Establishing, for small air carriers, procedures for requesting an extension of time to file a required report or for a waiver from the reporting requirements. Providing small air carriers with a reminder letter and a follow-up letter in an informal attempt to achieve compliance, before formal enforcement action is taken. Conducting, in conjunction with the Office of the General Counsel, an enforcement program that allows full or partial waiver of civil penalties in certain cases involving small businesses. Within the aviation data collection program, the assessment of penalties for failure to file required reports is administered by the Assistant General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings. The current policy of levying fines and penalties on air carriers allows for the waiving of up to 100 percent of the assessed fines and penalties where the affected air carrier takes corrective action to improve its reporting.
Full consideration is given to a carrier's corrective actions and financial condition.
In many of these actions, the violators would have been considered small under SBA guidelines. It takes enforcement action against motor vehicle safety and fuel economy standards violations and odometer fraud. If gross sales in the previous year are known, this information is also considered. When the Chief Counsel asks a violator to show cause why a penalty should not be imposed, the violator is informed of the statutory provision and asked to address the size of its business in its response. A statutory defense of reasonable care also is available to violators.