Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 169 / Tuesday, September 2, 1997 / Proposed Rules 46243

15The top thirty television markets, as ranked by

Nielsen Media Research as of April 3, 1997 are:

New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San

Francisco, Boston, Washington, D.C., Dallas-Fort

Worth, Detroit, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle-Tacoma,

Cleveland, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Tampa-St.

Petersburg, Miami, Phoenix, Denver, Pittsburgh,

Sacramento-Stockton, St. Louis, Orlando-Daytona

Beach, Baltimore, Portland, OR, Indianapolis, San

Diego, Hartford-New Haven, Charlotte, RaleighDurham, and Cincinnati.

1Amendment of the Commission’s Rules

Concerning Maritime Communications, Second

Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making, PR Docket

No. 92–257, FCC 97–217 (released June 26, 1996)

(Second Further NPRM); see Maritime

Communications, 62 FR 37533 (July 14, 1997).

2United States Coast Guard Petition for

Rulemaking to Amend Part 80 of the FCC Rules to

Designate Maritime Channels and Allow Operation

of Automatic Identification Systems and Related

Safety Systems (filed August 4, 1997).

3Second Further NPRM at ¶132.

broadcast tower siting issues, including

delays and related matters encountered

by broadcasters, tower owners and local

government officials. The Commission

is particularly interested in receiving

information about experiences related to

time constraints, delays or other

obstacles encountered by broadcasters

and tower owners in the top 30

markets.15 The Commission is also

interested in the extent to which

commenters believe such difficulties are

representative of difficulties that will be

faced in the context of DTV build-out

and whether existing laws, ordinances

and procedures are likely to impede

adherence to our accelerated DTV buildout schedule. The Commission also

seeks comment on whether it should

preempt state and local restrictions

regarding RF emissions from broadcast

transmission facilities or local

regulation intended for aesthetic

purposes?

12. The Commission also seeks

comment on the procedural framework

proposed by Petitioners. Specifically,

should the Commission preempt state

and local government authority where

they fail to act within certain time

periods? The Commission asks states

and localities to comment on their

current procedures, their need to use

these procedures, the possibility of

using expedited procedures to meet the

DTV construction schedule, and the

nature of such expedited procedures. Is

there an appropriate role for the

Commission in resolving disputes

between localities and licensees with

respect to tower siting issues?

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 1

Television broadcasting, Radio

broadcasting.

Federal Communications Commission.

William F. Caton,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–23190 Filed 8–29–97; 8:45 am]

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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS

COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 80

[PR Docket No. 92–257; DA 97–1806]

Maritime Communications

AGENCY: Federal Communications

Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of

comment period.

SUMMARY: On August 21, 1997, the

Public Safety and Private Wireless

Division adopted an order extending the

comment and reply comment period in

PR Docket No. 92–257. The extension

was requested to allow interested

parties more time to evaluate the issues

and develop an industry consensus. The

comment period is extended from

August 25, 1997 to September 15, 1997,

and the reply comment period is

extended from September 9, 1997 to

September 30, 1997.

DATES: Comments are to be filed on or

before September 15, 1997, and reply

comments on or before September 30,

1997.

ADDRESSES: Federal Communications

Commission, 1919 M St., N.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20554.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scot

Stone, Wireless Telecommunications

Bureau, Public Safety & Private Wireless

Division, (202) 418–0680) or via E-mail

to ‘‘sstone@fcc.gov’’.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Adopted: August 21, 1997.

Released: August 21, 1997.

1. On August 15, 1997, Ross

Engineering (Ross) requested that the

time for filing comments in response to

the Second Further Notice of Proposed

Rule Making (Second Further NPRM) in

the above-captioned proceeding

released by the Commission on June 26,

1997,1 be extended from August 25,

1997, to September 15, 1997, and that

the time for filing reply comments be

extended from September 9, 1997 to

October 16, 1997.

2. Ross states that it needs additional

time to submit comments in order to

fully address the substantive effect of

the issues raised in the Second Further

NPRM, consider the impact of a related

Petition for Rulemaking filed by the

United States Coast Guard,2 and

complete the work of coordinating and

developing an industry consensus on

these issues. Ross also states that Mobile

Marine Radio, MARITEL, and the Coast

Guard concur in its request for an

extension of time.

3. The Commission does not routinely

grant extensions of time. In this

instance, however, it is desirable that

the record be as complete as possible

and that it include the views of as large

a cross section of the maritime radio

community as possible. This interest

must be balanced, however, against the

fact that the filing and process freeze

enacted to allow the development of

new rules for maritime services expires

on March 17, 1998, and the

Commission’s intent to adopt final rules

before the freeze expires.3 We believe an

extension of twenty-one (21) days to be

adequate to give the maritime

community sufficient time to respond to

the above-captioned proceeding. We

therefore extend the period of time for

filing comments to and including

September 15, 1997, and we extend the

period for filing reply comments to and

including September 30, 1997.

4. It Is Hereby Ordered that pursuant

to § 1.46 of the Commission’s Rules, 47

CFR § 1.46, Ross’s request to extend the

deadline for filing comments and reply

comments in this proceeding is granted

in part to the extent indicated herein,

and otherwise denied.

Federal Communications Commission.

Lisa M. Higginbotham,

Acting Chief, Public Safety and Private

Wireless Division, Wireless

Telecommunications Bureau.

[FR Doc. 97–23191 Filed 8–29–97; 8:45 am]

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