64950 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 211 / Tuesday, October 31, 2000 / Notices

operating a savings association,

pursuant to § 225.28(b)(4)(ii) of

Regulation Y.

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve

System, October 26, 2000.

Robert deV. Frierson,

Associate Secretary of the Board.

[FR Doc. 00–27958 Filed 10–30–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6210–01–P

FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM

Sunshine Act Meeting

AGENCY HOLDING THE MEETING: Board of

Governors of the Federal Reserve

System.

TIME AND DATE: 11:00 a.m., Monday,

November 6, 2000.

PLACE: Marriner S. Eccles Federal

Reserve Board Building, 20th and C

Streets, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20551.

STATUS: Closed.

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED:

1. Personnel actions (appointments,

promotions, assignments,

reassignments, and salary actions)

involving individual Federal Reserve

System employees.

2. Any items carried forward from a

previously announced meeting.

CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Lynn S. Fox, Assistant to the Board;

202–452–3204.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: You may

call 202–452–3206 beginning at

approximately 5 p.m. two business days

before the meeting for a recorded

announcement of bank and bank

holding company applications

scheduled for the meeting; or you may

contact the Board’s Web site at http://

www.federalreserve.gov for an

electronic announcement that not only

lists applications, but also indicates

procedural and other information about

the meeting.

Dated: October 27, 2000.

Robert deV. Frierson,

Associate Secretary of the Board.

[FR Doc. 00–28064 Filed 10–27–00; 3:40 pm]

BILLING CODE 6210–01–P

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

Delegation of Authority To Disclose

Certain Nonpublic Information to

Foreign Law Enforcement Agencies

AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission.

ACTION: Delegation of authority.

SUMMARY: The Commission has

delegated authority to the Associate

Director of the Division of Planning and

Information to share certain non-public

information with Canadian agencies and

the Australian Competition and

Consumer Commission. With respect to

Canadian agencies, the authority may be

redelegated to individual Regional

Directors on specific cases and projects

as appropriate.

EFFECTIVE DATE: With respect to the

Australian Competition and Consumer

Commission, the effective date of the

delegation was July 17, 2000. With

respect to the Canadian agencies, the

effective date of the delegation was

October 24, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Maneesha Mithal, Attorney, Division of

Planning and Information, (202) 326–

2771, mmithal@ftc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is

hereby given, pursuant to

Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1961, 26

FR 6191, that the Commission has

delegated to the Associate Director for

Planning and Information the authority

to disclose: (1) To Canadian law

enforcement agencies, information

regarding consumer protection

investigations involving Canadian

businesses or consumers; and (2) to the

Australian Competition and Consumer

Commission, information regarding

consumer protection investigations

involving Australian businesses or

consumers. With respect to Canada, the

Associate Director can redelegate this

authority to individual Regional

Directors on specific cases and projects

as appropriate.

This delegation does not apply to

competition-related investigations.

When exercising its authority under this

delegation, staff will require from the

relevant foreign law enforcement agency

assurances of confidentiality.

Disclosures shall be made only to the

extent consistent with limitations on

disclosure, including section 6(f) of the

FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. 46(f), section 21 of

the Act, 15 U.S.C. 57b–2, and

Commission Rule 4.10(d), 16 CFR

4.10(d), and with the Commission’s

enforcement policies and other

important interests. Where the subject

matter of the information to be shared

raises significant policy concerns, staff

shall consult with the Commission

before disclosing such information.

By direction of the Commission.

Donald S. Clark,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–27953 Filed 10–30–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6750–01–M

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

[File No. 972 3162]

WebTV Networks, Inc.; Analysis To Aid

Public Comment

AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission.

ACTION: Proposed consent agreement.

SUMMARY: The consent agreement in this

matter settles alleged violations of

Federal law prohibiting unfair or

deceptive acts or practices or unfair

methods of competition. The attached

Analysis to Aid Public Comment

describes both the allegations in the

draft complaint that accompanies the

consent agreement and the terms of the

consent order—embodied in the consent

agreement—that would settle these

allegations.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before November 24, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be

directed to: FTC/Office of the Secretary,

Room 159, 600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW,

Washington, D.C. 20580.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joel

Winston or Dean Forbes, FTC/S–4002,

600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW,

Washington, D.C. 20580, (202) 326–3153

or 326–2831.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant

to Section 6(f) of the Federal Trade

Commission Act, 38 Stat. 721, 15 U.S.C.

46 and Section 2.34 of the Commission’s

Rules of Practice (16 CFR 2.34), notice

is hereby given that the above-captioned

consent agreement containing a consent

order to cease and desist, having been

filed with and accepted, subject to final

approval, by the Commission, has been

placed on the public record for a period

of thirty (30) days. The following

Analysis to Aid Public Comment

describes the terms of the consent

agreement, and the allegations in the

complaint. An electronic copy of the

full text of the consent agreement

package can be obtained from the FTC

Homes Page (for October 25, 2000), on

the World Wide Web, at ‘‘http://

www.ftc.gov/os/2000/10/index.htm.’’ A

paper copy can be obtained from the

FTC Public Reference Room, Room H–

130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW,

Washington, D.C. 20580, either in

person or by calling (202) 326–3627.

Public comment is invited. Comments

should be directed to: FTC/Office of the

Secretary, Room 159, 600 Pennsylvania

Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20580. Two

paper copies of each comment should

be filed, and should be accompanied, if

possible, by a 31⁄2 inch diskette

containing an electronic copy of the

comment. Such comments or views will

be considered by the Commission and

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 211 / Tuesday, October 31, 2000 / Notices 64951

will be available for inspection and

copying at its principal office in

accordance with Section 4.9(b)(6)(ii) of

the Commission’s Rules of Practice (16

CFR 4.9(b)(6)(ii)).

Analysis of Proposed Consent Order To

Aid Public Comment

The Federal Trade Commission has

accepted, subject to final approval, an

agreement containing a consent order

from WebTV Networks, Inc. (‘‘WNI’’).

The proposed consent order has been

placed on the public record for thirty

(30) days for receipt of comments by

interested persons. Comments received

during this period will become part of

the public record. After thirty (30) days,

the Commission will again review the

agreement and the comments received,

and will decide whether it should

withdraw from the agreement or make

final the agreement’s proposed order.

WNI advertises and promotes the

WebTV system, consisting of a set-top

box and an Internet service which,

together, allows users to connect to the

Internet through a telephone line and a

television. WNI licenses the set-top box

technology to various companies,

including Sony, Philips Electronics, and

Mitsubishi, which manufacture and sell

the boxes. WNI sells the Internet service

for a flat monthly fee.

This matter concerns allegedly false

and deceptive advertising for the

WebTV system. The Commission’s

proposed complaint alleges that WNI

falsely claimed that:

• The WebTV system provides access

to all of the Internet’s content, including

all of the entertainment and information

available on the Internet. In fact, WebTV

users are unable, for example, to access

files on Web sites that use popular

formats or programming languages,

including technologies for Web site

audio, video, interactivity, and

multimedia used for online

entertainment and information

communication.

• The WebTV set-top box is

equivalent to a personal computer with

respect to its Internet-related

performance. In fact, in contrast to a

computer, WebTV users are unable, for

example, to download, store, or run

software available on the Internet;

display certain Web pages or play

certain Web pages or play certain Web

files; or open email attachments in

certain common formats.

• WNI’s upgrades to the WebTV

system keep users current with the

latest Internet technology. In fact, those

upgrades have failed to provide certain

commonly used Internet technologies

for audio, video, interactivity, and

multimedia.

The complaint also alleges that, in

advertising the total cost of using the

WebTV system, WNI failed to disclose

adequately that a significant percentage

of U.S. consumers will incur long

distance telephone toll charges while

connected to the Internet through the

WebTV Internet service. The complaint

alleges that this is a deceptive practice.

The proposed consent order contains

provisions designed to prevent WNI

from engaging in similar acts and

practices in the future.

Part I of the proposed order prohibits

the three alleged false representations,

as well as any false representation

related to access to Internet content or

functionality of any Internet access

product or service.

Part II of the proposed order prohibits

WNI from making any representation

about the cost of any Internet access

product or service unless it discloses

certain material information. If using

such product or service to access the

Internet may result in telephone toll

charges, this fact must be disclosed,

clearly and conspicuously, along with

how consumers can determine whether

they would be subject to these charges.

Part III of the proposed order requires

that WNI make clear and conspicuous

disclosures about long distance charges

on a log-on screen, dialog box, or other

similar device that appears prior to any

Internet access product dialing a

telephone number for which there is a

toll charge. The disclosures must state

the following: (a) That the user will or

will likely incur such a charge while

connected to the Internet access service;

(b) how the user can determine whether

in fact (s)he will incur such a charge,

and the amount of the charge; and (c) a

source of information about means, if

any, of avoiding the charge. Under this

provision, WNI must use a procedure

designed to ensure that the user

expressly consents to connecting on a

toll basis, before a toll charge is

incurred.

Part IV of the proposed order requires

that WNI clearly and conspicuously

disclose in its Terms of Service and

introductory kit, or the equivalent

documents it provides to new

subscribers, that users may incur toll

charges while using the Internet service,

if that is the case, and how users can

determine whether they would incur

these charges.

Part V of the proposed order requires

that WNI offer reimbursement to certain

former subscribers to its Internet service

for toll charges they incurred.

Subscribers eligible for reimbursement

are those who: (a) Incurred toll charges

before March 1, 1999, and within sixty

days of subscribing to the service; (b)

have not been previously reimbursed;

(c) canceled their subscription before

April 1, 1999, and within ninety days of

subscribing to the service; (d) identified

toll charges as a reason for canceling;

and (e) provide proof of the charges.

Eligible subscribers may receive

reimbursement for toll charges incurred

in the first two months of their

subscription. subscribers who cannot

provide phone bills as proof of the

charges would receive reimbursement

up to a maximum dollar amount, which

depends on the type of proof submitted.

Part VI of the proposed order requires

WNI to notify its advertising agencies,

manufacturers, and retailers to

discontinue making any of the

advertising claims prohibited by the

order. WNI must also set up, staff, and

refer consumers to a toll-free customer

service telephone number (or a similar

mechanism that is free to consumers)

that would handle inquiries regarding

telephone toll charges.

Part VII describes a consumer

education campaign that WNI must

undertake to inform consumers about

the limitations of Internet access devices

as compared to computers. The

campaign will include one-half page

advertisements in three national

magazines, as well as a brochure that

WNI will (a) distribute to retailers

selling WebTV set-top boxes for posting

in the stores and (b) post on its Web site.

Parts VIII through XI of the proposed

order are reporting and compliance

provisions. Part XII is a provision

‘‘sunsetting’’ the order after twenty

years, with certain exceptions.

The purpose of this analysis is to

facilitate public comment on the

proposed order. It is not intended to

constitute an official interpretation of

the agreement and proposed order or to

modify in any way their terms.

By direction of the Commission.

Donald S. Clark,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–27952 Filed 10–30–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6750–01–M

GENERAL SERVICES

ADMINISTRATION

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of Communications;

Cancellation of a Optional Form

AGENCY: General Services

Administration DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Department of Defense

cancelled the following Optional Form

because of low usage: