Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 114 / Wednesday, June 13, 2018 / Rules and Regulations 27515 

or on the distribution of power and 

responsibilities between the Federal 

Government and Indian tribes. If you 

believe this rule has implications for 

federalism or Indian tribes, please 

contact the person listed in the FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section 

above. 

E. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act 

The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act 

of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1531–1538) requires 

Federal agencies to assess the effects of 

their discretionary regulatory actions. In 

particular, the Act addresses actions 

that may result in the expenditure by a 

State, local, or tribal government, in the 

aggregate, or by the private sector of 

$100,000,000 (adjusted for inflation) or 

more in any one year. Though this rule 

will not result in such an expenditure, 

we do discuss the effects of this rule 

elsewhere in this preamble. 

F. Environment 

We have analyzed this rule under 

Department of Homeland Security 

Directive 023–01 and Commandant 

Instruction M16475.1D, which guide the 

Coast Guard in complying with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321–4370f), and have 

determined that this action is one of a 

category of actions that do not 

individually or cumulatively have a 

significant effect on the human 

environment. This rule involves a safety 

zone lasting approximately two and a 

half hours that will prohibit entry 

within 450 yards of a fireworks barge. It 

is categorically excluded from further 

review under paragraph L60(a) of 

Appendix A, Table 1 of DHS Instruction 

Manual 023–01–001–01, Rev. 01. A 

Record of Environmental Consideration 

supporting this determination is 

available in the docket where indicated 

under ADDRESSES. 

G. Protest Activities 

The Coast Guard respects the First 

Amendment rights of protesters. 

Protesters are asked to contact the 

person listed in the FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT section to 

coordinate protest activities so that your 

message can be received without 

jeopardizing the safety or security of 

people, places or vessels. 

List of Subjects in 33 CFR Part 165 

Harbors, Marine safety, Navigation 

(water), Reporting and recordkeeping 

requirements, Security measures, 

Waterways. 

For the reasons discussed in the 

preamble, the Coast Guard amends 33 

CFR part 165 as follows: 

PART 165—REGULATED NAVIGATION 

AREAS AND LIMITED ACCESS AREAS 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 165 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1231; 50 U.S.C. 191; 

33 CFR 1.05–1, 6.04–1, and 160.5; 

Department of Homeland Security Delegation 

No. 0170.1. 

■ 2. Add § 165.T13–0536 to read as 

follows: 

§ 165.T13–0536 Safety Zone; Columbia 

River, The Dalles, OR. 

(a) Safety zone. The following area is 

designated a safety zone: Waters of the 

Columbia River, within a 450-yard 

radius of the fireworks barge located at 

45°36′18′′ N, 121°10′23′′ W in vicinity of 

The Dalles, OR. 

(b) Regulations. In accordance with 

§ 165.23, no person may enter or remain 

in this safety zone unless authorized by 

the Captain of the Port Columbia River 

or his designated representative. Also in 

accordance with § 165.23, no person 

may bring into, or allow to remain in 

this safety zone any vehicle, vessel, or 

object unless authorized by the Captain 

of the Port Columbia River or his 

designated representative. 

(c) Enforcement period. This section 

will be enforced from 9 p.m. to 11:30 

p.m. on June 30, 2018. 

Dated: June 6, 2018. 

D.F. Berliner, 

Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Acting Captain 

of the Port, Sector Columbia River. 

[FR Doc. 2018–12658 Filed 6–12–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9110–04–P 

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS 

COMMISSION 

47 CFR Part 54 

[WC Docket Nos. 18–143, 10–90, 14–58; FCC 

18–57] 

The Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and 

the Connect USVI Fund, Connect 

America Fund, ETC Annual Reports 

and Certifications 

AGENCY: Federal Communications 

Commission. 

ACTION: Final action. 

SUMMARY: In this document, the Federal 

Communications Commission 

(Commission) establishes the Uniendo a 

Puerto Rico Fund and the Connect USVI 

Fund to rebuild, improve and expand 

voice and broadband networks in Puerto 

Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

Through the Uniendo a Puerto Rico 

Fund, the Commission will make 

available up to $750 million of funding 

to carriers in Puerto Rico, including an 

immediate infusion of $51.2 million for 

restoration efforts in 2018. Through the 

Connect USVI Fund, the Commission 

will make available up to $204 million 

of funding to carriers in the U.S. Virgin 

Islands, including an immediate 

infusion of $13 million for restoration 

efforts in 2018. As a result of these 

Funds, as well as the Commission’s 

decision not to offset more than $65 

million in advance payments it made to 

carriers last year, it will make available 

up to $256 million in additional highcost support for rebuilding, improving, 

and expanding broadband-capable 

networks in Puerto Rico and the Virgin 

Islands. 

DATES: This action is effective June 13, 

2018. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Alexander Minard, Wireline 

Competition Bureau, (202) 418–7400 or 

TTY: (202) 418–0484. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a 

summary of the Commission’s Order in 

WC Docket Nos. 18–143, 10–90, 14–58; 

FCC 18–57, adopted on May 8, 2018 and 

released on May 29, 2018. The full text 

of this document is available for public 

inspection during regular business 

hours in the FCC Reference Center, 

Room CY–A257, 445 12th Street SW, 

Washington, DC 20554 or at the 

following internet address: https://

docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC18-57A1.pdf. 

I. Introduction 

1. The 2017 hurricane season caused 

widespread devastation to Puerto Rico 

and the U.S. Virgin Islands, destroying 

thousands of homes and causing near 

total destruction of critical 

infrastructure. Hurricane Maria, the 

strongest storm to hit Puerto Rico in 

almost a century, ripped through the 

island as a Category 4 storm with 155- 

mph winds. Following on the heels of 

Hurricane Irma, Maria’s damage to the 

communications network proved 

particularly devastating. The 

government of Puerto Rico estimates 

that the two hurricanes caused 

approximately $1.5 billion of damage to 

the communications network. Similarly, 

Maria ‘‘decimat[ed] the communications 

and power grid’’ across St. Croix, the 

largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands. And 

the ‘‘[t]wo other main islands, St. John 

and St. Thomas, [had been] pummeled 

by Hurricane Irma just 14 days earlier.’’ 

Recovery of the communications 

networks in Puerto Rico and the U.S. 

Virgin Islands has proven especially 

challenging, particularly compared to 

other locations in the United States 

impacted by this season’s hurricanes, 


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due to their isolation from the 

mainland, which has caused logistical 

difficulties and contributed to ongoing 

electrical power outages. 

2. Restoring communications 

networks is a critical element of 

recovery. The Commission establishes 

the Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and the 

Connect USVI Fund to rebuild, improve 

and expand voice and broadband 

networks in Puerto Rico and the U.S. 

Virgin Islands. 

3. Through the Uniendo a Puerto Rico 

Fund, the Commission will make 

available up to $750 million of funding 

to carriers in Puerto Rico, including an 

immediate infusion of $51.2 million for 

restoration efforts in 2018. Of the 

remainder, the Commission anticipates 

that about $444.5 million would be 

made available over a 10-year term for 

fixed voice and broadband (an $84 

million increase over current funding 

levels) and that about $254 million 

would be made available over a 3-year 

term for 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) 

mobile voice and broadband (a $16.8 

million increase). 

4. Through the Connect USVI Fund, 

the Commission will make available up 

to $204 million of funding to carriers in 

the U.S. Virgin Islands, including an 

immediate infusion of $13 million for 

restoration efforts in 2018. Of the 

remainder, the Commission anticipates 

that about $186.5 million would be 

made available over a 10-year term for 

fixed broadband (a $21 million increase) 

and that about $4.4 million would be 

made available over a 3-year term for 4G 

LTE mobile voice and broadband (a $4.2 

million increase). 

5. As a result of these Funds, as well 

as the Commission’s decision not to 

offset more than $65 million in advance 

payments it made to carriers last year, 

the Commission will make available up 

to $256 million in additional high-cost 

support for rebuilding, improving, and 

expanding broadband-capable networks 

in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. 

The Commission intends to target highcost support over the next several years 

in a tailored and cost-effective manner, 

using competitive processes where 

appropriate. 

II. Order: No Offset of Advance 

Payments 

6. At the outset, the Commission now 

declines to offset the approximately 

$65.8 million in emergency high-cost 

support provided immediately 

following the hurricanes against future 

payments. Although the Commission 

had previously anticipated offsetting the 

advance payments against future 

support, it no longer believes that to be 

a prudent course. The continuing 

difficulties in bringing service and 

power back to Puerto Rico and the U.S. 

Virgin Islands have impeded and 

delayed restoration efforts so that 

conditions on the islands have not 

improved sufficiently to justify reducing 

future support payments. Restoration 

efforts are still ongoing rather than 

largely complete and persistent power 

outages and other logistical challenges 

have made the continued operation of 

restored networks more expensive than 

some expected. As such, requiring the 

offset of advance payments would 

substantially delay, if not prevent, 

further restoration efforts—and the 

Commission finds that the public 

interest is best served by allowing 

carriers to continue their critical work to 

restore their communications networks. 

The Commission therefore declines to 

offset future payments against the 

emergency relief granted by the 2017 

Hurricane Funding Order. 

7. As a result, the Commission will 

continue in 2018 to provide, at a 

minimum, current levels of high-cost 

support to carriers in Puerto Rico and 

the U.S. Virgin Islands. This means that 

in Puerto Rico, the fixed carrier (PRTC) 

will continue to receive approximately 

$3 million each month (or $36 million 

annualized) and mobile carriers 

(Centennial Puerto Rico Operations 

Corp., Suncom Wireless Puerto Rico 

Operating Co., Cingular Wireless, Puerto 

Rico Telephone Company, PR Wireless 

Inc., and Worldnet 

Telecommunications, Inc.) will 

continue to receive approximately $6.6 

million each month (or $79.2 million 

annualized) in frozen support in the 

near term. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, the 

fixed carrier (Viya) will continue to 

receive approximately $1.4 million each 

month (or $16.5 million annualized) 

and the mobile carrier (Choice 

Communications, LLC) will continue to 

receive approximately $5,600 each 

month (or $67,000 annualized) in frozen 

support in the near term. 

8. Also as a result of this decision, the 

advance payments should be considered 

a new, one-time source of high-cost 

support provided in the immediate 

aftermath of the hurricanes. The same 

rules and accountability measures as 

currently govern the frozen high-cost 

support these carriers receive will 

continue to apply. The Commission will 

also apply its accounting and audit rules 

to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. For 

the reasons given in section III, paras. 

22–23 in the following, the Commission 

finds good cause to forego the usual 

notice-and-comment procedure for this 

Order. 

III. The Uniendo A Puerto Rico Fund 

and the Connect USVI Fund 

9. The Commission will establish the 

Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and the 

Connect USVI Fund in two stages. In 

stage one, the Commission makes $51.2 

million in new funding available to 

Puerto Rico and $13 million to the U.S. 

Virgin Islands to help restore voice and 

broadband service. The Commission 

provides this immediate relief to allow 

impacted carriers to rebuild more 

quickly in 2018 and set the stage for the 

longer-term plan. In stage two, the 

Commission intends to make about $699 

million available in the Uniendo a 

Puerto Rico Fund and about $191 

million available in the Connect USVI 

Fund to rebuild, improve, and expand 

voice and broadband networks on the 

islands in the longer term. 

10. The Commission finds that it is in 

the public interest to provide new 

funding in the short term to restore 

service in Puerto Rico and the U.S. 

Virgin Islands. Given the devastation 

wrought by these two back-to-back 

hurricanes, which collectively were 

unprecedented in their severity and in 

the protracted duration of damage they 

caused, the Commission decides to 

make available up to $64.2 million of 

new funding—roughly equal to the 

amount it has decided not to offset 

against existing support payments—to 

bolster the ability of existing carriers to 

restore their facilities across the islands. 

This additional support should help 

restore and maintain service as quickly 

as possible for as many people as 

possible during that interim period. 

11. Specifically, the Commission 

directs a one-time infusion of $51.2 

million through the Uniendo a Puerto 

Rico Fund and $13 million through the 

Connect USVI Fund to support any 

facilities-based providers of voice and 

broadband services even if they have 

not previously received universal 

service support. The Commission finds 

this allocation of support (in addition to 

existing support streams) to be likely 

sufficient to cover the short-term costs 

of restoration while the Commission 

considers further reforms and funding 

over the longer term. In so finding, the 

Commission takes into account, among 

other factors, differences in landmass, 

geography, topography, and population 

between Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin 

Islands, the significant financial and 

operational challenges faced by carriers 

in both areas, and the past and current 

availability of high-cost support to 

carriers. 

12. The Commission distributes the 

Stage 1 funding for each territory 

through a three-step process. First, any 


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facilities-based provider of voice and 

broadband internet access service may 

elect to participate in this opportunity 

for new restoration funding. To 

participate, a facilities-based provider 

must submit a certification regarding the 

number of subscribers (voice or 

broadband internet access service) it 

served in the territory as of June 30, 

2017 (before the hurricanes), along with 

accompanying evidence, to the 

Commission within 14 days of the 

publication of this Order. A voice-only 

subscriber, a broadband-only subscriber, 

and a voice-and-broadband subscriber 

each count as one subscriber. For 

mobile network operators, each line in 

a multi-line plan counts as one 

subscriber. For fixed network operators, 

each enterprise location served counts 

as one subscriber; such treatment 

reflects the high fixed costs of deploying 

service to any one location as well as 

the higher revenue potential of 

enterprise customers. The Commission 

uses the same definition of voice and 

broadband subscribers as applies to FCC 

Form 477 reporting. Providers also must 

file a copy of the certification and 

accompanying evidence through the 

Commission’s Electronic Comment 

Filing System (ECFS) as well as email a 

copy to ConnectAmerica@fcc.gov. The 

Commission will then verify eligibility 

using various data sources, including 

FCC Form 477 data. 

13. Second, the Commission allocates 

60 percent of the funding available to 

the territory to fixed network operators 

and 40 percent to mobile network 

operators. The Commission does so for 

two reasons. For one, allocating more to 

fixed service providers is appropriate in 

light of the relatively higher costs of 

restoring fixed services. For another, the 

Commission expects that restoring and 

improving the fixed network will 

facilitate more reliable and faster 

backhaul for the mobile services. In 

other words, new funding for fixed 

networks may in fact decrease at least 

some of the need for funding of mobile 

networks. 

14. Third, the Commission directs the 

Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) 

and the Wireless Telecommunications 

Bureau (WTB) to allocate these amounts 

among qualifying providers of each 

territory and type according to the 

number of subscribers (voice or 

broadband internet access service) each 

served as of June 30, 2017. The Bureaus 

shall make public these allocations via 

a Public Notice as soon as practicable. 

15. The Commission notes that to be 

eligible for funding, the provider must 

be willing at the time of certification to 

be designated an eligible 

telecommunications carrier (ETC) by the 

relevant commission, must in fact 

become an ETC and submit that 

designation to the Universal Service 

Administrative Company (USAC) before 

receiving any funding, and must remain 

an ETC for at least one year after first 

receiving funding. Given the importance 

of conducting restoration operations as 

quickly as possible, the Commission 

expects local regulators and providers to 

work together to designate ETCs as 

quickly as possible. If a provider has not 

been designated an ETC within 60 days 

of the Bureaus’ announcement of 

support allocations, the Commission 

reserves the right to redirect that 

provider’s allocation toward other 

universal service purposes, such as 

increasing the funding available for 

long-term rebuilding of voice and 

broadband-capable networks in Puerto 

Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

16. The Commission reminds 

providers that section 254(e) of the Act 

and § 54.7 of the Commission’s rules 

provide that carriers receiving federal 

universal service support ‘‘shall use that 

support only for the provision, 

maintenance, and upgrading of facilities 

and services for which the support is 

intended.’’ Carriers must therefore use 

this additional funding to help restore 

and improve coverage and service 

quality to pre-hurricane levels and to 

help safeguard their equipment against 

future natural disasters. Appropriate 

uses include repairing, removing, 

reinforcing or relocating network 

elements damaged during the 

hurricanes; repairing or restoring 

customer premise equipment; replacing, 

rebuilding, and reinforcing the physical 

outside plant (poles, fiber, nodes, 

coaxial cables, and the like); hardening 

networks against future disasters; and 

increasing network resiliency to power 

outages or other potential service 

interruptions due to natural disasters. 

To help ensure that support is targeted 

towards short-term restoration and 

rebuilding expenses, the Commission 

limits eligible expenditures to those 

incurred through June 30, 2019, 

beginning from the date that the affected 

areas were declared a disaster by the 

Federal Emergency Management Agency 

following Hurricanes Irma and Maria. 

Carriers will be required to certify both 

at the time of acceptance of support and 

after support is spent that all support 

was used for the intended purpose. The 

Commission also notes that, during the 

short term when networks are still being 

restored, backhaul from fixed-service 

providers is essential to the provision of 

mobile services and it requires 

providers seeking restoration funding to 

offer backhaul to all interested parties 

on nondiscriminatory terms for a period 

of one year after first receiving funds. 

Failure to abide by these conditions may 

result in the loss of some or all 

restoration funding. The Commission 

reminds Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin 

Islands that the Act prohibits the 

territories from adopting regulations 

related to funding that are ‘‘inconsistent 

with the Commission’s rules to preserve 

and advance universal service.’’ 

17. To protect against duplicative 

recovery and guard against waste, fraud, 

and abuse, carriers may not use this 

support for costs that are (or will be) 

reimbursed by other sources of funding 

inclusive of federal or local government 

aid or insurance reimbursements. 

Moreover, carriers are prohibited from 

using Stage 1 support for other 

purposes, such as the retirement of 

company debt unrelated to eligible 

expenditures, or other expenses not 

directly related to hurricane restoration 

and improvement. The Commission 

reminds carriers that high-cost support 

recipients ‘‘are subject to random 

compliance audits and other 

investigations to ensure compliance 

with program rules and orders.’’ Carriers 

must retain for at least ten years the 

records required to demonstrate that 

their use of this support complied with 

this Order and other Commission rules. 

The Commission directs USAC to 

initiate audits of Stage 1 disbursements 

in conjunction with its 2018 audits. 

18. The Commission acknowledges 

that they are not allocating the new 

funding in proportion to frozen highcost support. That is in large part 

because those frozen allocations were by 

and large established at least seven 

years ago and do not necessarily reflect 

the costs of providing or restoring 

service or the extent of today’s 

networks. Indeed, if the Commission 

were to follow such allocation, wireless 

carriers in Puerto Rico would receive 

approximately 1,177 times the support 

of such carriers in the U.S. Virgin 

Islands—a strange result given that 

Puerto Rico is only 33 times larger than 

the U.S. Virgin Islands. And networks 

owned by those not historically 

universal-service recipients would be 

entirely excluded—despite the damage 

they incurred from the hurricanes. 

Instead, the Commission believes the 

relative size of each network, coupled 

with a recognition that fixed service 

networks generally require greater 

funding for restoration efforts and the 

need to provide non-contiguous service 

in the U.S. Virgin Islands, better reflect 

the likely costs of restoration. 

19. The Commission finds that using 

notice and comment procedures for this 

interim and one-time relief, and thereby 


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27518 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 114 / Wednesday, June 13, 2018 / Rules and Regulations 

delaying its effectiveness by at least 

several months, would be impracticable 

and contrary to the public interest. The 

good cause exception to the notice and 

comment procedures of the 

Administrative Procedures Act ‘‘excuses 

notice and comment in emergency 

situations, or where delay could result 

in serious harm.’’ 

20. Given the emergency situation and 

the devastation to communications 

networks caused by the hurricanes, the 

sooner providers receive additional 

funds, the sooner service can be restored 

to the people of Puerto Rico and the 

U.S. Virgin Islands. As noted above, 

Hurricane Maria was a once-in-acentury storm that caused devastating 

damage. Even after months of recovery 

efforts, ‘‘the majority of citizens in 

Puerto Rico lack access to continuous 

and reliable telecommunications 

services.’’ Similarly, ‘‘only a small 

percentage of Viya’s wireline customers 

have had their voice, broadband, and 

cable service restored, and there are still 

significant gaps in Viya’s USVI wireless 

coverage.’’ Voice and broadbandcapable networks, of course, serve 

important public safety goals (including 

allowing the public to quickly notify 

first responders of emergencies). And 

the next hurricane season commences 

on June 1, 2018. Delaying these funds 

could result in serious harm if carriers 

are not able to restore and fortify their 

service before the start of the next 

hurricane season. Such efforts will take 

significant time, and the Commission 

wishes to help the carriers proceed as 

rapidly as possible. 

21. The Commission is also concerned 

that some carriers might choose cheaper 

restoration plans that leave equipment 

vulnerable to another hurricane over 

more costly restoration plans that better 

protect against future natural disasters. 

Further, unlike other affected areas, 

Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands 

have struggled to restore electrical 

power. One provider explains that 

‘‘[t]he principal cause of 

communications outages and network 

unreliability in Puerto Rico 

undoubtedly has been the continued 

lack of commercial power and long-term 

reliance on backup generators.’’ Based 

on these unique circumstances, the 

Commission finds that the need for 

rapid action provides good cause for 

forgoing the usual administrative 

procedures in this unique situation. 

22. The Commission further finds 

good cause to make this relief effective 

immediately upon publication in the 

Federal Register. ‘‘In determining 

whether good cause exists, an agency 

should ‘balance the necessity for 

immediate implementation against 

principles of fundamental fairness 

which require that all affected persons 

be afforded a reasonable amount of time 

to prepare for the effective date of its 

ruling.’ ’’ This interim relief imposes no 

regulatory burden on any carrier but 

merely offers funds to help their 

restoration efforts. The Commission 

therefore does not believe it would 

violate fundamental fairness to make the 

action effective immediately, 

particularly given the substantial need 

for immediate implementation of the 

relief, which only exists during calendar 

year 2018. Indeed, waiting 30 days to 

make this relief available ‘‘would 

undermine the public interest by 

delaying’’ restoration of service in 

hurricane-ravaged areas. 

23. Finally, given the urgent need to 

bring service back to pre-hurricane 

levels as soon as possible, the 

Commission finds good cause to extend 

its previous waiver of § 54.313(c)(4) of 

the Commission’s rules, which requires 

carriers receiving frozen support to 

certify that all support is used ‘‘to build 

and operate broadband-capable 

networks used to offer the provider’s 

own retail broadband service in areas 

substantially unserved by an 

unsubsidized competitor.’’ 

IV. Procedural Matters 

A. Paperwork Reduction Act 

24. This document does not contain 

new information collection 

requirements subject to the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), Public 

Law 104–13. In addition, therefore, it 

does not contain any new or 

information collection burden for small 

business concerns with fewer than 25 

employees, pursuant to the Small 

Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, 

Public Law 107–198, see 44 U.S.C. 

3506(c)(4). 

B. Congressional Review Act 

25. The Commission will send a copy 

of this Order to Congress and the 

Government Accountability Office 

pursuant to the Congressional Review 

Act, see 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A). 

26. Final Regulatory Flexibility 

Certification. Because the Order relies 

upon the good cause exception to notice 

and comment procedures, no final 

regulatory flexibility analysis is required 

under 5 U.S.C. 604. 

V. Ordering Clauses 

27. Accordingly, it is ordered, 

pursuant to the authority contained in 

sections 4(i), 214, 254, 303(r), and 403 

of the Communications Act of 1934, as 

amended, 47 U.S.C. 154(i), 214, 254, 

303(r), and 403, and §§ 1.1, 1.3, and 

1.412 of the Commission’s rules, 47 CFR 

1.1, 1.3, and 1.412, that this Order is 

adopted. The Order is effective upon 

publication in the Federal Register. 

28. It is further ordered that, pursuant 

to § 1.3 of the Commission’s rules, 47 

CFR 1.3, that § 54.313(c)(4) of the 

Commission’s rules, 47 CFR 

54.313(c)(4), is waived to the extent 

described in this document. 

Federal Communications Commission. 

Marlene Dortch, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2018–12488 Filed 6–12–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 679 

[Docket No. 170816769–8162–02] 

RIN 0648–XG285 

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic 

Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Cod by 

Vessels Using Jig Gear in the Central 

Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary rule; closure. 

SUMMARY: NMFS is prohibiting directed 

fishing for Pacific cod by vessels using 

jig gear in the Central Regulatory Area 

of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action 

is necessary to prevent exceeding the 

2018 Pacific cod total allowable catch 

apportioned to vessels using jig gear in 

the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA. 

DATES: Effective 1200 hours, Alaska 

local time (A.l.t.), June 10, 2018, 

through 2400 hours, A.l.t., December 31, 

2018. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Obren Davis, 907–586–7228. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS 

manages the groundfish fishery in the 

GOA exclusive economic zone 

according to the Fishery Management 

Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of 

Alaska (FMP) prepared by the North 

Pacific Fishery Management Council 

under authority of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and 

Management Act. Regulations governing 

fishing by U.S. vessels in accordance 

with the FMP appear at subpart H of 50 

CFR part 600 and 50 CFR part 679. 

Regulations governing sideboard 

protections for GOA groundfish 


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