[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 13 (Thursday, January 20, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-1328]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: January 20, 1994]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 1

[ET Docket No. 93-62; DA 94-34]

 

Guidelines for Evaluating the Environmental Effects of 
Radiofrequency Radiation

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Chief of the Commission's Office of Engineering and 
Technology has granted a 14 day extension for filing comments and reply 
comments in response to the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM). This 
extension is in response to a motion filed by CBS, Inc. (``CBS''). The 
additional time will allow for further analysis with respect to recent 
data and information relevant to the Commission's implementation of new 
radiofrequency exposure guidelines.

DATES: Comments are due by January 25, 1994. Reply comments are due by 
February 24, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Federal Communications Commission, 1919 M Street, NW., 
Washington, DC 20554.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Robert Cleveland, Office of Engineering and Technology, Federal 
Communications Commission, (202) 653-8169.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 1. On January 3, 1994, CBS Inc. (``CBS'') 
filed with the Commission a ``Motion for Extension of Time'' in the 
above-named proceeding. CBS requested that the Commission extend, by a 
period of fourteen (14) days, the time for filing comments and reply 
comments.
    2. The Commission has proposed to incorporate into its rules the 
newly revised standard of the American National Standards institute 
(ANSI) developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics 
Engineers (IEEE) and designated IEEE C95.1-1991 (also ANSI/IEEE C95.1-
1992) for human exposure to radiofrequency (RF) fields.\1\ The deadline 
originally established for filing comments in this proceeding was 
August 13, 1993, and the date for reply comments was September 13, 
1993.
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    \1\See Notice of Proposed Rule Making in ET Docket 93-62, 58 FR 
19393 (1993).

    3. Previously, on August 3, 1993, the Commission granted a request 
filed by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) for an 
extension of time of ninety (90) days for filing comments and reply 
comments.\2\ This action established a new deadline for filing comments 
of November 12, 1993, and a new deadline for filing reply comments of 
December 13, 1993.
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    \2\See Order Extending Time for Comments and Reply Comments, ET 
Docket 93-62, 58 FR 43091 (1993).

    4. Subsequently, on November 2, 1993, CBS and Capital Cities/ABC 
Inc. filed a request to extend the comment and reply comment deadlines 
an additional sixty (60) days. The Commission approved this request 
establishing a new deadline for filing comments of January 11, 1994, 
and a new deadline for filing reply comments of February 10, 1994.\3\
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    \3\58 FR 60827 (1993).

    5. The first extension was granted to allow NAB time to complete a 
study commissioned to develop non-measurement based techniques for 
determining compliance with new guidelines. THe second extension was 
granted in response to filings by CBS, Capital Cities, and Hammett and 
Edison, Inc., noting that new information from the NAB study and other 
experimental results relevant to the consequences of the proposed 
guidelines had only recently become available. CBS and Capital Cities 
maintained that additional time was necessary to consider the 
implications of the new data, both to determine whether further study 
was required and to assess the effect that the proposed guidelines will 
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have on broadcast operations.

    6. The most recent motion filed by CBS requests an additional 
fourteen day (14) extension of the comment and reply comment deadlines. 
CBS states that it has not had sufficient time to perform measures and 
analysis of data due to a delay in obtaining the equipment necessary to 
measure induced currents. CBS states that it has acquired preliminary 
data that it believes will be useful to the Commission in considering 
the implementation of the induced current limits. However, additional 
time is needed to organize and analyze the data. Further, CBS states 
that it hopes that the additional time will make possible the filing of 
a single set of comments representing the views of itself and several 
other broadcast entities.

    7. The Commission does not routinely grant requests for extensions 
of time.\4\ However, we continue to recognize the complexity of the 
issues raised by the new exposure guidelines and the difficulties in 
developing reasonable methods by which compliance can be evaluated. In 
that regard, the request by CBS for a nominal further extension does 
not appear to be unreasonable.
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    \4\47 CFR Section 1.46 (1991).
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    8. Accordingly, it is ordered, That the deadline for filing 
comments is extended to January 25, 1994, and the deadline for filing 
reply comments is extended to February 24, 1994. This action is taken 
pursuant to sections 4(i) and 303 of the Communications Act of 1934, as 
amended, 47 U.S.C. 154(i) and 303, and pursuant to Secs. 0.31, 0.241 
and 1.46 of the Commission's Rules, 47 CFR 0.31, 0.241 and 1.46.

Federal Communications Commission.
Thomas P. Stanley,
Chief Engineer.
[FR Doc. 94-1328 Filed 1-19-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-M