1424 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 7 / Friday, January 10, 1997 / Proposed Rules

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Commission opened this docket with

the release of a Notice of Proposed

Rulemaking: Amendment to Part 61 of

the Commission’s Rules Requiring

Metric Conversion of Tariff Materials

and Supporting Information, CC Docket

No. 93–55, 10 FCC Rcd 6483 (1993)

(1993 NPRM), 58 FR 26087, April 30,

1993. The 1993 NPRM was one of

several actions that the Commission

took in response to the Metric

Conversion Act of 1975, Public Law 94–

168, 89 Stat. 1007 (1975), as amended

by Public Law 100–418, 102 Stat. 1107

(1988) (codified at 17 U.S.C. § 205 et

seq.) (Metric Conversion Act). This is a

summary of the Commission’s later

Report and Order in this docket adopted

March 12, 1996, and released March 29,

1996, 11 FCC Rcd 3617 (1996) (Report

and Order). The full text of this Report

and Order is available for inspection

and copying during normal business

hours in the FCC Public Reference

Room (Room 239), 1919 M St., NW.,

Washington, DC. The complete text of

this Report and Order may also be

purchased from the Commission’s copy

contractor, International Transcription

Service, Suite 140, 2100 M Street, NW.,

Washington, DC 20037.

Regulatory Flexibility Analysis

Because the Commission did not

impose any of the proposed metric

conversion options on common carriers

and, instead, simply terminated this

proceeding, the Commission has

determined that Section 605(b) of the

Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, 5

U.S.C. 605(b), does not apply to the

adoption of this Report and Order

because termination of this proceeding

does not have any significant economic

impact on small entities.

Summary of Report and Order

In the 1993 NPRM, the Commission

expressed its belief that distancesensitive units in tariff filings under Part

61 of its rules should be expressed in

metric units. Accordingly, that NPRM

proposed three options for conversion of

common carrier tariff materials to the

metric system. Under Option 1, the

Conversion Table Option, carriers

would be required to include, in the

general rules section of their tariff

materials, a table for converting nonmetric units of measurement to metric

units. Under Option 2, carriers would be

required to include—in the applicable

rate sections of their tariff materials—

the metric unit and corresponding rate

in parenthesis beside the non-metric

unit and related rate (e.g., $4.00 per mile

($2.50 per kilometer)). Under Option 3,

carriers would be required to include

only the metric unit and related rate in

the applicable rate sections of their tariff

materials. To aid tariff users not familiar

with the metric system, Option 3 would

also require carriers to include

appropriate conversion tables in their

tariff materials.

Most commenting parties urged the

Commission not to adopt any rule

requiring metric conversion of common

carrier tariff materials. Some parties

noted that the Metric Conversion Act

does not obligate the Commission to

require metric conversion of such

materials. A number of parties argued

that the anticipated costs for carriers to

convert these materials and the related

administrative burdens on each carrier

to revise tariff materials far outweigh

any benefits to those who use these

materials.

The National Institute of Standards

and Technology at the U.S. Department

of Commerce (NIST) recommended that

these tariff materials include either (a)

the metric unit and corresponding rate

followed in parenthesis by the nonmetric unit and rate, or (b) the nonmetric unit and corresponding rate

followed by the metric unit and rate.

Thus, NIST would allow carriers to

choose which measurement system

would be dominant in their tariff

materials and which would be included

in parenthesis. Should the Commission

not adopt that approach, NIST urged

that common carriers be required to

comply with Option 2 in the 1993

NPRM because, in the view of NIST,

that option most closely met the goals

of the Metric Conversion Act. In

addition, the Chairman of the Standards

and Metric Practices Subcommittee of

the Metrification Operating Committee

of the Interagency Council on Metric

Policy urged the Commission to allow

carriers to use only metric units in their

tariff materials because use of any other

option would require carriers to

continue to use two sets of units in

these materials.

The Commission found that the

carrier burdens associated with both

Option 2 and Option 3 clearly outweigh

the benefits to the public that each

offers. Although Option 1, the

Conversion Table Option, would be less

burdensome than either of the other two

options, the Commission found that it,

too, would impose additional burdens

on carriers. While the Commission

recognized that inclusion of such

conversion tables in tariff materials

would promote its metric conversion

program and would potentially benefit

some tariff users, the Commission,

nevertheless, found that the benefits

associated with such a requirement

would be outweighed by the estimated

burdens on carriers.

Thus, in light of the record

established in response to the 1993

NPRM, the Commission no longer found

that the benefits of having metric units

or metric conversion tables in tariff

materials exceeded the related burdens

on those carriers that filed these

materials. Instead, the Commission

found that the benefits to carriers and

their customers of converting tariff

materials to the metric system—or of

including conversion tables in such

materials—were not sufficiently clear to

justify the burdens involved.

Accordingly, the Commission declined

to adopt any of the conversion options

proposed in the 1993 NPRM and

terminated this proceeding.

Ordering Clause

Accordingly, It is ordered, that the

proceeding initiated in CC Docket No.

93–55 Is terminated.

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 61

Communications common carriers,

Metric system, Telecommunications.

Federal Communications Commission.

LaVera F. Marshall,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–529 Filed 1–9–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[I.D. 122396B]

New England Fishery Management

Council; Meeting

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Public meeting.

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery

Management Council (Council) will

hold a 1-day public meeting to consider

actions affecting New England fisheries

in the exclusive economic zone.

DATES: The meeting will be held on

Tuesday, January 16, 1997, at 9 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the Tara Ferncroft Conference and

Resort, 50 Ferncroft Road, Danvers, MA

01923; telephone (508) 777–2500.

Requests for special accommodations

should be addressed to the New

England Fishery Management Council, 5

Broadway, Saugus, MA 01906–1097;

telephone (617) 231–0422.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 7 / Friday, January 10, 1997 / Proposed Rules 1425

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Christopher B. Kellogg, Acting

Executive Director, New England

Fishery Management Council, (671)

231–0422.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 1-day

meeting is being held to discuss right

whale and groundfish management

issues.

Background Information for

Abbreviated Rulemaking—Northeast

Multispecies

The Council will consider taking

action on framework adjustments to the

Fishery Management Plan for the

Northeast Multispecies Fishery (FMP)

under the framework for abbreviated

rulemaking procedure contained in 50

CFR 648.90. Initial action will be taken

on a framework adjustment to the FMP

that would restrict fixed gear in the

Great South Channel area to protect

right whales in critical habitat during

high use periods.

The remainder of the day will be used

to consider Framework Adjustment 20,

an action that would establish

groundfish stock rebuilding measures

for the 1997 fishing year. The range of

options under consideration include

area closures, gear modifications, and

possible reductions in days-at-sea

allocations. As part of this action, the

Council also will discuss effort

reduction measures for gillnet vessels,

alternatives to the current haddock trip

limit, incentives to reduce fishing effort

on inshore groundfish stocks, and

measures to protect the 1992 year class

of winter flounder.

The Council will consider other

adjustments that will be submitted as

part of Framework Adjustment 20.

These concern an exempted fishery for

monkfish with 10–inch (25.4 cm) or

larger mesh gillnets, an exempted

fishery for mussel dredges in Southern

New England, and modification of the

bycatch allowances in the northern

shrimp fishery. Any other outstanding

business will be addressed at the end of

the day.

The Council will consider public

comments at a minimum of 2 Council

meetings prior to making any final

recommendations to the Regional

Administrator, Northeast Region,

NMFS, under the provisions for

abbreviated rulemaking cited above. If

the Regional Administrator concurs

with the measures proposed by the

Council, he will publish them as a final

rule in the Federal Register.

Special Accommodations

This meeting is physically accessible

to people with disabilities. Requests for

sign language interpretation or other

auxiliary aids should be directed to

Christopher B. Kellogg (see ADDRESSES)

at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

Dated: January 6, 1996.

Bruce Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–588 Filed 1–9–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F