Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 248 / Thursday, December 28, 2023 / Notices 89755 

24 17 CFR 200.30–3(a)(12). 1 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1). 

2 17 CFR 240.19b–4. 

3The Exchange initially filed the proposed fee 

changes on July 3, 2023 (SR–C2–2023–014). On 

September 1, 2023, the Exchange withdrew that 

filing and submitted SR–C2–2023–020. On 

September 29, 2023, the Securities and Exchange 

Commission issued a Suspension of and Order 

Instituting Proceedings to Determine whether to 

Approve or Disapprove a Proposed Rule Change to 

Amend its Fees Schedule Related to Physical Port 

Fees (the ‘‘OIP’’). On September 29, 2023, the 

Exchange filed the proposed fee change (SR–C2– 

2023–021). On October 13, 2023, the Exchange 

withdrew that filing and submitted SR–C2–2023– 

022. On December 12, 2023, the Exchange withdrew 

that filing and submitted this filing. 

4See e.g., The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC 

(‘‘Nasdaq’’), General 8, Connectivity to the 

Exchange. Nasdaq and its affiliated exchanges 

charge a monthly fee of $15,000 for each 10Gbps 

Ultra fiber connection to the respective exchange, 

which is analogous to the Exchange’s 10Gbps 

physical port. See also New York Stock Exchange 

LLC, NYSE American LLC, NYSE Arca, Inc., NYSE 

Chicago Inc., NYSE National, Inc. Connectivity Fee 

Schedule, which provides that 10 Gbps LX LCN 

Circuits (which are analogous to the Exchange’s 10 

Gbps physical port) are assessed $22,000 per 

month, per port. 

5The Affiliate Exchanges are also submitting 

contemporaneous identical rule filings. 

6 15 U.S.C. 78f(b). 

7 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5). 

8 Id. 

9 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(4). 

public in accordance with the 

provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be 

available for website viewing and 

printing in the Commission’s Public 

Reference Room, 100 F Street NE, 

Washington, DC 20549 on official 

business days between the hours of 10 

a.m. and 3 p.m. Copies of the filing also

will be available for inspection and

copying at the principal office of DTC

and on DTCC’s website (dtcc.com/legal/

sec-rule-filings). Do not include

personal identifiable information in

submissions; you should submit only

information that you wish to make

available publicly. We may redact in

part or withhold entirely from

publication submitted material that is

obscene or subject to copyright

protection. All submissions should refer

to File Number SR–DTC–2023–013 and

should be submitted on or before

January 18, 2024.

For the Commission, by the Division 

of Trading and Markets, pursuant to 

delegated authority.24

Christina Z. Milnor, 

Assistant Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2023–28706 Filed 12–27–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8011–01–P 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE 

COMMISSION 

[Release No. 34–99220; File No. SR–C2– 

2023–025] 

Self-Regulatory Organizations; Cboe 

C2 Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing and 

Immediate Effectiveness of a Proposed 

Rule Change To Amend Its Fees 

Schedule Related to Physical Port 

Fees 

December 21, 2023. 

Pursuant to section 19(b)(1) of the 

Securities Exchange Act of 1934 

(‘‘Act’’),1 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,2

notice is hereby given that on December 

12, 2023, Cboe C2 Exchange, Inc. (the 

‘‘Exchange’’ or ‘‘C2’’) filed with the 

Securities and Exchange Commission 

(‘‘Commission’’) the proposed rule 

change as described in Items I, II, and 

III below, which Items have been 

prepared by the Exchange. The 

Commission is publishing this notice to 

solicit comments on the proposed rule 

change from interested persons. 

I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s

Statement of the Terms of Substance of

the Proposed Rule Change

Cboe C2 Exchange, Inc. (the 

‘‘Exchange’’ or ‘‘C2 Options’’) proposes 

to amend its Fees Schedule. The text of 

the proposed rule change is provided in 

Exhibit 5. 

The text of the proposed rule change 

is also available on the Exchange’s 

website (http://markets.cboe.com/us/ 

options/regulation/rule_filings/ctwo/), 

at the Exchange’s Office of the 

Secretary, and at the Commission’s 

Public Reference Room. 

II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s

Statement of the Purpose of, and

Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule

Change

In its filing with the Commission, the 

Exchange included statements 

concerning the purpose of and basis for 

the proposed rule change and discussed 

any comments it received on the 

proposed rule change. The text of these 

statements may be examined at the 

places specified in Item IV below. The 

Exchange has prepared summaries, set 

forth in sections A, B, and C below, of 

the most significant aspects of such 

statements. 

A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s

Statement of the Purpose of, and

Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule

Change

1. Purpose

The Exchange proposes to amend its

fee schedule relating to physical 

connectivity fees.3

By way of background, a physical port 

is utilized by a Member or non-Member 

to connect to the Exchange at the data 

centers where the Exchange’s servers are 

located. The Exchange currently 

assesses the following physical 

connectivity fees for Trading Permit 

Holders (‘‘TPHs’’) and non-TPHs on a 

monthly basis: $2,500 per physical port 

for a 1 gigabit (‘‘Gbps’’) circuit and 

$7,500 per physical port for a 10 Gbps 

circuit. The Exchange proposes to 

increase the monthly fee for 10 Gbps 

physical ports from $7,500 to $8,500 per 

port. The Exchange notes the proposed 

fee change better enables it to continue 

to maintain and improve its market 

technology and services and also notes 

that the proposed fee amount, even as 

amended, continues to be in line with, 

or even lower than, amounts assessed by 

other exchanges for similar 

connections.4 The physical ports may 

also be used to access the Systems for 

the following affiliate exchanges and 

only one monthly fee currently (and 

will continue) to apply per port: Cboe 

BZX Exchange, Inc. (options and 

equities platforms), Cboe EDGX 

Exchange, Inc. (options and equities 

platforms), Cboe BYX Exchange, Inc., 

and Cboe EDGA Exchange, Inc. 

(‘‘Affiliate Exchanges’’).5

2. Statutory Basis

The Exchange believes the proposed

rule change is consistent with the 

Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the 

‘‘Act’’) and the rules and regulations 

thereunder applicable to the Exchange 

and, in particular, the requirements of 

section 6(b) of the Act.6 Specifically, the 

Exchange believes the proposed rule 

change is consistent with the section 

6(b)(5) 7 requirements that the rules of 

an exchange be designed to prevent 

fraudulent and manipulative acts and 

practices, to promote just and equitable 

principles of trade, to foster cooperation 

and coordination with persons engaged 

in regulating, clearing, settling, 

processing information with respect to, 

and facilitating transactions in 

securities, to remove impediments to 

and perfect the mechanism of a free and 

open market and a national market 

system, and, in general, to protect 

investors and the public interest. 

Additionally, the Exchange believes the 

proposed rule change is consistent with 

the section 6(b)(5) 8 requirement that the 

rules of an exchange not be designed to 

permit unfair discrimination between 

customers, issuers, brokers, or dealers. 

The Exchange also believes the 

proposed rule change is consistent with 

section 6(b)(4) 9 of the Act, which 

requires that Exchange rules provide for 

the equitable allocation of reasonable 

dues, fees, and other charges among its 


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10See Securities and Exchange Release No. 83455 

(June 15, 2018), 83 FR 28892 (June 21, 2018) (SR– 

C2–2018–014). 

11See https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/ 

2010?amount=1. 

12See e.g., The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC 

(‘‘Nasdaq’’), General 8, Connectivity to the 

Exchange. Nasdaq and its affiliated exchanges 

charge a monthly fee of $15,000 for each 10Gbps 

Ultra fiber connection to the respective exchange, 

which is analogous to the Exchange’s 10Gbps 

physical port. See also New York Stock Exchange 

LLC, NYSE American LLC, NYSE Arca, Inc., NYSE 

Chicago Inc., NYSE National, Inc. Connectivity Fee 

Schedule, which provides that 10 Gbps LX LCN 

Circuits (which are analogous to the Exchange’s 10 

Gbps physical port) are assessed $22,000 per 

month, per port. 

13 Id. 

14See Cboe Global Markets U.S. Options Market 

Volume Summary (October 13, 2023), available at 

https://markets.cboe.com/us/options/market_

statistics/. 

15See https://www.nyse.com/markets/americanoptions/membership#directory. 

16See https://www.nyse.com/markets/arcaoptions/membership#directory. 

17See https://www.miaxglobal.com/sites/default/ 

files/page-files/MIAX_Options_Exchange_

Members_April_2023_04282023.pdf. 

18See https://www.miaxglobal.com/sites/default/ 

files/page-files/MIAX_Pearl_Exchange_Members_

01172023_0.pdf. 

19Third-party resellers of connectivity play an 

important role in the capital markets infrastructure 

ecosystem. For example, third-party resellers can 

help unify access for customers who want exposure 

to multiple financial markets that are 

TPHs and other persons using its 

facilities. 

The Exchange believes the proposed 

fee change is reasonable as it reflects a 

moderate increase in physical 

connectivity fees for 10 Gbps physical 

ports. Further, the current 10 Gbps 

physical port fee has remained 

unchanged since June 2018.10 Since its 

last increase 5 years ago however, there 

has been notable inflation. Particularly, 

the dollar has had an average inflation 

rate of 3.9% per year between 2018 and 

today, producing a cumulative price 

increase of approximately 21.1% 

inflation since the fee for the 10 Gbps 

physical port was last modified.11

Moreover, the Exchange historically 

does not increase fees every year, 

notwithstanding inflation. Accordingly, 

the Exchange believes the proposed fee 

is reasonable as it represents only an 

approximate 13% increase from the 

rates adopted five years ago, 

notwithstanding the cumulative rate of 

21.1%. The Exchange is also unaware of 

any standard that suggests any fee 

proposal that exceeds a certain yearly or 

cumulative inflation rate is 

unreasonable. 

The Exchange also believes the 

proposed fee is reasonable as it is still 

in line with, or even lower than, 

amounts assessed by other exchanges 

for similar connections.12 Indeed, the 

Exchange believes assessing fees that are 

a lower rate than fees assessed by other 

exchanges for analogous connectivity 

(which were similarly adopted via the 

rule filing process and filed with the 

Commission) is reasonable. As noted 

above, the proposed fee is also the same 

as is concurrently being proposed for its 

Affiliate Exchanges. Further, TPHs are 

able to utilize a single port to connect 

to any of the Affiliate Exchanges with 

no additional fee assessed for that same 

physical port. Particularly, the Exchange 

believes the proposed monthly per port 

fee is reasonable, equitable and not 

unfairly discriminatory as it is assessed 

only once, even if it connects with 

another affiliate exchange since only 

one port is being used and the Exchange 

does not wish to charge multiple fees for 

the same port. Indeed, the Exchange 

notes that several ports are in fact 

purchased and utilized across one or 

more of the Exchange’s affiliated 

Exchanges (and charged only once). 

The Exchange also believes that the 

proposed fee change is not unfairly 

discriminatory because it would be 

assessed uniformly across all market 

participants that purchase the physical 

ports. The Exchange believes increasing 

the fee for 10 Gbps physical ports and 

charging a higher fee as compared to the 

1 Gbps physical port is equitable as the 

1 Gbps physical port is 1⁄10th the size of 

the 10 Gbps physical port and therefore 

does not offer access to many of the 

products and services offered by the 

Exchange (e.g., ability to receive certain 

market data products). Thus, the value 

of the 1 Gbps alternative is lower than 

the value of the 10 Gbps alternative, 

when measured based on the type of 

Exchange access it offers. Moreover, 

market participants that purchase 10 

Gbps physical ports utilize the most 

bandwidth and therefore consume the 

most resources from the network. As 

such, the Exchange believes the 

proposed fee change for 10 Gbps 

physical ports is reasonably and 

appropriately allocated. 

The Exchange also notes TPHs and 

non-TPHs will continue to choose the 

method of connectivity based on their 

specific needs and no broker-dealer is 

required to become a TPH of, let alone 

connect directly to, the Exchange. There 

is also no regulatory requirement that 

any market participant connect to any 

one particular exchange. Moreover, 

direct connectivity is not a requirement 

to participate on the Exchange. The 

Exchange also believes substitutable 

products and services are available to 

market participants, including, among 

other things, other options exchanges 

that a market participant may connect to 

in lieu of the Exchange, indirect 

connectivity to the Exchange via a thirdparty reseller of connectivity, and/or 

trading of any options product, such as 

within the Over-the-Counter (OTC) 

markets which do not require 

connectivity to the Exchange. Indeed, 

there are currently 17 registered options 

exchanges that trade options (13 of 

which are not affiliated with Cboe), 

some of which have similar or lower 

connectivity fees.13 Based on publicly 

available information, no single options 

exchange has more than approximately 

20% of the market share.14 Further, low 

barriers to entry mean that new 

exchanges may rapidly enter the market 

and offer additional substitute platforms 

to further compete with the Exchange 

and the products it offers. For example, 

there are 4 exchanges that have been 

added in the U.S. options markets in the 

last 5 years (i.e., Nasdaq MRX, LLC, 

MIAX Pearl, LLC, MIAX Emerald LLC, 

and most recently, MEMX LLC). 

As noted above, there is no regulatory 

requirement that any market participant 

connect to any one options exchange, 

nor that any market participant connect 

at a particular connection speed or act 

in a particular capacity on the 

Exchange, or trade any particular 

product offered on an exchange. 

Moreover, membership is not a 

requirement to participate on the 

Exchange. Indeed, the Exchange is 

unaware of anyone options exchange 

whose membership includes every 

registered broker-dealer. By way of 

example, while the Exchange has 52 

TPHs, Cboe BZX has 61 members that 

trade options, and Cboe EDGX has 51 

members that trade options. There is 

also no firm that is a Member of C2 

Options only. Further, based on 

publicly available information regarding 

a sample of the Exchange’s competitors, 

NYSE American Options has 71 

members,15 and NYSE Arca Options has 

69 members,16 MIAX Options has 46 

members 17 and MIAX Pearl Options has 

40 members.18

A market participant may also submit 

orders to the Exchange via a Member 

broker or a third-party reseller of 

connectivity. The Exchange notes that 

third-party non-TPHs also resell 

exchange connectivity. This indirect 

connectivity is another viable 

alternative for market participants to 

trade on the Exchange without 

connecting directly to the Exchange 

(and thus not pay the Exchange 

connectivity fees), which alternative is 

already being used by non-TPHs and 

further constrains the price that the 

Exchange is able to charge for 

connectivity to its Exchange.19 The 


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geographically dispersed by establishing 

connectivity to all of the different exchanges, so the 

customers themselves do not have to. Many of the 

third-party connectivity resellers also act as 

distribution agents for all of the market data 

generated by the exchanges as they can use their 

established connectivity to subscribe to, and 

redistribute, data over their networks. This may 

remove barriers that infrastructure requirements 

may otherwise pose for customers looking to access 

multiple markets and real-time data feeds. This 

facilitation of overall access to the marketplace is 

ultimately beneficial for the entire capital markets 

ecosystem, including the Exchange, on which such 

firms transact business. 

20See, e.g., Nasdaq Price List—U.S. Direct 

Connection and Extranet Fees, available at, US 

Direct-Extranet Connection (nasdaqtrader.com); 

and Securities Exchange Act Release Nos. 74077 

(January 16, 2022), 80 FR 3683 (January 23, 2022) 

(SR–NASDAQ–2015–002); and 82037 (November 8, 

2022), 82 FR 52953 (November 15, 2022) (SR– 

NASDAQ–2017–114). 

21For example, a third-party reseller may 

purchase one 10 Gbps physical port from the 

Exchange and resell that connectivity to three 

different market participants who may only need 3 

Gbps each and leverage the same single port. 

22See e.g., The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC 

(‘‘Nasdaq’’), General 8, Connectivity to the 

Exchange. Nasdaq and its affiliated exchanges 

charge a monthly fee of $15,000 for each 10Gbps 

Ultra fiber connection to the respective exchange, 

which is analogous to the Exchange’s 10Gbps 

physical port. See also New York Stock Exchange 

LLC, NYSE American LLC, NYSE Arca, Inc., NYSE 

Chicago Inc., NYSE National, Inc. Connectivity Fee 

Schedule, which provides that 10 Gbps LX LCN 

Circuits (which are analogous to the Exchange’s 10 

Gbps physical port) are assessed $22,000 per 

month, per port. 

23See H.R. Rep. No. 94–229, at 92 (1975) (Conf. 

Rep.) (emphasis added). 

24 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5). 

Exchange notes that it could, but 

chooses not to, preclude market 

participants from reselling its 

connectivity. Unlike other exchanges, 

the Exchange also chooses not to adopt 

fees that would be assessed to thirdparty resellers on a per customer basis 

(i.e., fee based on number of TPHs that 

connect to the Exchange indirectly via 

the third-party).20 Particularly, these 

third-party resellers may purchase the 

Exchange’s physical ports and resell 

access to such ports either alone or as 

part of a package of services. The 

Exchange notes that multiple TPHs are 

able to share a single physical port (and 

corresponding bandwidth) with other 

non-affiliated TPHs if purchased 

through a third-party reseller.21 This 

allows resellers to mutualize the costs of 

the ports for market participants and 

provide such ports at a price that may 

be lower than the Exchange charges due 

to this mutualized connectivity. These 

third-party sellers may also provide an 

additional value to market participants 

in addition to the physical port itself as 

they may also manage and monitor 

these connections, and clients of these 

third-parties may also be able to connect 

from the same colocation facility either 

from their own racks or using the thirdparty’s managed racks and 

infrastructure which may provide 

further cost-savings. The Exchange 

believes such third-party resellers may 

also use the Exchange’s connectivity as 

an incentive for market participants to 

purchase further services such as 

hosting services. That is, even firms that 

wish to utilize a single, dedicated 10 Gb 

port (i.e., use one single 10 Gb port 

themselves instead of sharing a port 

with other firms), may still realize cost 

savings via a third-party reseller as it 

relates to a physical port because such 

reseller may be providing a discount on 

the physical port to incentivize the 

purchase of additional services and 

infrastructure support alongside the 

physical port offering (e.g., providing 

space, hosting, power, and other longhaul connectivity options). This is 

similar to cell phone carriers offering a 

new iPhone at a discount (or even at no 

cost) if purchased in connection with a 

new monthly phone plan. These 

services may reevaluate reselling or 

offering Cboe’s direct connectivity if 

they deem the fees to be excessive. 

Further, as noted above, the Exchange 

does not receive any connectivity 

revenue when connectivity is resold by 

a third-party, which often is resold to 

multiple customers, some of whom are 

agency broker-dealers that have 

numerous customers of their own. 

Therefore, given the availability of 

third-party providers that also offer 

connectivity solutions, the Exchange 

believes participation on the Exchange 

remains affordable (notwithstanding the 

proposed fee change) for all market 

participants, including trading firms 

that may be able to take advantage of 

lower costs that result from mutualized 

connectivity and/or from other services 

provided alongside the physical port 

offerings. Because third-party resellers 

also act as a viable alternative to direct 

connectivity to the Exchange, the price 

that the Exchange is able to charge for 

direct connectivity to its Exchange is 

constrained. Moreover, if the Exchange 

were to assess supracompetitve rates, 

members and non-members (such as 

third-party resellers) alike, may decide 

not to purchase, or to reduce its use of, 

the Exchange’s direct connectivity. 

Disincentivizing market participants 

from purchasing Exchange connectivity 

would only serve to discourage 

participation on the Exchange which 

ultimately does not benefit the 

Exchange. Further, the Exchange 

believes its offerings are more affordable 

as compared to similar offerings at 

competitor exchanges.22

Accordingly, the vigorous 

competition among national securities 

exchanges provides many alternatives 

for firms to voluntarily decide whether 

direct connectivity to the Exchange is 

appropriate and worthwhile, and as 

noted above, no broker-dealer is 

required to become a Member of the 

Exchange, let alone connect directly to 

it. In the event that a market participant 

views the Exchange’s proposed fee 

change as more or less attractive than 

the competition, that market participant 

can choose to connect to the Exchange 

indirectly or may choose not to connect 

to that exchange and connect instead to 

one or more of the other 13 non-Cboe 

affiliated options markets. Indeed, 

market participants are free to choose 

which exchange or reseller to use to 

satisfy their business needs. Moreover, 

if the Exchange charges excessive fees, 

it may stand to lose not only 

connectivity revenues but also revenues 

associated with the execution of orders 

routed to it, and, to the extent 

applicable, market data revenues. The 

Exchange believes that this competitive 

dynamic imposes powerful restraints on 

the ability of any exchange to charge 

unreasonable fees for connectivity. 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the 

Exchange still believes that the 

proposed fee increase is reasonable, 

equitably allocated and not unfairly 

discriminatory, even for market 

participants that determine to connect 

directly to the Exchange for business 

purposes, as those business reasons 

should presumably result in revenue 

capable of covering the proposed fee. 

The Exchange lastly notes that it is 

not required by the Exchange Act, nor 

any other rule or regulation, to 

undertake a cost-of-service or ratemaking approach with respect to fee 

proposals. Moreover, Congress’s intent 

in enacting the 1975 Amendments to the 

Act was to enable competition—rather 

than government order—to determine 

prices. The principal purpose of the 

amendments was to facilitate the 

creation of a national market system for 

the trading of securities. Congress 

intended that this ‘‘national market 

system evolve through the interplay of 

competitive forces as unnecessary 

regulatory restrictions are removed.’’ 23

Other provisions of the Act confirm that 

intent. For example, the Act provides 

that an exchange must design its rules 

‘‘to remove impediments to and perfect 

the mechanism of a free and open 

market and a national market system, 

and, in general, to protect investors and 

the public interest.’’ 24 Likewise, the Act 

grants the Commission authority to 

amend or repeal ‘‘[t]he rules of [an] 

exchange [that] impose any burden on 


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25 15 U.S.C. 78f(8). 

26See also 15 U.S.C. 78k–l(a)(1)(C)(ii) (purposes 

of Exchange Act include to promote ‘‘fair 

competition among brokers and dealers, among 

exchange markets, and between exchange markets 

and markets other than exchange markets’’); Order, 

73 FR at 74781 (‘‘The Exchange Act and its 

legislative history strongly support the 

Commission’s reliance on competition, whenever 

possible, in meeting its regulatory responsibilities 

for overseeing the SROs and the national market 

system.’’). 

27See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 51808 

(June 9, 2005), 70 FR 37496, 37499 (June 29, 2005). 

28NetCoalition v. SEC, 615 F.3d 525, 539 (D.C. 

Cir. 2010) (quoting Securities Exchange Act Release 

No. 59039 (December 2, 2008), 73 FR 74770, 74782– 

83 (December 9, 2008) (SR–NYSEArca–2006–21)). 

29 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A). 

30 17 CFR 240.19b–4(f). 

competition not necessary or 

appropriate in furtherance of the 

purposes of this chapter.’’ 25 In short, 

the promotion of free and open 

competition was a core congressional 

objective in creating the national market 

system.26 Indeed, the Commission has 

historically interpreted that mandate to 

promote competitive forces to determine 

prices whenever compatible with a 

national market system. Accordingly, 

the Exchange believes it has met its 

burden to demonstrate that its proposed 

fee change is reasonable and consistent 

with the immediate filing process 

chosen by Congress, which created a 

system whereby market forces 

determine access fees in the vast 

majority of cases, subject to oversight 

only in particular cases of abuse or 

market failure. Lastly, and importantly, 

the Exchange believes that, even if it 

were possible as a matter of economic 

theory, cost-based pricing for the 

proposed fee would be so complicated 

that it could not be done practically. 

B. Self-Regulatory Organization’s 

Statement on Burden on Competition 

The Exchange does not believe that 

the proposed rule change will impose 

any burden on competition that is not 

necessary or appropriate in furtherance 

of the purposes of the Act. The 

proposed fee change will not impact 

intramarket competition because it will 

apply to all similarly situated TPHs 

equally (i.e., all market participants that 

choose to purchase the 10 Gbps physical 

port). Additionally, the Exchange does 

not believe its proposed pricing will 

impose a barrier to entry to smaller 

participants and notes that its proposed 

connectivity pricing is associated with 

relative usage of the various market 

participants. For example, market 

participants with modest capacity needs 

can continue to buy the less expensive 

1 Gbps physical port (which cost is not 

changing) or may choose to obtain 

access via a third-party reseller. While 

pricing may be increased for the larger 

capacity physical ports, such options 

provide far more capacity and are 

purchased by those that consume more 

resources from the network. 

Accordingly, the proposed connectivity 

fees do not favor certain categories of 

market participants in a manner that 

would impose a burden on competition; 

rather, the allocation reflects the 

network resources consumed by the 

various size of market participants— 

lowest bandwidth consuming members 

pay the least, and highest bandwidth 

consuming members pays the most. 

The Exchange’s proposed fee is also 

still lower than some fees for similar 

connectivity on other exchanges and 

therefore may stimulate intermarket 

competition by attracting additional 

firms to connect to the Exchange or at 

least should not deter interested 

participants from connecting directly to 

the Exchange. Further, if the changes 

proposed herein are unattractive to 

market participants, the Exchange can, 

and likely will, see a decline in 

connectivity via 10 Gbps physical ports 

as a result. The Exchange operates in a 

highly competitive market in which 

market participants can determine 

whether or not to connect directly to the 

Exchange based on the value received 

compared to the cost of doing so. 

Indeed, market participants have 

numerous alternative venues that they 

may participate on and direct their 

order flow, including 13 non-Cboe 

affiliated options markets, as well as offexchange venues, where competitive 

products are available for trading. 

Moreover, the Commission has 

repeatedly expressed its preference for 

competition over regulatory 

intervention in determining prices, 

products, and services in the securities 

markets. Specifically, in Regulation 

NMS, the Commission highlighted the 

importance of market forces in 

determining prices and SRO revenues 

and, also, recognized that current 

regulation of the market system ‘‘has 

been remarkably successful in 

promoting market competition in its 

broader forms that are most important to 

investors and listed companies.’’ 27 The 

fact that this market is competitive has 

also long been recognized by the courts. 

In NetCoalition v. Securities and 

Exchange Commission, the D.C. Circuit 

stated as follows: ‘‘[n]o one disputes 

that competition for order flow is 

‘fierce.’ . . . As the SEC explained, ‘[i]n 

the U.S. national market system, buyers 

and sellers of securities, and the brokerdealers that act as their order-routing 

agents, have a wide range of choices of 

where to route orders for execution’; 

[and] ‘no exchange can afford to take its 

market share percentages for granted’ 

because ‘no exchange possesses a 

monopoly, regulatory or otherwise, in 

the execution of order flow from broker 

dealers’. . . .’’.28 Accordingly, the 

Exchange does not believe its proposed 

change imposes any burden on 

competition that is not necessary or 

appropriate in furtherance of the 

purposes of the Act. 

C. Self-Regulatory Organization’s 

Statement on Comments on the 

Proposed Rule Change Received From 

Members, Participants, or Others 

The Exchange neither solicited nor 

received comments on the proposed 

rule change. 

III. Date of Effectiveness of the 

Proposed Rule Change and Timing for 

Commission Action 

The foregoing rule change has become 

effective pursuant to section 19(b)(3)(A) 

of the Act 29 and paragraph (f) of Rule 

19b–4 30 thereunder. At any time within 

60 days of the filing of the proposed rule 

change, the Commission summarily may 

temporarily suspend such rule change if 

it appears to the Commission that such 

action is necessary or appropriate in the 

public interest, for the protection of 

investors, or otherwise in furtherance of 

the purposes of the Act. If the 

Commission takes such action, the 

Commission will institute proceedings 

to determine whether the proposed rule 

change should be approved or 

disapproved. 

IV. Solicitation of Comments 

Interested persons are invited to 

submit written data, views, and 

arguments concerning the foregoing, 

including whether the proposed rule 

change is consistent with the Act. 

Comments may be submitted by any of 

the following methods: 

Electronic Comments 

• Use the Commission’s internet 

comment form (https://www.sec.gov/ 

rules/sro.shtml); or 

• Send an email to rule-comments@

sec.gov. Please include file number SR– 

C2–2023–025 on the subject line. 

Paper Comments 

• Send paper comments in triplicate 

to Secretary, Securities and Exchange 

Commission, 100 F Street NE, 

Washington, DC 20549–1090. 

All submissions should refer to file 

number SR–C2–2023–025. This file 

number should be included on the 

subject line if email is used. To help the 

Commission process and review your 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 248 / Thursday, December 28, 2023 / Notices 89759 

31 17 CFR 200.30–3(a)(12). 

1 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1). 

2 17 CFR 240.19b–4. 

3The Exchange initially filed the proposed fee 

changes on July 3, 2023 (SR–CboeEDGX–2023–045). 

On September 1, 2023, the Exchange withdrew that 

filing and submitted SR–CboeEDGX–2023–058. On 

September 29, 2023, the Securities and Exchange 

Commission issued a Suspension of and Order 

Instituting Proceedings to Determine whether to 

Approve or Disapprove a Proposed Rule Change to 

Amend its Fees Schedule Related to Physical Port 

Fees (the ‘‘OIP’’). On September 29, 2023, the 

Exchange filed the proposed fee change (SR– 

CboeEDGX–2023–063). On October 13, 2023, the 

Exchange withdrew that filing and submitted SR– 

CboeEDGX–2023–064. On December 12, 2023, the 

Exchange withdrew that filing and submitted this 

filing. 

4See e.g., The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC 

(‘‘Nasdaq’’), General 8, Connectivity to the 

Exchange. Nasdaq and its affiliated exchanges 

charge a monthly fee of $15,000 for each 10Gb Ultra 

fiber connection to the respective exchange, which 

is analogous to the Exchange’s 10Gb physical port. 

See also New York Stock Exchange LLC, NYSE 

American LLC, NYSE Arca, Inc., NYSE Chicago 

Inc., NYSE National, Inc. Connectivity Fee 

Schedule, which provides that 10 Gb LX LCN 

Circuits (which are analogous to the Exchange’s 10 

Gb physical port) are assessed $22,000 per month, 

per port. 

5The Affiliate Exchanges are also submitting 

contemporaneous identical rule filings. 

6 15 U.S.C. 78f(b). 

7 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5). 

comments more efficiently, please use 

only one method. The Commission will 

post all comments on the Commission’s 

internet website (https://www.sec.gov/ 

rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the 

submission, all subsequent 

amendments, all written statements 

with respect to the proposed rule 

change that are filed with the 

Commission, and all written 

communications relating to the 

proposed rule change between the 

Commission and any person, other than 

those that may be withheld from the 

public in accordance with the 

provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be 

available for website viewing and 

printing in the Commission’s Public 

Reference Room, 100 F Street NE, 

Washington, DC 20549, on official 

business days between the hours of 10 

a.m. and 3 p.m. Copies of the filing also 

will be available for inspection and 

copying at the principal office of the 

Exchange. Do not include personal 

identifiable information in submissions; 

you should submit only information 

that you wish to make available 

publicly. We may redact in part or 

withhold entirely from publication 

submitted material that is obscene or 

subject to copyright protection. All 

submissions should refer to file number 

SR–C2–2023–025 and should be 

submitted on or before January 18, 2024. 

For the Commission, by the Division of 

Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated 

authority.31

Christina Z. Milnor, 

Assistant Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2023–28606 Filed 12–27–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8011–01–P 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE 

COMMISSION 

[Release No. 34–99221; File No. SR– 

CboeEDGX–2023–080] 

Self-Regulatory Organizations; Cboe 

EDGX Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing 

and Immediate Effectiveness of a 

Proposed Rule Change To Amend Its 

Fees Schedule Related to Physical 

Port Fees 

December 21, 2023. 

Pursuant to section 19(b)(1) of the 

Securities Exchange Act of 1934 

(‘‘Act’’),1 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,2

notice is hereby given that on December 

12, 2023, Cboe EDGX Exchange, Inc. 

(the ‘‘Exchange’’ or ‘‘EDGX’’) filed with 

the Securities and Exchange 

Commission (‘‘Commission’’) the 

proposed rule change as described in 

Items I, II, and III below, which Items 

have been prepared by the Exchange. 

The Commission is publishing this 

notice to solicit comments on the 

proposed rule change from interested 

persons. 

I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s 

Statement of the Terms of Substance of 

the Proposed Rule Change 

Cboe EDGX Exchange, Inc. (the 

‘‘Exchange’’ or ‘‘EDGX Options’’) 

proposes to amend its Fees Schedule. 

The text of the proposed rule change is 

provided in Exhibit 5. 

The text of the proposed rule change 

is also available on the Exchange’s 

website (http://markets.cboe.com/us/ 

options/regulation/rule_filings/edgx/), 

at the Exchange’s Office of the 

Secretary, and at the Commission’s 

Public Reference Room. 

II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s 

Statement of the Purpose of, and 

Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule 

Change 

In its filing with the Commission, the 

Exchange included statements 

concerning the purpose of and basis for 

the proposed rule change and discussed 

any comments it received on the 

proposed rule change. The text of these 

statements may be examined at the 

places specified in Item IV below. The 

Exchange has prepared summaries, set 

forth in sections A, B, and C below, of 

the most significant aspects of such 

statements. 

A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s 

Statement of the Purpose of, and 

Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule 

Change 

1. Purpose 

The Exchange proposes to amend its 

fee schedule for its equity options 

platform (‘‘EDGX Options’’) relating to 

physical connectivity fees.3

By way of background, a physical port 

is utilized by a Member or non-Member 

to connect to the Exchange at the data 

centers where the Exchange’s servers are 

located. The Exchange currently 

assesses the following physical 

connectivity fees for Members and nonMembers on a monthly basis: $2,500 per 

physical port for a 1 gigabit (‘‘Gb’’) 

circuit and $7,500 per physical port for 

a 10 Gb circuit. The Exchange proposes 

to increase the monthly fee for 10 Gb 

physical ports from $7,500 to $8,500 per 

port. The Exchange notes the proposed 

fee change better enables it to continue 

to maintain and improve its market 

technology and services and also notes 

that the proposed fee amount, even as 

amended, continues to be in line with, 

or even lower than, amounts assessed by 

other exchanges for similar 

connections.4 The physical ports may 

also be used to access the Systems for 

the following affiliate exchanges and 

only one monthly fee currently (and 

will continue) to apply per port: the 

Exchange’s equities platform (EDGX 

Equities), Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. 

(options and equities platforms), Cboe 

BYX Exchange, Inc., Cboe EDGA 

Exchange, Inc., and Cboe C2 Exchange, 

Inc. (‘‘Affiliate Exchanges’’).5

2. Statutory Basis 

The Exchange believes the proposed 

rule change is consistent with the 

Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the 

‘‘Act’’) and the rules and regulations 

thereunder applicable to the Exchange 

and, in particular, the requirements of 

section 6(b) of the Act.6 Specifically, the 

Exchange believes the proposed rule 

change is consistent with the section 

6(b)(5) 7 requirements that the rules of 

an exchange be designed to prevent 

fraudulent and manipulative acts and 

practices, to promote just and equitable 

principles of trade, to foster cooperation 

and coordination with persons engaged 

in regulating, clearing, settling, 

processing information with respect to, 

and facilitating transactions in 

securities, to remove impediments to 

and perfect the mechanism of a free and 

open market and a national market 

system, and, in general, to protect 

investors and the public interest. 

Additionally, the Exchange believes the 

proposed rule change is consistent with 


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