1872 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 9 / Tuesday, January 14, 1997 / Proposed Rules

submits that we have already provided

interested parties sufficient time to

prepare responses to the comments on

the Sixth FNPRM and that an additional

60 days would constitute an

unwarranted delay. It states that

expedited decision making on the initial

DTV Table of Allotments will facilitate

the introduction of DTV services to the

public and clarify the status of the

broadcast television spectrum and its

availability for reallocation. Motorola

also submits that while it can appreciate

the Group Owners’ concerns regarding

the permissible transmitting powers

provided for their DTV stations, the

ramifications of ‘‘service replication’’

have been apparent since the release of

the Sixth FNPRM in mid-August. It

therefore argues that a further delay of

two months to address DTV planning

factors is unnecessary. Motorola further

states that it would not, however, be

adverse to a more modest extension of

perhaps 15 days, given the intervening

holiday season and the large number of

comments received in this proceeding.

5. On January 7, 1997, the Association

of Federal Communications Consulting

Engineers (AFCCE) requested that we

extend the date for filing reply

comments for at least six weeks. The

AFCCE expressed a similar request for

extension of time in its comments

responding to the Sixth FNPRM. The

AFCCE states that its objective is not to

unduly delay this proceeding, but to

request that sufficient time be allotted to

the study of major technical issues prior

to the adoption of technical standards

for the allotment of DTV channels by

the Commission. It also submits that it

is reviewing the filings of other entities

and plans to respond to technical

comments where it deems appropriate.

6. In its comments responding to the

Sixth FNPRM, the engineering

consulting firm of du Treil, Lundin and

Rackley (DLR) also expresses concerns

regarding the significantly higher power

that would be authorized for the DTV

operations of existing VHF stations that

would operate in the UHF band. DLR

submits that it is not practical to try to

replicate superior VHF propagation

characteristics with brute force UHF

power. To address this concern, it

submits an alternative transition plan

that would provide existing stations

with DTV facilities that would replicate

their existing Grade A contours and

would return stations to their existing

channels for permanent DTV operation

after the transition. DLR requests that

we consider a further extension of the

date for filing reply comments of not

less than 45 days in view of the

complexity of these issues and the

intervening holiday season. It further

states that, due to the extraordinary

nature of this proceeding, we should

designate a formal period in which to

file comments responding to reply

comments.

7. We agree with MSTV and Motorola

that it is in the public interest to

complete this proceeding and license

DTV stations without unnecessary

delay. At the same time, we believe that

it is desirable to provide some

additional time for the Group Owners,

the AFCCE, DLR, and other interested

parties to address in more detail the

issues they have raised. We do not

believe the approach suggested by

MSTV that we accept late-filed

comments for up to four weeks beyond

the current date for filing reply

comments is advisable. Rather, we

believe that a two-week additional

extension of the date for filing reply

comments would provide an adequate

period of time for broadcasters to submit

additional information addressing the

issues discussed in the Group Owners’

and AFCCE’s extension requests and

DLR’s comments without delaying our

decision in this matter. This two week

period will allow the development of a

complete record on the matter of

channel allotments for operation of

digital TV service. We therefore are

extending the date for filing reply

comments to January 24, 1997. We also

agree with MSTV that providing an

additional period for parties to respond

to reply comments would create

unnecessary delay and therefore will

not provide for acceptance of replies to

reply comments, as requested by DLR.

8. Accordingly, it is ordered that the

requests for extension of the time for

filing reply comments submitted by the

Group Owners, the AFCCE, and DLR

ARE GRANTED to the extent indicated

herein and that the date for filing reply

comments relating to the Sixth FNPRM

IS EXTENDED to January 24, 1997. This

action is taken pursuant to authority

provided in Sections 4(i) and 303(r) of

the Communications Act of 1934, as

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

and Sections 0.31, 0.241 and 1.46 of the

Commission’s rules, 47 CFR §§ 0.31,

0.241 and 1.46.

Federal Communications Commission.

William F. Caton,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–832 Filed 1–13–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 678

[I.D. 010897B]

Atlantic Shark Fisheries

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Public hearings; extension of

comment period.

SUMMARY: NMFS will hold public

hearings to receive comments from

fishery participants and other members

of the public on a proposed rule that

was published in the Federal Register

on December 20, 1996. NMFS is also

extending the comment period for the

proposed rule.

DATES: Written comments must be

received on or before January 24, 1997.

All hearings will begin at 7 p.m., as

follows:

1. January 22, 1997, in Tampa, FL.

2. January 22, 1997, in Fort

Lauderdale, FL.

3. January 23, 1997, in Manteo, NC.

4. January 23, 1997, in Key West, FL.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and

requests for special accommodation

should be sent to William T. Hogarth,

Chief, Highly Migratory Species

Management Division (F/SF1), Office of

Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine

Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West

Highway, Room 14853, Silver Spring,

MD 20910.

The hearings will be held at the

following locations:

1. Tampa—Radisson Bay Harbor Inn

(Chart Room), 7700 Courtenay Campbell

Causeway, Tampa, FL 33607.

2. Fort Lauderdale—Holiday Inn

Beach Galleria (Coral Ballroom), 999

North Atlantic Blvd., Fort Lauderdale,

FL 33304.

3. Manteo—North Carolina Aquarium

(Auditorium), Airport Road, Manteo, NC

27954.

4. Key West—Holiday Inn La Concha

(The Top Room), 430 Duval Street, Key

West, FL 33040.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: C.

Michael Bailey or John Kelly, 301-713-

2347; fax 301–713–1917.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS has

determined that it is necessary to

conduct public hearings and that

commenters have additional time to

submit their comments on the proposed

rule (61 FR 67295, December 20, 1996).

Therefore, NMFS is extending the
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 9 / Tuesday, January 14, 1997 / Proposed Rules 1873

comment period on Atlantic sharks from

January 21, 1997 to January 24, 1997.

The proposed rule, as published, would

reduce commercial quotas and

recreational bag limits; establish a quota

for small coastal sharks; prohibit the

directed commercial fishing for, and

landing or sale of, five species of sharks;

establish a recreational tag-and-release

only fishery for white sharks; prohibit

filleting of sharks at sea; and restate the

requirement for species-specific

identification by all owners or

operators, dealers, and tournament

operators of all sharks landed.

This meeting is physically accessible

to people with disabilities. Requests for

sign language interpretation or other

auxiliary aids should be directed to

William T. Hogarth (see ADDRESSES) at

least 4 days prior to the hearing date.

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

Dated: January 8, 1997.

Bruce Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–827 Filed 1–9–97; 10:29 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F