3710 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 9 / Wednesday, January 15, 2025 / Rules and Regulations 

examinations, medical care and 

certification fees), routine care and 

grooming of pets, and purchases of 

crates and tags for the pets. Expenses for 

other animals (horses, fish, birds, 

reptiles, rodents, etc.) are not authorized 

because of their size, exotic nature, 

restrictions on shipping, host country 

restrictions, and special handling 

difficulties; or 

(p) Costs related to obtaining a visa, 

passport, immigration green card, birth 

certificate or other acceptable evidence 

of birth when required for official travel 

to foreign locations; charges for 

immunization, inoculations, other 

disease-preventative medical 

prophylaxis, including disease testing, 

that are required for official travel if not 

obtained through the agency. The 

expenses in this paragraph (p) may be 

reimbursable as part of the employee’s 

relocation en route travel miscellaneous 

expenses as specified in 41 CFR 301– 

12.1. 

§ 302–16.10 What standard of care must I 

use in incurring miscellaneous expenses? 

You must exercise the same care in 

incurring expenses that a prudent 

person would exercise if relocating at 

personal expense. 

Subpart B—Agency Responsibilities 

§ 302–16.100 What governing policies 

must we establish for MEA? 

For MEAs, you must establish policies 

and procedures governing: 

(a) Who will determine whether 

payment for an amount in excess of the 

lump sum MEA is appropriate; and 

(b) How you will pay a MEA in 

accordance with §§ 302–16.2 and 302– 

16.3. 

§ 302–16.101 How should we administer 

the authorization and payment of 

miscellaneous expenses? 

You should limit payment of 

miscellaneous expenses to only those 

expenses that are necessary. 

§ 302–16.102 Are there any restrictions to 

the types of costs we may cover? 

Yes, a MEA cannot be used to 

reimburse: 

(a) Costs or expenses incurred which 

exceed maximums provided by statute 

or in this subtitle; 

(b) Costs or expenses incurred but 

which are disallowed elsewhere in this 

subtitle; 

(c) Costs reimbursed under other 

provisions of law or regulations; 

(d) Costs or expenses incurred for 

reasons of personal taste or preference 

and not required because of the move; 

(e) Losses covered by insurance; 

(f) Fines or other penalties imposed 

upon the employee or members of their 

immediate family; 

(g) Judgments, court costs, and similar 

expenses growing out of civil actions; or 

(h) Any other expenses brought about 

by circumstances, factors, or actions in 

which the move to a new official station 

was not the proximate cause. 

[FR Doc. 2025–00497 Filed 1–14–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6820–14–P 

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS 

COMMISSION 

47 CFR Part 1 

[DA 25–5; FR ID 272288] 

Annual Adjustment of Civil Monetary 

Penalties To Reflect Inflation 

AGENCY: Federal Communications 

Commission. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Civil Penalties 

Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements 

Act of 2015 (Inflation Adjustment Act) 

requires the Federal Communications 

Commission to revise its forfeiture 

penalty rules to reflect annual 

adjustments for inflation in order to 

improve their effectiveness and 

maintain their deterrent effect. The 

Inflation Adjustment Act provides that 

the new penalty levels shall apply to 

penalties assessed after the effective 

date of the increase, including when the 

penalties whose associated violation 

predate the increase. 

DATES: 

Effective date: The rule is effective 

January 15, 2025. 

Applicability date: The civil monetary 

penalties are applicable beginning 

January 15, 2025. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Hunter Deeley, Acting Chief of Staff, 

Enforcement Bureau, at Hunter.Deeley@

fcc.gov or 202–418–2765. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a 

summary of the Commission’s Order, 

DA 25–5, adopted and released on 

January 3, 2025. The complete text of 

this document is available for download 

at https://docs.fcc.gov/public/ 

attachments/DA-25-5A1.pdf. To request 

this document in accessible formats for 

people with disabilities (e.g., Braille, 

large print, electronic files, audio 

format, etc.) or to request reasonable 

accommodations (e.g., accessible format 

documents, sign language interpreters, 

CART, etc.), send an email to fcc504@

fcc.gov or call the FCC’s Consumer and 

Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 

418–0530 (voice). 

Synopsis 

The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 

included, as section 701 thereto, the 

Inflation Adjustment Act, which 

amended the Federal Civil Penalties 

Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 (Pub. 

L. 101–410), to improve the 

effectiveness of civil monetary penalties 

and maintain their deterrent effect. 

Under the Inflation Adjustment Act, 

agencies are required to make annual 

inflationary adjustments by January 15 

each year, beginning in 2017. The 

adjustments are calculated pursuant to 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) guidance. OMB issued guidance 

on December 17, 2024, and this Order 

follows that guidance. The Commission 

therefore updates the civil monetary 

penalties for 2024, to reflect an annual 

inflation adjustment based on the 

percent change between each published 

October’s CPI–U; in this case, October 

2024 CPI–U (315.664)/October 2023 

CPI–U (307.671) = 1.02598. The 

Commission multiplies 1.02598 by the 

most recent penalty amount and then 

rounds the result to the nearest dollar. 

For 2025, the adjusted penalty or 

penalty range for each applicable 

penalty is calculated by multiplying the 

most recent penalty amount by the 2025 

annual adjustment (1.02598), then 

rounding the result to the nearest dollar. 

The adjustments in civil monetary 

penalties that we adopt in this Order 

apply only to such penalties assessed on 

and after January 15, 2025. 

The Order also re-codifies the text of 

a footnote to Table 1 of § 1.80(b)(11) that 

was inadvertently removed. The 

footnote text specifies that the base 

forfeiture amount for 

‘‘misrepresentation/lack of candor’’ is 

the statutory maximum. Because the 

prior removal of this language was 

inadvertent, we find good cause to make 

this re-codification of the footnote text 

effective immediately upon publication 

in the Federal Register, pursuant to 

section 553(d)(3) of the APA. 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

This document does not contain new 

or modified information collection 

requirements subject to the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), Public 

Law 104–13. It does not contain any 

new or modified information collection 

burden for small business concerns with 

fewer than 25 employees, pursuant to 

the Small Business Paperwork Relief 

Act of 2002, Public Law 107–198, see 44 

U.S.C. 3506(c)(4). 

Congressional Review Act 

The Commission has determined, and 

the Administrator of the Office of 


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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 9 / Wednesday, January 15, 2025 / Rules and Regulations 3711 

Information and Regulatory Affairs, 

Office of Management and Budget, 

concurs that this rule is non-major 

under the Congressional Review Act, 5 

U.S.C. 804(2). The Commission will 

send a copy of this Order to Congress 

and the Government Accountability 

Office pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A). 

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 1 

Administrative practice and 

procedure, Penalties. 

Federal Communications Commission. 

Peter Hyun, 

Acting Chief, Enforcement Bureau. 

Final Rules 

For the reasons discussed in the 

preamble, the Federal Communications 

Commission amends 47 CFR part 1 as 

follows: 

PART 1—PRACTICE AND 

PROCEDURE 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 1 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 47 U.S.C. chs. 2, 5, 9, 13; 28 

U.S.C. 2461 note; 47 U.S.C. 1754, unless 

otherwise noted. 

■ 2. Amend § 1.80 by: 

■ a. Revising paragraphs (b)(1) through 

(10); 

■ b. Adding footnote 1 to ‘‘Table 1 to 

paragraph (b)(11)’’; and 

■ c. Revising ‘‘Table 4 to paragraph 

(b)(11)’’ and ‘‘Table 5 to paragraph 

(b)(12)(ii)’’. 

The revisions and addition read as 

follows: 

§ 1.80 Forfeiture proceedings. 

* * * * * 

(b) * * * 

(1) Forfeiture penalty for a broadcast 

station licensee, permittee, cable 

television operator, or applicant. If the 

violator is a broadcast station licensee or 

permittee, a cable television operator, or 

an applicant for any broadcast or cable 

television operator license, permit, 

certificate, or other instrument of 

authorization issued by the 

Commission, except as otherwise noted 

in this paragraph (b)(1), the forfeiture 

penalty under this section shall not 

exceed $62,829 for each violation or 

each day of a continuing violation, 

except that the amount assessed for any 

continuing violation shall not exceed a 

total of $628,305 for any single act or 

failure to act described in paragraph (a) 

of this section. There is no limit on 

forfeiture assessments for EEO 

violations by cable operators that occur 

after notification by the Commission of 

a potential violation. See section 

634(f)(2) of the Communications Act (47 

U.S.C. 554). Notwithstanding the 

foregoing in this section, if the violator 

is a broadcast station licensee or 

permittee or an applicant for any 

broadcast license, permit, certificate, or 

other instrument of authorization issued 

by the Commission, and if the violator 

is determined by the Commission to 

have broadcast obscene, indecent, or 

profane material, the forfeiture penalty 

under this section shall not exceed 

$508,373 for each violation or each day 

of a continuing violation, except that the 

amount assessed for any continuing 

violation shall not exceed a total of 

$4,692,668 for any single act or failure 

to act described in paragraph (a) of this 

section. 

(2) Forfeiture penalty for a common 

carrier or applicant. If the violator is a 

common carrier subject to the 

provisions of the Communications Act 

or an applicant for any common carrier 

license, permit, certificate, or other 

instrument of authorization issued by 

the Commission, the amount of any 

forfeiture penalty determined under this 

section shall not exceed $251,322 for 

each violation or each day of a 

continuing violation, except that the 

amount assessed for any continuing 

violation shall not exceed a total of 

$2,513,215 for any single act or failure 

to act described in paragraph (a) of this 

section. 

(3) Forfeiture penalty for a 

manufacturer or service provider. If the 

violator is a manufacturer or service 

provider subject to the requirements of 

section 255, 716, or 718 of the 

Communications Act (47 U.S.C. 255, 

617, or 619), and is determined by the 

Commission to have violated any such 

requirement, the manufacturer or 

service provider shall be liable to the 

United States for a forfeiture penalty of 

not more than $144,329 for each 

violation or each day of a continuing 

violation, except that the amount 

assessed for any continuing violation 

shall not exceed a total of $1,443,275 for 

any single act or failure to act. 

(4) Forfeiture penalty for a 227(e) 

violation. Any person determined to 

have violated section 227(e) of the 

Communications Act or the rules issued 

by the Commission under section 227(e) 

of the Communications Act shall be 

liable to the United States for a 

forfeiture penalty of not more than 

$14,432 for each violation or three times 

that amount for each day of a continuing 

violation, except that the amount 

assessed for any continuing violation 

shall not exceed a total of $1,443,275 for 

any single act or failure to act. Such 

penalty shall be in addition to any other 

forfeiture penalty provided for by the 

Communications Act. 

(5) Forfeiture penalty for a 

227(b)(4)(B) violation. Any person 

determined to have violated section 

227(b)(4)(B) of the Communications Act 

or the rules in 47 CFR part 64 issued by 

the Commission under section 

227(b)(4)(B) of the Communications Act 

shall be liable to the United States for 

a forfeiture penalty determined in 

accordance with paragraphs (A)–(F) of 

section 503(b)(2) plus an additional 

penalty not to exceed $12,266. 

(6) Forfeiture penalty for pirate radio 

broadcasting. (i) Any person who 

willfully and knowingly does or causes 

or suffers to be done any pirate radio 

broadcasting shall be subject to a fine of 

not more than $2,453,218; and 

(ii) Any person who willfully and 

knowingly violates the Act or any rule, 

regulation, restriction, or condition 

made or imposed by the Commission 

under authority of the Act, or any rule, 

regulation, restriction, or condition 

made or imposed by any international 

radio or wire communications treaty or 

convention, or regulations annexed 

thereto, to which the United States is 

party, relating to pirate radio 

broadcasting shall, in addition to any 

other penalties provided by law, be 

subject to a fine of not more than 

$122,661 for each day during which 

such offense occurs, in accordance with 

the limit described in this section. 

(7) Forfeiture penalty for a section 

6507(b)(4) Tax Relief Act violation. If a 

violator who is granted access to the DoNot-Call registry of public safety 

answering points discloses or 

disseminates any registered telephone 

number without authorization, in 

violation of section 6507(b)(4) of the 

Middle Class Tax Relief and Job 

Creation Act of 2012 or the 

Commission’s implementing rules in 47 

CFR part 64, the monetary penalty for 

such unauthorized disclosure or 

dissemination of a telephone number 

from the registry shall be not less than 

$135,161 per incident nor more than 

$1,351,606 per incident depending 

upon whether the conduct leading to 

the violation was negligent, grossly 

negligent, reckless, or willful, and 

depending on whether the violation was 

a first or subsequent offense. 

(8) Forfeiture penalty for a section 

6507(b)(5) Tax Relief Act violation. If a 

violator uses automatic dialing 

equipment to contact a telephone 

number on the Do-Not-Call registry of 

public safety answering points, in 

violation of section 6507(b)(5) of the 

Middle Class Tax Relief and Job 

Creation Act of 2012 or the 

Commission’s implementing rules in 47 

CFR part 64, the monetary penalty for 

contacting such a telephone number 


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3712 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 9 / Wednesday, January 15, 2025 / Rules and Regulations 

shall be not less than $13,516 per call 

nor more than $135,161 per call 

depending on whether the violation was 

negligent, grossly negligent, reckless, or 

willful, and depending on whether the 

violation was a first or subsequent 

offense. 

(9) Forfeiture penalty for a failure to 

block. Any person determined to have 

failed to block illegal robocalls pursuant 

to §§ 64.6305(g) and 64.1200(n) of this 

chapter shall be liable to the United 

States for a forfeiture penalty of no more 

than $25,132 for each violation, to be 

assessed on a per-call basis. 

(10) Maximum forfeiture penalty for 

any case not previously covered. In any 

case not covered in paragraphs (b)(1) 

through (9) of this section, the amount 

of any forfeiture penalty determined 

under this section shall not exceed 

$25,132 for each violation or each day 

of a continuing violation, except that the 

amount assessed for any continuing 

violation shall not exceed a total of 

$188,491 for any single act or failure to 

act described in paragraph (a) of this 

section. 

(11) * * * 

TABLE 1 TO PARAGRAPH (b)(11)—BASE AMOUNTS FOR SECTION 503 FORFEITURES

Forfeitures Violation amount 

Misrepresentation/lack of candor ................................................................................................................................................... (1) 

* * * * * * * 

1Statutory Maximum for each Service. 

TABLE 4 TO PARAGRAPH (b)(11)—NON-SECTION 503 FORFEITURES THAT ARE AFFECTED BY THE DOWNWARD

ADJUSTMENT FACTORS 1

Violation Statutory amount after 2025 annual inflation adjustment 

Sec. 202(c) Common Carrier Discrimination ........................................... $15,079, $754/day. 

Sec. 203(e) Common Carrier Tariffs ........................................................ $15,079, $754/day. 

Sec. 205(b) Common Carrier Prescriptions ............................................. $30,159. 

Sec. 214(d) Common Carrier Line Extensions ........................................ $3,015/day. 

Sec. 219(b) Common Carrier Reports ..................................................... $3,015/day. 

Sec. 220(d) Common Carrier Records & Accounts ................................. $15,079/day. 

Sec. 223(b) Dial-a-Porn ............................................................................ $156,267/day. 

Sec. 227(e) Caller Identification ............................................................... $14,432/violation. 

$43,296/day for each day of continuing violation, up to $1,443,275 for 

any single act or failure to act. 

Sec. 364(a) Forfeitures (Ships) ................................................................ $12,567/day (owner). 

Sec. 364(b) Forfeitures (Ships) ................................................................ $2,515 (vessel master). 

Sec. 386(a) Forfeitures (Ships) ................................................................ $12,567/day (owner). 

Sec. 386(b) Forfeitures (Ships) ................................................................ $2,515 (vessel master). 

Sec. 511 Pirate Radio Broadcasting ........................................................ $2,453,218, $122,661/day. 

Sec. 634 Cable EEO ................................................................................ $1,114/day. 

1 Unlike section 503 of the Act, which establishes maximum forfeiture amounts, other sections of the Act, with two exceptions, state prescribed 

amounts of forfeitures for violations of the relevant section. These amounts are then subject to mitigation or remission under section 504 of the 

Act. One exception is section 223 of the Act, which provides a maximum forfeiture per day. For convenience, the Commission will treat this 

amount as if it were a prescribed base amount, subject to downward adjustments. The other exception is section 227(e) of the Act, which provides maximum forfeitures per violation, and for continuing violations. The Commission will apply the factors set forth in section 503(b)(2)(E) of 

the Act and this table 4 to determine the amount of the penalty to assess in any particular situation. The amounts in this table 4 are adjusted for 

inflation pursuant to the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (DCIA), 28 U.S.C. 2461. These non-section 503 forfeitures may be adjusted 

downward using the ‘‘Downward Adjustment Criteria’’ shown for section 503 forfeitures in table 3 to this paragraph (b)(11). 

(12) * * * 

(ii) The application of the annual 

inflation adjustment required by the 

foregoing Federal Civil Penalties 

Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements 

Act of 2015 results in the following 

adjusted statutory maximum forfeitures 

authorized by the Communications Act: 

TABLE 5 TO PARAGRAPH (b)(12)(ii) 

U.S. Code citation Maximum penalty after 2025 annual inflation adjustment 

47 U.S.C. 202(c) ....................................................................................... $15,079. 

$754. 

47 U.S.C. 203(e) ...................................................................................... $15,079. 

$754. 

47 U.S.C. 205(b) ...................................................................................... $30,159. 

47 U.S.C. 214(d) ...................................................................................... $3,015. 

47 U.S.C. 219(b) ...................................................................................... $3,015. 

47 U.S.C. 220(d) ...................................................................................... $15,079. 

47 U.S.C. 223(b) ...................................................................................... $156,267. 

47 U.S.C. 227(b)(4)(B) ............................................................................. $62,829, plus an additional penalty not to exceed $12,266. 

$628,305, plus an additional penalty not to exceed $12,266. 

$251,322, plus an additional penalty not to exceed $12,266. 

$2,513,215, plus an additional penalty not to exceed $12,266. 

$508,373, plus an additional penalty not to exceed $12,266. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 9 / Wednesday, January 15, 2025 / Rules and Regulations 3713 

1 87 FR 52224 (Aug. 24, 2022). 

2 INGAA v. PHMSA, No. 23–1173, 114 F.4th 744, 

756 (D.C. Cir. Aug. 16, 2024). 

3Preferential metal loss on direct current, lowfrequency electric resistance welded pipe, and 

electric flash welded pipe remain immediate repair 

conditions when an anomaly on pipe with these 

seam types meet the conditions under 

§§ 192.714(d)(1)(iv) and 192.933(d)(1)(iv). INGAA v. 

PHMSA, 114 F.4th at 756 (vacating the provisions 

‘‘only as applied to seams formed by high-frequency 

electric resistance welding’’). 

4PHMSA also removes now obsolete crossreferences to § 192.478 located in §§ 192.9 and 

Continued 

TABLE 5 TO PARAGRAPH (b)(12)(ii)—Continued 

U.S. Code citation Maximum penalty after 2025 annual inflation adjustment 

$4,692,668, plus an additional penalty not to exceed $12,266. 

$25,132, plus an additional penalty not to exceed $12,266. 

$188,491, plus an additional penalty not to exceed $12,266. 

$144,329, plus an additional penalty not to exceed $12,266. 

$1,443,275, plus an additional penalty not to exceed $12,266. 

47 U.S.C. 227(e) ...................................................................................... $14,432. 

$43,296. 

$1,443,275. 

47 U.S.C. 362(a) ...................................................................................... $12,567. 

47 U.S.C. 362(b) ...................................................................................... $2,515. 

47 U.S.C. 386(a) ...................................................................................... $12,567. 

47 U.S.C. 386(b) ...................................................................................... $2,515. 

47 U.S.C. 503(b)(2)(A) ............................................................................. $62,829. 

$628,305. 

47 U.S.C. 503(b)(2)(B) ............................................................................. $251,322. 

$2,513,215. 

47 U.S.C. 503(b)(2)(C) ............................................................................. $508,373. 

$4,692,668. 

47 U.S.C. 503(b)(2)(D) ............................................................................. $25,132. 

$188,491. 

47 U.S.C. 503(b)(2)(F) ............................................................................. $144,329. 

$1,443,275. 

47 U.S.C. 507(a) ...................................................................................... $2,489. 

47 U.S.C. 507(b) ...................................................................................... $365. 

47 U.S.C. 511 ........................................................................................... $2,453,218. 

$122,661. 

47 U.S.C. 554 ........................................................................................... $1,114. 

Sec. 6507(b)(4) of Tax Relief Act ............................................................ $1,351,606/incident. 

Sec. 6507(b)(5) of Tax Relief Act ............................................................ $135,161/call. 

* * * * * 

[FR Doc. 2025–00494 Filed 1–14–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials 

Safety Administration 

49 CFR Part 192 

[Docket No. PHMSA–2011–0023; Amdt. No. 

192–138] 

RIN 2137–AF39 

Pipeline Safety: Safety of Gas 

Transmission Pipelines: Repair 

Criteria, Integrity Management 

Improvements, Cathodic Protection, 

Management of Change, and Other 

Related Amendments: Corrections To 

Conform to Judicial Review 

AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous 

Materials Safety Administration 

(PHMSA), Department of Transportation 

(DOT). 

ACTION: Correcting amendments. 

SUMMARY: These amendments conform 

part 192 of the Code of Federal 

Regulations (CFR) to the August 2024 

order of the United States Court of 

Appeals for the District of Columbia 

Circuit by removing several vacated 

provisions. 

DATES: Effective on January 15, 2025. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Robert Jagger, Senior Transportation 

Specialist, by email at robert.jagger@

dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 

24, 2022, PHMSA published a final rule 

titled ‘‘Safety of Gas Transmission 

Pipelines: Repair Criteria, Integrity 

Management Improvements, Cathodic 

Protection, Management of Change, and 

Other Related Amendments’’ (2022 Gas 

Transmission Final Rule) 1 amending 

the federal pipeline safety regulations at 

49 CFR part 192 to improve the safety 

of onshore gas transmission pipelines. 

The 2022 Gas Transmission Final Rule 

updated and expanded requirements 

pertaining to corrosion control, repair 

criteria and timelines for various 

pipeline integrity anomalies (including 

various manifestations of metal loss, 

cracking, and denting), and other 

integrity management improvements. 

The Interstate Natural Gas Association 

of America (INGAA) filed a petition for 

judicial review challenging several 

provisions of the 2022 Gas Transmission 

Final Rule. On August 16, 2024, the 

United States Court of Appeals for the 

District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. 

Circuit) ordered the following 

provisions vacated: 2

(1) Monitoring and mitigation of 

internal corrosive constituents at 

§ 192.478; 

(2) The immediate repair criterion for 

cracks or crack-like anomalies with 

predicted failure pressures below 1.25 × 

maximum allowable operating pressure 

(MAOP) at §§ 192.714(d)(1)(v)(C) and 

192.933(d)(1)(v)(C); and 

(3) High-frequency electric resistance 

welded seams as one of the seam types 

qualifying for the immediate repair 

criterion of preferential metal loss on 

certain seam types at 

§§ 192.714(d)(1)(iv) and 

192.933(d)(1)(iv).3

This notice removes those vacated 

provisions and makes conforming 

revisions to align the federal pipeline 

safety regulations to the result of 

judicial review.4


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