12982 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 53 / Wednesday, March 19, 1997 / Proposed Rules

PENSION BENEFIT GUARANTY

CORPORATION

29 CFR Part 4044

RIN 1212–AA61

Allocation of Assets in SingleEmployer Plans; Valuation of Benefits

and Assets

AGENCY: Pension Benefit Guaranty

Corporation.

ACTION: Notice of intent to propose

rulemaking.

SUMMARY: The Pension Benefit Guaranty

Corporation is considering amending its

benefit valuation and asset allocation

regulations to adopt more current

mortality tables. This notice invites

public comment on this and any other

issue under the regulations.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before May 19, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to

the Office of the General Counsel,

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation,

1200 K Street, NW., Washington, DC

20005–4026, or delivered to Suite 340 at

the above address. Comments also may

be sent by Internet e-mail to

reg.comments@pbgc.gov. Comments

will be available for public inspection at

the PBGC’s Communications and Public

Affairs Department, Suite 240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Harold J. Ashner, Assistant General

Counsel, or James L. Beller, Attorney,

Office of the General Counsel, PBGC,

1200 K Street, NW., Washington, DC

20005–4026, 202–326–4024 (202–326–

4179 for TTY and TDD).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

PBGC’s interest assumption for valuing

benefits, when combined with the

PBGC’s mortality assumption, is

intended to reflect the market price of

single-premium, nonparticipating group

annuity contracts for terminating plans.

In developing its interest assumptions,

the PBGC uses data from surveys

conducted by the American Council of

Life Insurance. The PBGC currently uses

a mortality assumption based on the

1983 Group Annuity Mortality Table in

its benefit valuation and asset allocation

regulations (29 CFR parts 4044 and

4281).

In May 1995, the Society of Actuaries

Group Annuity Valuation Table Task

Force issued a report that recommends

new mortality tables for a new Group

Annuity Reserve Valuation Standard

and a new Group Annuity Mortality

Valuation Standard. In December 1996,

the National Association of Insurance

Commissioners adopted the new tables

as models for determining reserve

liabilities for group annuities.

The PBGC is now considering

incorporating the new tables into its

regulations. The PBGC invites

comments on the appropriateness of

adopting the new tables and any need

for modifications.

The PBGC also invites comments on

any other issues relating to its valuation

and allocation regulations. In particular,

the PBGC is interested in the following

areas:

(1) What additional annuity pricing

information is available that the PBGC

could use in reviewing its valuation

assumptions?

(2) What steps could the PBGC take to

simplify the valuation and allocation

process?

Issued in Washington, D.C., this 14th day

of March 1997.

John Seal,

Acting Executive Director, Pension Benefit

Guaranty Corporation.

[FR Doc. 97–6908 Filed 3–18–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7708–01–P

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS

COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 97

[WT Docket No. 97–12; FCC 97–10]

Providing for Greater Use of Spread

Spectrum Communication

Technologies in the Amateur Radio

Services

AGENCY: Federal Communications

Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY: The Notice of Proposed

Rulemaking (NPRM), released March 3,

1997, seeks comment on proposed rules

to allow amateur stations to transmit

spread spectrum type emission

technologies that employ additional

spreading sequences. It also seeks

comment on a proposal that each SS

transmitter be required to automatically

limit its power to that actually necessary

to carry out the communications when

the transmitter power exceeds 1 watt.

This action is in response to a petition

for rule making from the American

Radio Relay League, Inc. The intent of

the NPRM is to compile a record in

sufficient detail for us to determine

whether we should authorize amateur

stations to use additional spread

spectrum type emission technologies

and whether such use would facilitate

the ability of the amateur service to

contribute to the development of SS

communications.

DATES: Comments are due on or before

May 5, 1997, and reply comments are

due on or before June 5, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments and reply

comments should be sent to Office of

the Secretary, Federal Communication

Commission, 1919 M Street, NW, Room

222, Washington, DC 20554. Parties

should also file one copy of any

document filed in this docket with the

Commission’s copy contractor, ITS Inc.,

2100 M Street NW, Washington, DC

20037.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

William T. Cross of the Wireless

Telecommunications Bureau at (202)

418–0680.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a

summary of the Commission’s NPRM in

WT Docket No. 97–12, FCC 97–10,

adopted January 9, 1997, and released

March 3, 1997. The proposed rules are

at the end of this document. The full

text of this NPRM is available for

inspection and copying during normal

business hours in the FCC Reference

Center, Room 239, 1919 M Street, NW,

Washington, DC. The complete text also

may be purchased from the

Commission’s copy contractor,

International Transcription Service,

Inc., 2100 M Street, Suite 140,

Washington, D.C. 20037, telephone

(202) 857–3800.

I. Regulatory Flexibility Certification

The Commission’s Initial Regulatory

Flexibility Analysis is included below:

I. Need for and Objectives of the

Proposed Rule: The need for and

objective of this rule making proceeding

is to eliminate technical restrictions that

amateur radio operators claim hamper

their flexibility to experiment with SS

emission types.

II. Legal Basis: Authority for this

action can be found in sections 4(i), and

303(a), (l)(1), and (r) of the

Communications Act of 1934, as

amended, 47 U.S.C. 154(i), and 303(a),

(l)(1), and (r).

III. Description and Estimate of the

Number of Small Entities To Which

Rule Will Apply: None. The rules in

part 97 of the Commission’s rules, 47

CFR part 97, apply to individuals who

are qualified to be licensees and/or

control operators of amateur radio

stations. Small businesses are not

eligible to be licensees in the amateur

service, and amateur radio operators are

prohibited from transmitting

communications for compensation, for

their pecuniary benefit, and on behalf of

their employers. See 47 CFR 97.113.

IV. Description of Projected

Reporting, Recordkeeping and Other

Compliance Requirements: None. This
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 53 / Wednesday, March 19, 1997 / Proposed Rules 12983

rule making proceeding does not impose

any new or additional recordkeeping,

reporting or compliance requirement on

amateur service licensees.

V. Significant Alternatives To

Proposed Rule Which Minimize

Significant Economic Impact on Small

Entities and Accomplish Stated

Objectives: None. This proceeding will

affect only amateur stations that choose

to transmit a spread spectrum emission

using a spreading technique that is not

permitted under the currently effective

rules. Small businesses are not eligible

to be licensees in the amateur service,

and amateur radio operators are

prohibited from transmitting

communications for compensation, for

their pecuniary benefit, and on behalf of

their employers. See 47 CFR 97.113.

VI. Federal Rules That May Duplicate,

Overlap, or Conflict With the Proposed

Rule: None.

II. Initial Paperwork Reduction Act of

1995 Analysis

This NPRM does not contain either a

proposed or modified information

collection. As part of its continuing

effort to reduce paperwork burdens, the

Commission invites the general public

and the OMB to take this opportunity to

comment on this conclusion, as

required by the Paperwork Reduction

Act of 1995, Public Law 104–13. Public

and agency comments are due at the

same time as other comments on this

NPRM, OMB comments are due 60 days

after the date of publication of this

summary in the Federal Register.

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 97

Emission types, Radio.

Federal Communications Commission.

William F. Caton,

Acting Secretary.

Part 97 of Title 47 of the Code of

Federal Regulations is amended as

follows:

PART 97—AMATEUR RADIO

SERVICES

1. The authority citation for part 97

continues to read as follows:

Authority: 48 Stat. 1066, 1082, as

amended; 47 U.S.C. 154, 303. Interpret or

apply 48 Stat. 1064–1068, 1081–1105, as

amended; 47 U.S.C. 151–155, 301–609,

unless otherwise noted.

2. In § 97.3, paragraph (c)(8) is revised

to read as follows:

§ 97.3 Definitions.

* * * * *

(c) * * *

(8) SS. Spread-spectrum emissions

using bandwidth-expansion modulation

emissions having designators with A, C,

D, F, G, H, J or R as the first symbol; X

as the second symbol; X as the third

symbol.

* * * *

3. Section 97.305(b) is revised to read

as follows:

§ 97.305 Authorized emission types.

* * * * *

(b) A station may transmit a test

emission on any frequency authorized

to the control operator for brief periods

for experimental purposes, except that

no pulse or SS modulation emission

may be transmitted on any frequency

where pulse or SS emissions are not

specifically authorized.

* * * * *

4. Section 97.311 is amended by

revising paragraphs (a), (b), and (g), and

removing and reserving paragraphs (c)

and (d) to read as follows:

§ 97.311 SS emission types.

(a) SS emission transmissions by an

amateur station are authorized only for

communications between points within

areas where the amateur service is

regulated by the FCC and between an

area where the amateur service is

regulated by the FCC and an amateur

station in another country that permits

such communications. SS emission

transmissions must not be used for the

purpose of obscuring the meaning of

any communication.

(b) A station transmitting SS

emissions must not cause harmful

interference to stations employing other

authorized emissions, and must accept

all interference caused by stations

employing other authorized emissions.

* * * * *

(g) The transmitter power must not

exceed 100 W under any circumstances.

If more than 1 W is used, automatic

transmitter control shall limit output

power to that which is required for the

communication. This shall be

determined by the use of the ratio,

measured at the receiver, of the received

energy per user data bit (Eb) to the sum

of the received power spectral densities

of noise (N0) and co-channel

interference (I0). Average transmitter

power over 1 W shall be automatically

adjusted to maintain an Eb/ (N0+I0) ratio

of no more than 23 dB at the intended

receiver.

[FR Doc. 97–6897 Filed 3–18–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[I.D. 030797C]

Fisheries of the Northeastern United

States; Northeast Multispecies

Fishery; Scoping Process for Hake

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a

supplemental environmental impact

statement (SEIS) and notice of scoping

process; request for comments.

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery

Management Council (Council)

announces its intent to prepare an

amendment to the Northeast

Multispecies Fishery Management Plan

(FMP) to conserve silver hake (whiting,

Merluccius bilinearis) and offshore hake

(Merluccius albidus) stocks, and to

prepare a supplemental environmental

impact statement (SEIS) to analyze the

impacts of any proposed management

measures. The Council also formally

announces a public process to

determine the scope of issues to be

addressed in the environmental impact

analysis. The purpose of this document

is to alert the interested public of the

commencement of the scoping process

and to provide for public participation

in compliance with environmental

documentation requirements.

DATES: Written comments on the scope

of the SEIS may be submitted until

April 7, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and

requests for copies of the SEIS should be

sent to Paul J. Howard, Executive

Director, New England Fishery

Management Council, 5 Broadway,

Saugus, MA 01906.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul

J. Howard, (617) 231–0422.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Whiting became a component of the

multispecies fishery management unit

in Amendment 4 to the FMP (56 FR

24724, May 31, 1991). At that time, a

proposed 2.5–inch (6.35–cm) minimum

mesh size was disapproved because

NMFS determined that it would do little

to prevent overfishing. Also, the

economic analysis failed to demonstrate

a net benefit over a 10-year period, and

fishermen in the Mid-Atlantic area

commented that the mesh size increase