14364 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 47 / Friday, March 9, 2012 / Notices 

Proposed Use: Plant-Incorporated 

Protectant in Corn for Research, 

Breeding, and Seed Increase Uses. 

Contact: Mike Mendelsohn, 

Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention 

Division, (703) 308–8715, 

mendelsohn.mike@epa.gov. 

6. File Symbol: 67979–EG. Docket 

Number: EPA–HQ–OPP–2012–0108. 

Applicant: Syngenta Seeds, Inc., P.O. 

Box 12257, 3054 E. Cornwallis Rd., 

Research Park, N.C. 27709. Product 

Name: Bt11 x MIR162 x MIR604 x 

TC1507 x 5307 Corn. Active ingredient: 

Plant-Incorporated Protectant with 

Bacillus thuringiensis eCry3.1Ab 

protein and the genetic material 

necessary for its production (via 

elements of vector pSYN12274) in 5307 

Corn (SYN-;53;7–1) at 0.00261%. 

Proposed Use: Plant-incorporated 

protectant in corn for commercial use. 

Contact: Mike Mendelsohn, 

Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention 

Division, (703) 308–8715, 

mendelsohn.mike@epa.gov. 

7. File Symbol: 67979–EU. Docket 

Number: EPA–HQ–OPP–2012–0108. 

Applicant: Syngenta Seeds, Inc., P.O. 

Box 12257, 3054 E. Cornwallis Rd., 

Research Park, N.C. 27709. Product 

Name: Bt11 x MIR604 x TC1507 x 5307 

Corn. Active ingredient: Plantincorporated protectant with Bacillus 

thuringiensis eCry3.1Ab protein and the 

genetic material necessary for its 

production (via elements of vector 

pSYN12274) in 5307 Corn (SYN- 

;53;7–1) at 0.00335%. Proposed Use: 

Plant-Incorporated Protectant in Corn 

for Commercial Use. Contact: Mike 

Mendelsohn, Biopesticides and 

Pollution Prevention Division, (703) 

308–8715, mendelsohn.mike@epa.gov. 

8. File Symbol: 69553–R. Docket 

Number: EPA–HQ–OPP–2011–0984. 

Applicant: Fred Smith, SciReg, Inc., 

12733 Director’s Loop, Woodbridge, VA 

22192, Authorized Representative for 

Andermatt Biocontrol AG, 

Stahlermatten 6, CH–6146 Grossdietwil, 

Switzerland. Product Name: Madex 

Twin. Active ingredient: Cydia 

pomonella granulovirus Isolate V22. 

Proposed Use(s): Agricultural crop use 

and residential use. Contact: Ann 

Sibold, Biopesticides and Pollution 

Prevention Division, (703) 305–6502, 

sibold.ann@epa.gov. 

9. File Symbol: 84059–RE. Docket 

Number: EPA–HQ–OPP–2010–0079. 

Applicant: Marrone Bio Innovations, 

Inc., 2121 Second Street, Suite B–107, 

Davis, CA 95618. Product Name: MBI– 

005 EP. Active ingredient: Killed, nonviable Streptomyces acidiscabies strain 

RL–110T. Proposed Use(s): Agricultural 

crop, residential home and garden, and 

turf and landscape uses. Contact: Ann 

Sibold, Biopesticides and Pollution 

Prevention Division, (703) 305–6502, 

sibold.ann@epa.gov. 

List of Subjects 

Environmental protection, Pesticides 

and pest. 

Dated: February 28, 2012. 

Lois Rossi, 

Director, Registration Division, Office of 

Pesticide Programs. 

[FR Doc. 2012–5644 Filed 3–8–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS 

COMMISSION 

[WC Docket No 02–60; DA 12–273] 

Comment Sought on Funding Pilot 

Program Participants Transitioning 

Out of the Rural Health Care Pilot 

Program in Funding Year 2012 

AGENCY: Federal Communications 

Commission. 

ACTION: Notice; solicitation of 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In this document, the 

Wireline Competition Bureau seeks 

comment on whether to fund Rural 

Health Care Pilot Program (Pilot 

Program) participants who will exhaust 

funding allocated to them before or 

during funding year 2012 (July 1, 2012– 

June 30, 2013). This funding would 

maintain support for qualifying Pilot 

Program participants, on an interim 

basis, during the 2012 funding year to 

provide time to establish a process to 

transition them into the permanent 

Rural Health Care support mechanism 

(RHC support mechanism). 

DATES: Comments are due on or before 

April 18, 2012. Reply comments are due 

on or before May 3, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may file 

comments on or before April 18, 2012. 

All pleadings are to reference WC 

Docket No. 02–60. Comments may be 

filed using the Commission’s Electronic 

Comment Filing System (ECFS), or by 

filing paper copies, by any of the 

following methods: 

• Electronic Filers: Comments may be 

filed electronically using the Internet by 

accessing the ECFS: http:// 

fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/. 

• Paper Filers: Parties who choose to 

file by paper must file an original and 

four copies of each filing. If more than 

one docket or rulemaking number 

appears in the caption of this 

proceeding, filers must submit two 

additional copies for each additional 

docket or rulemaking number. 

• People with Disabilities: To request 

materials in accessible formats for 

people with disabilities (Braille, large 

print, electronic files, audio format), 

send an email to fcc504@fcc.gov or call 

the Consumer & Governmental Affairs 

Bureau at (202) 418–0530 (voice), (202) 

418–0432 (tty). 

For detailed instructions for submitting 

comments and additional information 

on the rulemaking process, see the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of 

this document. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Christianna Lewis Barnhart, Wireline 

Competition Bureau at 

Christianna.Barnhart@fcc.gov or (202) 

418–7400 or TTY (202) 418–0484. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a 

synopsis of the Commission’s Public 

Notice in WC Docket No. 02–60; DA 12– 

273, released February 27, 2012. The 

complete text of this document is 

available for inspection and copying 

during normal business hours in the 

FCC Reference Information Center, 

Portals II, 445 12th Street SW., Room 

CY–A257, Washington, DC 20554. The 

document may also be purchased from 

the Commission’s duplicating 

contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc., 

445 12th Street SW., Room CY–B402, 

Washington, DC 20554, telephone (800) 

378–3160 or (202) 863–2893, facsimile 

(202) 863–2898, or via the Internet at 

http://www.bcpiweb.com. 

1. The Wireline Competition Bureau 

(Bureau) seeks comment on whether to 

fund Rural Health Care Pilot Program 

(Pilot Program) participants who will 

exhaust funding allocated to them 

before or during funding year 2012 (July 

1, 2012–June 30, 2013). This funding 

would maintain support for qualifying 

Pilot Program participants, on an 

interim basis, during the 2012 funding 

year to provide time to establish a 

process to transition them into the 

permanent Rural Health Care support 

mechanism (RHC support mechanism). 

To support these transitioning Pilot 

Program participants, the funds that 

were previously designated for projects 

that withdrew from the Program or 

otherwise failed to meet the June 30, 

2011, deadline could be used without 

increasing overall demand. 

I. Background 

2. The rural health care 

telecommunications program ensures 

that rural health care providers pay no 

more than their urban counterparts for 

their telecommunications needs in the 

provision of health care services. The 

rural health care Internet access 

program provides a 25 percent discount 

off the cost of monthly Internet access 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 47 / Friday, March 9, 2012 / Notices 14365 

for eligible rural health care providers. 

Together the telecommunications and 

Internet access programs are commonly 

referred to as the ‘‘Primary Program.’’ 

3. In 2006, the Commission created a 

three-year Pilot Program to examine 

ways to use the RHC support 

mechanism to enhance public and nonprofit health care providers’ access to 

advanced telecommunications and 

information services. Participants in the 

Pilot Program are eligible to receive 

universal service funding to support up 

to 85 percent of the eligible costs of 

broadband infrastructure deployment of 

telehealth networks that connect to rural 

and urban health care providers in a 

State or region. Although the FCC 

originally selected 69 different projects 

to participate in the Pilot Program, only 

50 projects are currently in existence 

today. Several projects merged and 

twelve projects either withdrew from 

the program or otherwise failed to meet 

the June 30, 2011 funding commitment 

deadline and were no longer eligible to 

participate in the Pilot Program. 

Funding that was designated to support 

these twelve projects totaled 

approximately $30 million. 

4. Approximately 484 individual 

health care providers (HCPs) 

participating in the Pilot Program are 

scheduled to transition out of the 

program during the 2012 funding year 

because their respective Pilot projects 

will have reached their funding cap 

under the 2007 Pilot Program Selection 

Order, 73 FR 8670, February 14, 2008, 

and the HCPs will have exhausted the 

amounts of Pilot Program support 

allocated to them under the relevant 

funding commitment letters issued by 

USAC. These providers are members of 

networks, as was required by the Pilot 

Program, and they applied for Pilot 

funding as consortia (as explicitly 

permitted under section 254(h)(7)(B) of 

the Act). The rural HCPs that have 

exhausted their Pilot funding could seek 

support from the Primary Program in 

the 2012 funding year (July 1, 2012– 

June 30, 2013). Significant differences 

between Pilot and Primary Program 

rules regarding eligibility and funding 

may make it difficult, however, for Pilot 

Program participants to apply for 

funding in the Primary Program. One 

Pilot project (and its service provider) 

has already raised questions about 

transitioning to the funding mechanisms 

in the Primary Program. 

5. In July 2010, the Commission 

sought comment on a number of issues, 

including how to transition Pilot 

Program participants to the ongoing 

rural health care support mechanism. 

We now seek more focused comment on 

supporting select Pilot Program 

participants at their current funding 

levels to ‘‘bridge’’ the disparity in 

funding and application requirements 

between the Pilot Program and Primary 

Programs for the 2012–2013 funding 

year. The Commission recognized in the 

2006 Pilot Program Order, 71 FR 65517, 

November 8, 2006, that circumstances 

may necessitate additional funding for 

Pilot Program participants. Accordingly, 

this ‘‘bridge’’ funding could provide 

additional time to consider how best to 

transition Pilot Program participants, 

while preserving the connectivity that 

has been developed under the Pilot. To 

support these transitioning Pilot 

Program participants, the funds that 

were previously designated for projects 

that withdrew from the Program or 

otherwise failed to meet the June 30, 

2011, deadline could be used without 

increasing overall demand. 

6. Exhaustion of Pilot Program Funds. 

We seek comment on providing funds 

only to those participants that will have 

exhausted all Pilot Program funding 

allocated to them before or during 

funding year 2012 (July 1, 2012–June 30, 

2013), as described above. USAC 

estimates that approximately 14 out of 

the existing 50 projects will have some 

individual health care providers that 

will have spent all of the money in their 

initial award. We seek comment on this 

proposal and how providing such 

funding for an additional year would 

impact the sustainability of the 

networks developed with Pilot Program 

funds. 

7. Support levels for 2012–2013 

funding year. We also seek comment on 

whether to maintain the existing level of 

support that these Pilot Program 

participants receive annually for their 

recurring costs. For instance, USAC 

could determine each participant’s 

allocation for funding year 2012 by 

calculating the yearly average amount of 

support for recurring costs that 

participants have received over the life 

of their Pilot projects and fund them at 

that amount. Using this methodology, 

USAC estimates that it would cost 

approximately $10 million to fund 

transitioning health care providers in 

funding year 2012. We seek comment on 

this proposal to maintain the current 

level of support for eligible Pilot 

Program participants’ recurring costs. 

Alternatively, those recipients could 

receive a lower discount than the 

current 85 percent. Commenters who 

suggest alternative funding support 

levels should offer explanation why the 

funding level should be different than 

what is currently provided in the Pilot 

Program. 

8. Duration. Pilot Program 

participants who meet eligibility 

requirements to receive transitional 

funding would only be eligible to 

receive funds for the 2012 funding year 

(July 1, 2012–June 30, 2013). We seek 

comment on this proposal. Commenters 

who suggest that Pilot Program 

participants should be eligible for 

funding for a different period of time 

should provide reasoning for their 

proposal. 

9. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. 

This document does not contain new or 

modified information collection(s) 

subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act 

of 1995 (PRA), Public Law 104–13. In 

addition, therefore, it does not contain 

any new or modified information 

burden for small business concerns with 

fewer than 25 employees, pursuant to 

the Small Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, 

Public Law 107–198, see 44 U.S.C. 

3506(c)(4). 

10. Pursuant to §§ 1.415 and 1.419 of 

the Commission’s rules, 47 CFR 1.415, 

1.419, interested parties may file 

comments on or before the dates 

indicated on the first page of this 

document. All pleadings are to reference 

WC Docket No. 02–60. Comments may 

be filed using: (1) The Commission’s 

Electronic Comment Filing System 

(ECFS), or (2) by filing paper copies. All 

filings must be addressed to the 

Commission’s Secretary, Office of the 

Secretary, Federal Communications 

Commission. 

11. Electronic Filers: Comments may 

be filed electronically using the Internet 

by accessing the ECFS: http:// 

apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/. Filers should follow 

the instructions provided on the Web 

site for submitting comments. 

12. Paper Filers: Parties who choose 

to file by paper must file an original and 

one copy of each filing. If more than one 

docket or rulemaking number appears in 

the caption of this proceeding, filers 

must submit two additional copies for 

each additional docket or rulemaking 

number. Filings can be sent by hand or 

messenger delivery, by commercial 

overnight courier, or by first-class or 

overnight U.S. Postal Service mail. All 

filings must be addressed to the 

Commission’s Secretary, Office of the 

Secretary, Federal Communications 

Commission. 

• All hand-delivered or messengerdelivered paper filings for the 

Commission’s Secretary must be 

delivered to FCC Headquarters at 445 

12th St. SW., Room TW–A325, 

Washington, DC 20554. All hand 

deliveries must be held together with 

rubber bands or fasteners. Any 

envelopes must be disposed of before 

entering the building. The filing hours 

are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
14366 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 47 / Friday, March 9, 2012 / Notices 

1See 12 U.S.C. 1424(a), 1430(a). 

2See 12 U.S.C. 1422(10)(A); 12 CFR 1263.1. 

3See 12 U.S.C. 1422(10); 12 CFR 1263.1 (defining 

the term CFI asset cap). 

• Commercial overnight mail (other 

than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail 

and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 

East Hampton Drive, Capitol Heights, 

MD 20743. 

• U.S. Postal Service first-class, 

Express, and Priority mail must be 

addressed to 445 12th Street SW., 

Washington DC 20554. 

13. Additional copies. One copy of 

each filing must be sent to each of the 

following: 

• The Commission’s duplicating 

contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc., 

445 12th Street SW., Room CY–B402, 

Washington, DC 20554, 

www.bcpiweb.com; phone: (202) 488– 

5300 fax: (202) 488–5563; 

• Christianna Lewis Barnhart, 

Telecommunications Access Policy 

Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, 

445 12th Street SW., Room 5–B552, 

Washington, DC 20554; email: 

Christianna.Barnhart@fcc.gov and 

• Charles Tyler, Telecommunications 

Access Policy Division, Wireline 

Competition Bureau, 445 12th Street 

SW., Room 5–B521, Washington, DC 

20554; email: Charles.Tyler@fcc.gov. 

14. People with Disabilities: To 

request materials in accessible formats 

for people with disabilities (Braille, 

large print, electronic files, audio 

format), send an email to fcc504@fcc.gov 

or call the Consumer & Governmental 

Affairs Bureau at (202) 418–0530 

(voice), (202) 418–0432 

15. Filings and comments are also 

available for public inspection and 

copying during regular business hours 

at the FCC Reference Information 

Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street SW., 

Room CY–A257, Washington, DC 20554. 

They may also be purchased from the 

Commission’s duplicating contractor, 

Best Copy and Printing, Inc., Portals II, 

445 12th Street SW., Room CY–B402, 

Washington, DC 20554, telephone: (202) 

488–5300, fax: (202) 488–5563, or via 

email www.bcpiweb.com. 

16. This matter shall be treated as a 

‘‘permit-but-disclose’’ proceeding in 

accordance with the Commission’s ex 

parte rules. Persons making oral ex 

parte presentations are reminded that 

memoranda summarizing the 

presentations must contain summaries 

of the substance of the presentation and 

not merely a listing of the subjects 

discussed. More than a one or two 

sentence description of the views and 

arguments presented generally is 

required. Other rules pertaining to oral 

and written ex parte presentations in 

permit-but-disclose proceedings are set 

forth in § 1.1206(b) of the Commission’s 

rules. 

Federal Communications Commission. 

Trent Harkrader, 

Division Chief, Wireline Competition Bureau. 

[FR Doc. 2012–5687 Filed 3–8–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P 

FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE 

AGENCY 

[No. 2012–N–02] 

Notice of Annual Adjustment of the 

Cap on Average Total Assets That 

Defines Community Financial 

Institutions 

AGENCY: Federal Housing Finance 

Agency. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Housing Finance 

Agency (FHFA) has adjusted the cap on 

average total assets that defines a 

‘‘Community Financial Institution’’ 

based on the annual percentage increase 

in the Consumer Price Index for all 

urban consumers (CPI–U) as published 

by the Department of Labor (DOL). 

These changes took effect on January 1, 

2012. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Patricia L. Sweeney, Division of Federal 

Home Loan Bank Regulation, 202–649– 

3311, Pat.Sweeney@fhfa.gov, or Eric M. 

Raudenbush, Assistant General Counsel, 

202–649–6421, 

Eric.Raudenbush@fhfa.gov, Federal 

Housing Finance Agency, 400 Seventh 

Street SW., Washington, DC 20024. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Statutory and Regulatory Background 

The Federal Home Loan Bank Act 

(Bank Act) confers upon insured 

depository institutions that meet the 

statutory definition of a ‘‘Community 

Financial Institution’’ (CFI) certain 

advantages over non-CFI insured 

depository institutions in qualifying for 

Federal Home Loan Bank (Bank) 

membership, and in the purposes for 

which they may receive long-term 

advances and the collateral they may 

pledge to secure advances.1 Section 

2(10)(A) of the Bank Act and § 1263.1 of 

FHFA’s regulations define a CFI as any 

Bank member the deposits of which are 

insured by the Federal Deposit 

Insurance Corporation and that has 

average total assets below a statutory 

cap.2 The Bank Act was amended in 

2008 to set the statutory cap at $1 

billion and to require the Director of 

FHFA to adjust the cap annually to 

reflect the percentage increase in the 

CPI–U, as published by the DOL, for the 

prior year.3 For 2011, FHFA set the CFI 

asset cap at $1,041,000,000, which 

reflected a 1.1 percent increase over 

2010, based upon the increase in the 

CPI–U between 2009 and 2010. Due to 

a transcription error, the agency’s 

Federal Register notice announcing the 

CFI asset cap adjustment for 2011 

mistakenly stated that the cap had been 

set at $1,040,000,000. See 76 FR 3142 

(Jan. 19, 2011). 

II. The CFI Asset Cap for 2012 

As of January 1, 2012, FHFA has 

increased the CFI asset cap from 

$1,041,000,000 (the correct number for 

2011) to $1,076,000,000 which reflects a 

3.4 percent increase in the unadjusted 

CPI–U from November 2010 to 

November 2011. The new amount was 

obtained by rounding to the nearest 

million, as has been the practice for all 

prior adjustments. Consistent with the 

practice of other federal agencies, FHFA 

bases the annual adjustment to the CFI 

asset cap on the percentage increase in 

the CPI–U from November of the year 

prior to the preceding calendar year to 

November of the preceding calendar 

year, because the November figures 

represent the most recent available data 

as of January 1st of the current calendar 

year. 

In calculating the CFI asset cap, FHFA 

uses CPI–U data that have not been 

seasonally adjusted (i.e., the data have 

not been adjusted to remove the 

estimated effect of price changes that 

normally occur at the same time and in 

about the same magnitude every year). 

The DOL encourages use of unadjusted 

CPI–U data in applying ‘‘escalation’’ 

provisions such as that governing the 

CFI asset cap, because the factors that 

are used to seasonally adjust the data 

are amended annually, and seasonally 

adjusted data that are published earlier 

are subject to revision for up to five 

years following their original release. 

Unadjusted data are not routinely 

subject to revision, and previously 

published unadjusted data are only 

corrected when significant calculation 

errors are discovered. 

Dated: March 5, 2012. 

Edward J. DeMarco, 

Acting Director, Federal Housing Finance 

Agency. 

[FR Doc. 2012–5805 Filed 3–8–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8070–01–P 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES