19566 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 75 / Wednesday, April 19, 1995 / Proposed Rules

agreements, but reduce their potential

negative effects on the competition for

affiliations.

12. We could, of course, also maintain

the rule as it currently stands. We

would adopt this option only if we

determine that the direct and indirect

costs associated with these filings

continue to be less than their benefits.

We request that comments on the above

proposals weigh the benefits and costs

in a manner which justifies the

particular recommendation a

commenter makes.

Administrative Matters

13. Pursuant to applicable procedures

set forth in Sections 1.415 and 1.419 of

the Commission’s Rules, 47 C.F.R.

Sections 1.415 and 1.419, interested

parties may file comments on or before

June 12, 1995, and reply comments on

or before July 12, 1995. To file formally

in this proceeding, you must file an

original plus five copies of all

comments, reply comments, and

supporting comments. If you want each

Commissioner to receive a personal

copy of your comments, you must file

an original plus nine copies. You should

send comments and reply comments to

Office of the Secretary, Federal

Communications Commission,

Washington, DC 20554. Comments and

reply comments will be available for

public inspection during regular

business hours in the FCC Reference

Center (Room 239), 1919 M Street, NW.,

Washington, DC 20554.

14. This is a non-restricted notice and

comment rulemaking proceeding. Ex

parte presentations are permitted,

except during the Sunshine Agenda

period, provided they are disclosed as

provided in the Commission Rules. See

generally 47 C.F.R. Sections 1.1202,

1.1203, and 1.1206(a).

Initial Regulatory Flexibility Act

Statement

15. Reason for the Action: This

proceeding was initiated to review and

update the Commission’s rule

concerning the filing of broadcast

television network affiliation contracts.

16. Objective of this Action: The

actions proposed in this Notice are

intended to reduce concerns over the

potential deleterious effects of making

some or all the substance of broadcast

television affiliation agreements

publicly available.

17. Legal Basis: Authority for the

actions proposed in this Notice may be

found in Sections 4 and 303 of the

Communications Act of 1934, as

amended, 47 U.S.C. §§ 154 and 303.

18. Recording, Recordkeeping, and

Other Compliance Requirements

Inherent in the Proposed Rule: The

proposals may reduce existing

requirements.

19. Federal Rules that Overlap,

Duplicate, or Conflict with the Proposed

Rules: None.

20. Description, Potential Impact, and

Number of Small Entities Involved:

Approximately 1,500 existing television

broadcasters of all sizes may be affected

by the proposals contained in this

decision.

21. Any Significant Alternatives

Minimizing the Impact on Small Entities

and Consistent with the State

Objectives: The proposals contained in

this NPRM are intended to simplify and

ease the regulatory burden currently

placed on commercial television

broadcasters.

22. As required by Section 603 of the

Regulatory Flexibility Act, the

Commission has prepared the above

Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis

(IRFA) of the expected impact on small

entities of the proposals suggested in

this document. Written public

comments are requested on the IRFA.

These comments must be filed in

accordance with the same filing

deadlines as comments on the rest of

this Notice of Proposed Rule Making,

but they must have a separate and

distinct heading designating them as

responses to the Initial Regulatory

Flexibility Analysis. The Secretary shall

send a copy of this Notice of Proposed

Rule Making, including the Initial

Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, to the

Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small

Business Administration in accordance

with paragraph 603(a) of the Regulatory

Flexibility Act. Pub. L. No. 96–354, 94

Stat. 1164, 5 U.S.C. Section 601 et seq.

(1981).

23. This Notice of Proposed Rule

Making is issued pursuant to authority

contained in Sections 4(i) and 303 of the

Communications Act of 1934, as

amended, 47 U.S.C. §§ 154(i), 303.

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 73

Television broadcasting.

Federal Communications Commission.

William F. Caton,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 95–9569 Filed 4–18–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6712–01M

47 CFR Part 73

[MM Docket Nos. 91–221 and 87–8; 94–149

and 91–140; and 94–150, 92–51 and 87–

154; DA 95–761]

Mass Media Ownership Rules

AGENCY: Federal Communications

Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of

comment period.

SUMMARY: The Commission extends by

30 days the comment periods for three

interrelated proceedings in order to

afford commenters more time to collect

data and perform necessary statistical

analyses. The three proceedings involve

(1) the television multiple ownership

rules, (2) incentives to increase minority

and female ownership of mass media

facilities and (3) the Commission’s rules

regarding attribution of ownership

interests. In all three proceedings, the

Commission requested detailed analyses

demonstrating the relative benefits and

detriments of current and proposed

rules.

DATES: Comments due May 17, 1995;

reply comments due June 19, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Federal Communication

Commission, Washington, D.C. 20554.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jane

Hinckley Halprin, Mass Media Bureau,

Policy and Rules Division, (202) 776–

1653.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Order Granting Extension of Time for

Filing Comments and Reply Comments

Adopted: April 7, 1995;

Released: April 7, 1995.

By the Acting Chief, Mass Media

Bureau:

1. On December 15, 1994, the

Commission adopted three related

rulemaking items. First, the Commission

adopted a Further Notice of Proposed

Rule Making regarding ownership of

television stations. Further Notice of

Proposed Rule Making in MM Docket

Nos. 91–221 and 87–8, FCC 94–322, 60

Fed. Reg. 6490 (Feb. 2, 1995) (TV

Ownership Further Notice). Second, the

Commission adopted a Notice of

Proposed Rule Making seeking comment

on initiatives designed to increase

minority and female ownership of the

mass media. Notice of Proposed Rule

Making in MM Docket Nos. 94–149 and

91–140, FCC 94–323, 60 Fed. Reg. 6068

(Feb. 1, 1995) (Minority/Female

Ownership Notice). Third, the

Commission adopted a Notice of

Proposed Rule Making exploring

modification of the Commission’s rules

regarding attribution of ownership

interests. Notice of Proposed Rule

Making in MM Docket Nos. 94–150, 92–

51 and 87–154, FCC 94–324, 60 Fed.

Reg. 6483 (Feb. 2, 1995) (Attribution

Notice). Comments in all three

proceedings are currently due on April

17, 1995, and reply comments are due

on May 17, 1995.

2. The Commission has received a

separate request for extension of the
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 75 / Wednesday, April 19, 1995 / Proposed Rules 19567

comment periods in each of the three

proceedings, as well as a fourth filing

encompassing all the proceedings. On

March 16, 1995, LIN Television

Corporation, on behalf of several

licensees, filed a request for a 60-day

extension of time to respond to the TV

Ownership Further Notice. On March

23, 1995, Communications Corporation

of America, Pappas Stations Partnership

and Fant Broadcasting Company of

Nebraska, Inc., filed a joint motion for

a 60-day extension of time to file

comments in response to the Attribution

Notice. A March 31, 1995, filing by

American Women in Radio and

Television (AWRT) seeks a 90-day

extension of the comment dates for the

Minority/Female Ownership Notice.

The Minority Media and

Telecommunications Council (MMTC)

on April 3, 1995, filed a motion for a 90-

day extension in all three proceedings.

Petitioners primarily contend that

additional time is necessary to

satisfactorily complete the economic

and statistical analyses sought by the

Commission.

3. As set forth in Section 1.46 of the

Commission’s Rules, 47 C.F.R. § 1.46, it

is our policy that extensions of time for

filing comments in rulemaking

proceedings shall not be routinely

granted. We note that in all three

proceedings, the Commission

established a longer-than-usual initial

comment period to provide interested

parties sufficient opportunity to collect

and analyze the type of data sought.

Taking into consideration the

circumstances outlined by petitioners,

however, we believe that a 30-day

extension of time to file comments and

reply comments is warranted and

should facilitate the development of a

full and complete record on the issues

raised in the three proceedings.

4. Accordingly, it is ordered that the

Request for Extension of Time in MM

Docket Nos. 91–221 and 87–8 filed by

LIN Television Corporation; the Motion

for Extension of Time in MM Docket

Nos. 94–150, 92–51 and 87–154 filed by

Communications Corporation of

America, Pappas Stations Partnership

and Fant Broadcasting Company of

Nebraska, Inc.; the Request for

Extension of Time filed by American

Women in Radio and Television in MM

Docket Nos. 94–149 and 91–140; and

the Motion for Extension of Time filed

by the Minority Media and

Telecommunications Council in all

three of the above-referenced

proceedings ARE GRANTED to the

extent detailed above and are otherwise

DENIED.

6. It is further ordered that the time

for filing comments in the three abovecaptioned proceedings is Extended to

May 17, 1995, and the time for filing

reply comments is Extended to June 19,

1995.

7. This action is taken pursuant to

authority found 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 0.204(b), 0.283

and 1.45 of the Commission’s Rules, 47

C.F.R. §§ 0.204(b), 0.283 and 1.45.

Federal Communications Commission.

Renee Licht,

Acting Chief, Mass Media Bureau.

[FR Doc. 95–9573 Filed 4–18–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6712–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife

and Plants; 90-Day Finding for a

Petition to List as Endangered or

Threatened the Contiguous United

States Population of the North

American Wolverine

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of 90-day petition

finding.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service (Service) announces a 90-day

finding for a petition to add the

contiguous United States population of

the North American wolverine (Gulo

gulo luscus) to the List of Threatened

and Endangered Species. The Service

finds the petition did not present

substantial information indicating that

listing the wolverine in the contiguous

United States may be warranted.

DATES: The finding announced in this

document was made on March 31, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Data, information,

comments, or questions concerning this

petition should be submitted to the

Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, 100 North Park Avenue, Suite

320, Helena, Montana 59601. The

petition, finding, and additional

information are available for public

inspection, by appointment, during

normal business hours at the above

address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kemper McMaster, Field Supervisor

(see ADDRESSES section) (telephone 406/

449–5225).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Section 4(b)(3)(A) of the Endangered

Species Act (Act) of 1973, as amended

(16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), requires that the

Service make a finding on whether a

petition to list, delist, or reclassify a

species presents substantial scientific or

commercial information to demonstrate

that the petitioned act may be

warranted. This finding is to be based

on all information available to the

Service at the time the finding is made.

To the maximum extent practicable, this

finding is to be made within 90 days of

the date the petition was received, and

a notice regarding the finding is to be

published promptly in the Federal

Register. This notice meets the latter

requirement for the petition discussed

below.

The Service has made a 90-day

finding on a petition to list the North

American wolverine (Gulo gulo luscus)

in the contiguous United States. The

petition, dated August 3, 1994, was

submitted by the Biodiversity Legal

Foundation, Boulder, Colorado, and the

Predator Project, Bozeman, Montana,

and was received by the Service on

August 8, 1994. The petitioners

requested that wolverine populations

across their entire known historic range

in the 48 contiguous United States be

listed as threatened or endangered.

The wolverine has a holarctic

distribution. Historically, in North

America, wolverines occurred in the

boreal forests throughout Alaska and

Canada with the southern protion of the

range extending into the contiguous

United States (Has 1987). The

petitioners provided information (e.g.,

Wilson 1982; Hash 1987) suggesting that

wolverines historically occupied an

extensive range in the contiguous

United States, including Arizona,

California, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana,

Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota,

Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New

Hampshire, New Mexico, New York,

North Dakota, Oregon, Ohio,

Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah,

Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and

Wyoming; and that it has been

extirpated from all but 10 of these

States.

In making a finding as to whether a

petition presents substantial commercial

or scientific information indicating that

the petitioned action may be warranted,

the Service must consider whether the

petition contains detailed narrative

justification for the petitioned measure,

describing past and present numbers

and distribution of the species.

Information regarding the status of the

species over all or a significant portion