please provide copies of any

studies, research and other empirical

data referenced in the comments.

1. Is it technologically feasible today

to deliver hazard warnings: to wireless

devices, such as cell phones and pagers;

over the Internet to users who are

online; to standard telephones in the

form of a call warning; to broadcast

television; to satellite services; to cable

television; and to emerging and

developing technologies?

2. What are the tradeoffs among

technology options?

3. What are the economic

impediments, if any, to the use of any

of the technologies that might be used

to disseminate hazard warnings?

4. What are the legal impediments, if

any, to the use of any of the

technologies that might be used to

disseminate hazard warnings?

5. What legal measures, if any, should

be taken to foster the delivery of hazard

warnings?

6. What economic and technological

policy measures, if any, should be taken

to foster the dissemination of hazard

warnings?

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: The All-Hazard

Warning Roundtable is open to the

public on a first-come, first-served basis

and physically accessible to people with

disabilities. To facilitate entry into the

Department of Commerce building,

please have a photo identification

available and/or a U.S. Government

building pass if applicable. Any member

of the public wishing to attend and

requiring special services, such as a sign

language interpretation or other

ancillary aids, should contact Jeng Mao,

Public Safety Program, U.S. Department

of Commerce, at least five (5) working

days prior to the All-Hazard Warning

Roundtable, at either telephone number

(202) 501–0342 or electronic mail at

<jmao@ntia.doc.gov>.

Gregory L. Rohde,

Assistant Secretary for Communications and

Information.

[FR Doc. 00–16405 Filed 6–28–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–60–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and

Information Administration

[Docket No. 000608169–0169–01]

RIN 0660–XX07

Notice of Public Meeting and Request

for Comment on Minority Media

Ownership

AGENCY: National Telecommunications

and Information Administration, U.S.

Department of Commerce

ACTION: Notice of public meeting,

request for public comment.

SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for

Communications and Information and

Administrator of the National

Telecommunications and Information

Administration (NTIA), Gregory L.

Rohde, will host a roundtable

discussion open to the public on

minority media ownership in a

changing industry. NTIA also requests

public comment on ways to preserve

diversity in the media. With relaxation

of the local broadcast ownership caps

and elimination of the national station

limit under the Telecommunications

Act of 1996, concentration in the

broadcasting industry has increased.

Although access to investment capital

remains a challenge for many minority

entrepreneurs seeking to buy broadcast

stations, the convergence of traditional

broadcasting and new

telecommunications technologies may

present new opportunities for media

ownership. Therefore, the roundtable

discussion will also explore ways to

improve prospects for minorities to

acquire media properties. In addition,

this notice will present a series of

questions to solicit public comment on

these issues.

DATES: NTIA will hold the Minority

Media Ownership Roundtable from 9:00

a.m. until 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, July

18, 2000. The deadline for written

comments is July 28, 2000 and the

deadline for reply comments is August

8, 2000.

ADDRESSES: NTIA will hold the

Minority Media Ownership Roundtable

from 9:00 a.m. until 12:45 p.m. on July

18, 2000 at the U.S. Department of

Commerce, Room 4830, 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC

20230. The meeting will be open to the

public. For current information on the

roundtable, please visit NTIA’s website

at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/

minoritymediaroundtable/.

The Department invites the public to

submit written comments in paper or

electronic form. Please mail comments

to Maureen Lewis, Director, Minority

Telecommunications Development

Program, National Telecommunications

and Information Administration, U.S.

Department of Commerce, Room 4720,

1401 Constitution Avenue, NW.,

Washington, DC 20230. In the

alternative, commenters may submit

their views electronically to the

following electronic mail address:

minoritymedia@ntia.doc.gov.

Submission of Documents

Written Comments

Paper submissions should include an

original and two paper copies and a

version on a 3.5 inch write protected

diskette in one of the following formats:

PDF, ASCII, Word Perfect (please

specify version) or Microsoft Word

(please specify version). Please label all

diskettes with the name of the party

submitting the comments, and the name

and version of the word processing

program used to create the document.

Comments and reply comments

submitted by electronic mail to

<minoritymedia@ntia.doc.gov> should

also be submitted in one of the formats

specified above. Caption all comments

and reply comments ‘‘Minority Media

Ownership—Comment [or Reply

Comment], Docket No. 000608169–

0169–01’’ and organize each submission

in response to the questions set forth in

this Notice. NTIA will post comments

and reply comments to its web site at

<http://www.ntia.doc.gov>.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Maureen Lewis, Director, Minority

Telecommunications Development

Program, National Telecommunications

and Information Administration;

telephone (202) 482–8056; or electronic

mail <mlewis@ntia.doc.gov.> The NTIA

Office of Public Affairs will answer

40082 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 126 / Thursday, June 29, 2000 / Notices

media inquiries. Representatives may be

contacted at (202) 482–7002.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

In its most recent report on minority

media ownership titled ‘‘Minority

Commercial Broadcast Ownership in the

United States,’’ published in August

1998, NTIA found that ‘‘financial

barriers, increased competition, and

higher station prices, are likely to be

significant obstacles to new minority

entrants to this marketplace.’’ The

report also identified increasing media

concentration as a factor likely to cause

small station owners with less

investment capital to exit the industry

as they find it more difficult to compete

against station group owners. In

addition, increased competition from

non-minority group owners for

syndicated programming, advertising

revenues, and station personnel, such as

on-air talent and managers, were other

challenges some minority station

owners described in the 1998 report.

NTIA is seeking public comment on

whether the trends described in the

1998 report are continuing to affect

adversely minority media ownership.

NTIA is also requesting suggestions

about ways to reverse any such negative

trends. Since the 1998 report,

multibillion dollar mergers of large

radio station groups and unions

between cable companies, multimedia

conglomerates and telecommunications

companies have been announced or

consummated. Traditional distinctions

between the broadcast, cable and

telecommunications industries appear

to be disappearing as new technologies,

such as digital radio, satellite radio,

audio and video streaming over the

Internet, and interactive television

emerge. Given this, NTIA is also

interested in obtaining comments on the

viability of these and other new

technologies to enhance ownership

opportunities for incumbent media

owners and new entrants. This topic,

and the effect on minority media

ownership of media concentration and

access to capital will be integral parts of

NTIA’s roundtable discussion.

Questions for Public Comment

NTIA requests that interested parties

submit written comments on any issue

of fact, law, or policy that may inform

the U.S. Department of Commerce on

opportunities for increased minority

media ownership. Although the

Department specifically seeks

information on the questions set forth

below, the purpose of these questions is

to assist the public. These questions do

not, nor should they be construed to,

limit the issues on which the public

may submit comments. Comments and

reply comments should cite the number

of the question(s) addressed. Please

provide copies of any studies, research,

or other empirical data referenced in the

comments.

1. What criteria should the federal

government use to define minority

ownership of broadcast or other media

properties?

2. What changes, if any, have

occurred in minority broadcast

ownership since passage of the

Telecommunications Act of 1996?

3. What legal impediments, if any,

exist to minority media ownership?

4. What economic impediments, if

any, exist to minority media ownership?

5. What policies or programs, if any,

should the federal government

implement to promote minority media

ownership?

6. What legal or regulatory measures

would promote minority media

ownership?

7. What media ownership

opportunities do new technologies offer

to minority entrepreneurs?

8. What policies or programs should

the federal government implement to

promote opportunities for minority

entrepreneurs to own ‘‘new media’’

ventures, such as webcasting firms or

Internet portals?

Information collected in response to

this Federal Register Notice may be

included in the 2000 Minority

Commercial Broadcast Ownership

Report.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: The Minority

Media Ownership Roundtable is open to

the public on a first-come, first-served

basis and is physically accessible to

people with disabilities. To facilitate

entry into the Department of Commerce

building, please have a photo

identification available and/or a U.S.

Government building pass if applicable.

Any member of the public wishing to

attend and requiring special services,

such as a sign language interpretation or

other ancillary aids, should contact

Maureen Lewis, Director, Minority

Telecommunications Development

Program, National Telecommunications

and Information Administration at least

five (5) working days prior to the

Minority Media Ownership Roundtable

by telephone at (202) 482–8056, or by

electronic mail at

<mlewis@ntia.doc.gov.>

Gregory L. Rohde,

Assistant Secretary for Communications and

Information.

[FR Doc. 00–16404 Filed 6–28–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–60–P

COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING

COMMISSION

Proposed Amendments to the

Maximum Daily Price Fluctuation

Limits for the Chicago Board of

Trade’s Corn, Corn Yield Insurance

(Six Contracts), Oats, Rough Rice,

Soybeans, Soybean Meal, Soybean Oil,

Wheat, Kilo Gold, 100 Ounce Gold,

1000 Ounce Silver, and 5000 Ounce

Silver Futures Contracts; Extension of

Comment Period

AGENCY: Commodity Futures Trading

Commission.

ACTION: Notice of extension of public

comment period for the proposed

amendments.

SUMMARY: The Chicago Board of Trade

(CBT or Exchange) has proposed

amendments to the Exchange’s corn,

corn yield insurance (six contracts),

oats, rough rice, soybeans, soybean

meal, soybean oil, wheat, kilo gold, 100

ounce gold, 1000 ounce silver, and 5000

ounce silver futures contracts. On June

8, 2000, the Commission published a

request for public comment on the

proposed amendments for a 15-day

comment period ending on June 23,

2000. The Acting Director of the

Division of Economic Analysis

(Division), acting pursuant to the

authority delegated by Commission

Regulation 140.96, has determined that

extension of the comment period for an

additional thirty (30) days is in the

public interest, will assist the

Commission in considering the views of

interested persons, and is consistent

with the purposes of the Commodity

Exchange Act.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before July 24, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons should

submit their views and comments to

Jean A. Webb, Secretary, Commodity

Futures Trading Commission, Three

Lafayette Centre, 21st Street, NW,

Washington, DC 20581. In addition,

comments may be sent by facsimile

transmission to facsimile number (202)

418–5521, or by electronic mail to

secretary@cftc.gov. Reference should be

made to the proposed amendments to

the maximum daily price fluctuation

limits for the CBT’s futures contracts.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Please contact John Bird of the Division

of Economic Analysis, Commodity

Futures Trading Commission, Three

Lafayette Centre, 21st Street NW,

Washington, DC 20581, telephone (202)

418–5274. Facsimile number: (202) 418–

5527. Electronic mail: jbird@cftc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Acting Director, acting on behalf of the