Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 223 / Friday, November 17, 2000 / Notices 69557

Accordingly, the goal of the announced

workshop is to educate government

officials and other interested parties

about emerging wireless technologies,

and to provide a forum for discussion of

the privacy, security, and consumer

protection issues raised by these new

technologies.

Questions To Be Addressed

(1) Mobile Technology and Business

Models

(a) Where is wireless Internet and data

technology today and where is it going?

What devices are currently available for

wireless Web access and data services?

What sorts of devices and services are

anticipated? How will mobile commerce

or ‘‘m-commerce’’ develop?

(b) How do wireless Internet and data

services function? What types of

relationships will consumers have with

wireless equipment makers, carriers,

data service providers and others

involved in the provision of these

services? Will consumers’ wireless data

services be supported by advertising (as

many Internet site are), or will

consumers pay for subscriptions (like

cable television) or pay fees-per-service

accessed?

(2) Privacy and Security

What privacy and security issues do

wireless devices raise? For example,

how will location information be used

(generally and more particularly with

respect to advertising) and what are the

privacy and security implications of the

availability of location information? Is

transmission of personal information

secure in the wireless medium? As

wireless devices converge so that cell

phones, personal digital assistants, and

electronic wallets may become a single

device, how are the risks of identity

theft increased and what security

measures are possible?

Within this broad topic, the workshop

would address existing regulatory

structures and existing or emerging selfregulatory initiatives, as well as

technological methods of addressing

privacy and security concerns.

(3) Disclosures

How can companies make effective

disclosures on small screens (both

advertising and privacy disclosures)?

Particularly as devices move to a

combination of voice and text

communication, how do traditional

concepts like ‘‘clear and conspicuous’’

and ‘‘equal prominence’’ apply? Are

there other aspects of this unique

medium that will require modification

of traditional consumer protection

approaches?

By direction of the Commission.

Donald S. Clark,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–29471 Filed 11–16–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6750–01–M

GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE

Federal Accounting Standards

Advisory Board Federal Financial

Accounting Standards

AGENCY: Federal Accounting Standards

Advisory Board.

ACTION: Notice of New Exposure Draft

Eliminating Disclosures Related to Tax

Revenue Transactions by the Internal

Revenue Service, Customs, and Others.

Board Action: Pursuant to the Federal

Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. No.

92–463), as amended, and the FASAB

Rules Of Procedure, as amended in

October, 1999, notice is hereby given

that the Federal Accounting Standards

Advisory Board has published a new

exposure draft, Eliminating Disclosures

Related To Tax Revenue Transactions

By The Internal Revenue Service,

Customs, and Others.

A summary of the proposed

Statement follows:

On November 13, 2000, the Federal

Accounting Standards Advisory Board

(FASAB) released for public comment

an exposure draft (ED) to amend

Statement of Federal Financial

Accounting Standards (SFFAS) 7,

Accounting for Revenue and Other

Financing Sources and Concepts for

Reconciling Budgetary and Financial

Accounting. The amendment would

eliminate the current requirement to

disclosure certain information about

taxes receivable. The exposure draft,

entitled Elimination of Disclosures

Related to Tax Revenue Transactions by

the Internal Revenue Service, Customs,

and Others, Amending Statement of

Federal Financial Accounting Standards

No. 7, Accounting for Revenue and

Other Financing Sources, will be out for

comment until February 16, 2001.

SFFAS No. 7 applies to entities

collecting taxes on behalf of the Federal

Government. The two entities collecting

the vast majority of Federal taxes are the

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the

U.S. Customs Service (Customs). The

Board has concluded that the

disclosures required by SFFAS No. 7 do

not accomplish a reconciliation of

account balances and would mislead

those attempting to evaluate IRS’ and

other tax-collecting entities’

performance regarding taxes receivable.

The disclosures include compliance

activity that precedes the recognition of

taxes receivable. Certain supplementary

information on compliance assessments,

preassessment work in process, claims

for refunds, and write-offs would

continue to be required as

supplementary information.

Two Board members disagree with the

decision of the majority. They would

retain the disclosure requirement.

The exposure draft will soon be

mailed to FASAB’s mailing list

subscribers. Additionally, it is available

on FASAB’s home page http://

www.financenet.gov/fasab.htm. Copies

can be obtained by contacting FASAB at

(202) 512–7350, or

fontenroser.fasab@gao.gov. The Board

has posed specific questions for

comment. Respondents are encouraged

to address those questions and to

comment on any part of the exposure

draft. For further information call

Richard Fontenrose (202) 512–7358.

Written comments are requested by

February 16, 2001, and should be sent

to: Wendy M. Comes, Executive

Director, Federal Accounting Standards

Advisory Board, 441 G Street, NW, Suite

6814, Mail Stop 6K17V, Washington, DC

20548.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Wendy Comes, Executive Director, 441

G St., NW, Room 6814, Washington, DC

20548, or call (202) 512–7350.

Authority: Federal Advisory Committee

Act. Pub. L. No. 92–463.

Dated: November 13, 2000.

Wendy M. Comes,

Executive Director.

[FR Doc. 00–29419 Filed 11–16–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 1610–01–M

GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE

Notice of Meetings

AGENCY: Federal Accounting Standards

Advisory Board.

ACTION: Notice of meetings through June

2001.

Board Action: Pursuant to the Federal

Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. No.

92–463), as amended, and the FASAB

Rules of Procedure, as amended in

October, 1999, notice is hereby given

that the Federal Accounting Standards

Advisory Board (FASAB) will meet on

Thursday, December 7 and Friday,

December 8 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in

room 6N30, 441 G St., NW.,

Washington, DC.

The purpose of the meeting is to

discuss issues related to:

—National Defense PP&E;

—Stewardship Reporting;

—Corrections of Errors through Prior

Period adjustments;

69558 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 223 / Friday, November 17, 2000 / Notices

—Charter and Operating Procedures for

the Accounting and Auditing Policy

Committee;

—Technical Agenda; and

—Outreach.

A Steering Committee meeting of the

Board’s Principal Board members will

be held in conjunction with the Board

meeting. A more detailed agenda can be

obtained from the FASAB website

(www.financenet.gov/fasab.htm after

November 30, 2000.

Following the December meeting, the

schedule for the next three meetings of

the Board is as follows:

—Thursday and Friday, February 22

and 23, 2001;

—Thursday and Friday, April 26 and

27, 2001; and

—Monday and Tuesday, June 18 and 19,

2001.

The purpose of these meetings will be

to discuss issues related to:

—Stewardship Reporting;

—National Defense Property, Plant &

Equipment;

—Deletion of Paragraph 65.2—Material

Revenue—Related Transaction

Disclosures;

—Natural Resources;

—Correction of Errors Through Prior

Period Adjustments;

—Codification of FASAB Standards;

—Accounting and Auditing Policy

Committee issues; and

—Any other topics as needed.

A Steering Committee meeting of the

Board’s Principal Board members will

be held in conjunction with each of the

Board meetings. A more detailed agenda

for each Board meeting can be seen on

the FASAB website

www.financenet.gov/fasab.htm one

week prior to each meeting. The

location of each meeting will be given

in the website agenda.

Any interested person may attend the

meetings as an observer. Board

discussion and reviews are open to the

public. GAO Building security requires

advance notice of your attendance. For

the December meeting, please notify

FASAB by December 6 of your planned

attendance by calling 202–512–7350,

and for the subsequent meetings one

day prior to the respective meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Wendy Comes, Executive Director, 441

G St., NW., Mailstop 6K17V,

Washington, DC 20548, or call (202)

512–7350.

Authority: Federal Advisory Committee

Act. Pub. L. No. 92–463.

Dated: November 13, 2000.

Wendy M. Comes,

Executive Director.

[FR Doc. 00–29418 Filed 11–16–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 1610–01–M

GENERAL SERVICES

ADMINISTRATION

[GSA Order ADM 1095.1F]

Environmental Considerations in

Decisionmaking

AGENCY: Public Buildings Service,

General Services Administration.

ACTION: Notice of final revisions to

internal procedures.

SUMMARY: This notice announces that

GSA is publishing final revised internal

GSA procedures to be followed in

implementing the requirements of

section 102(2) of the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as

amended (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321, ital.);

Executive Order 11514 of March 5,

1970, entitled ‘‘Protection and

Enhancement of Environmental

Quality,’’ and in compliance with

regulations of the Council on

Environmental Quality (40 CFR parts

1500–1508). The intended effect of these

documents is to enhance GSA’s ability

to comply with NEPA, to exclude

certain program actions from the

requirement to prepare an

environmental assessment (EA) or an

environmental impact statement (EIS),

to focus NEPA analysis to those actions

that may be major Federal actions

significantly affecting the quality of the

human environment, and to make

changes reflecting current GSA

organization structure. These changes

affect GSA internal procedures only.

EFFECTIVE DATE: October 19, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Colin Wagner, NEPA Liaison,

Environmental Business Strategies, PXE

4046, Public Buildings Service, U.S.

General Services Administration, 1800 F

Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20405

(202–501–2888).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This

revision updates and supercedes the

February 25, 1985, [FR 7648] and

December 8, 1995 GSA Order ADM

1095.1E. A draft of the procedures was

published for public review and

comment on June 26, 1998. Interested

persons were asked to submit comments

by July 27, 1998. The U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

requested and was given additional time

to submit comments. No other requests

for an extended comment period were

received. Responses to comments plus

other technical changes are described

below. Copies of the PBS NEPA Desk

Guide are available from GSA (see FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION, above) or on the

Internet at: http://www.gsa.gov/pbs/pt/

call-in/erlsub4.htm.

(1) Summary

The revised ADM Order 1095.1F and

the PBS NEPA Desk Guide are

administrative and procedural

improvements intended to enhance

GSA’s ability to comply with NEPA and

related legal authorities and Executive

Orders, while also ensuring public

involvement in decisionmaking. These

improvements result from more than 25

years of agency experience with NEPA.

Development of the revised ADM Order

1095.1F and the PBS NEPA Desk Guide

was a multi-year process involving GSA

National Office and Regional Office

personnel who represent the agency’s

collective technical and managerial

expertise in environmental quality and

NEPA compliance. Members of the

Environmental Quality Advisory Group

(EQAG) represented GSA business lines

and the 11 GSA regions.

(2) Comments and Responses

GSA received two comments on the

proposed revisions, one from a Federal

agency [USEPA] and one from a State

agency.

a. USEPA provided no specific

comments, stating: ‘‘In general, we find

the revised orders and NEPA Desk

Guide to be well written,

comprehensive, clear and

understandable. It serves as a good

model for other agencies who may need

to develop NEPA guidance specific to

their mission.’’

GSA appreciates the comment.

b. GSA received a comment from the

Wyoming State Geological Survey

stating that ‘‘studies involving the

identification and evaluation of

paleontologic resources‘‘ on GSA

property should be considered an

automatic categorical exclusion from

NEPA.

GSA disagrees with this comment.

GSA believes that under certain

circumstances evaluation of

palentologic resources may involve

excavations that have the potential to

significantly affect the human

environment, and therefore should be

subject to more rigorous NEPA review.

The NEPA review process is a practical

planning tool in which GSA identifies

other regulatory compliance issues.

While excavations of paleontologic and

archaeological resources are specifically

governed by other legal authorities

(such as the Archaeological Resources

Protection Act), the integration of NEPA

with other legal authorities is a policy

established in the CEQ regulations. 40

CFR 1500.2(c) directs Federal agencies

to ‘‘integrate the requirements of NEPA

with other planning and environmental

review procedures required by law or by