[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 186 (Tuesday, September 24, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50116-50190]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-24326]



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_______________________________________________________________________

Part IV





Department of Energy





_______________________________________________________________________



Federal Energy Regulatory Commission



_______________________________________________________________________



Order Issuing Revised OASIS Standards and Protocols Document; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 186 / Tuesday, September 24, 1996 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. RM95-9-000]


Open Access Same-time Information System and Standards of 
Conduct; Order Issuing Revised OASIS Standards and Protocols Document

    Issued: September 10, 1996.

    Before Commissioners: Elizabeth Anne Moler, Chair; Vicky A. 
Bailey, James J. Hoecker, William L. Massey, and Donald F. Santa, 
Jr.

    As announced in Order No. 889,\1\ after consideration of suggested 
changes advanced by the How Working Group and other interested persons, 
we are issuing revisions to the standards and formats for OASIS sites 
prescribed in the OASIS Standards and Protocols document.\2\ This 
action is not intended to prejudge any of the substantive issues raised 
in the pending requests for rehearing filed in response to Order No. 
8890.\3\
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    \1\ Open Access Same-Time Information System and Standards of 
Conduct, Final Rule, Order No. 889, FERC Stats. & Regs. para. 
31,037, 61 FR 21737 (May 10, 1996).
    \2\ This is the short title for Standards and Communication 
Protocols for Open Access Same-Time Information System (OASIS) and 
accompanying Data Element Dictionary, 61 FR at 21770-21846, appended 
to Order No. 889.
    \3\ We reserve the right to make further modifications to the 
Standards and Protocols document as necessary to conform to our 
determinations on rehearing.
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Background

    In Order No. 889, we stated that it is essential to establish 
standards and protocols that will ensure that the OASIS presents 
information in a consistent and uniform manner. However, in Order No. 
889 we recognized that the initial standards and formats contained in 
the Standards and Protocols document are not complete and require 
further development. Accordingly, we invited the How Working Group--an 
industry led coalition of diverse interests established by the industry 
to develop consensus on ``how'' to develop an OASIS--to review the 
document and report to us on its progress in correcting any 
deficiencies in the document.\4\ We also stated that, after reviewing 
the additional report we anticipated receiving from the How Working 
Group (along with comments from any interested person), we would issue 
a revised Standards and Protocols document as soon as possible 
thereafter, to allow transmission providers to implement operational 
Phase I OASIS sites by November 1, 1996. 61 FR at 21738, 21755-56.
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    \4\ 61 FR at 21740-41, 21762. We also directed the How Working 
Group to attach any comments it received from any interested persons 
with opposing views.
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    As requested, on June 7, 1996, the How Working Group submitted a 
report presenting its suggested edits to the initial standards and 
Protocols document. On June 11, 1996, the Commission provided notice 
that the How Working Group's June 7, 1996 report was available for 
public review and comment.
    The How Working Group continued its efforts to reach consensus and, 
on July 3, 1996, submitted a report suggesting further changes to the 
Standards and Protocols document.
    On July 5, 1996, the Joint Transmission Service Information Network 
(JTSIN) filed comments suggesting revisions to the version of the 
Standards and Protocols document put out for comment on June 11, 1996. 
On July 19, 1996, Power System Engineering Inc. (PSE) filed comments on 
this same document.
    On July 31, 1996, in response to the JTSIN comments, the How 
Working Group submitted corrections to its earlier submittal, 
suggesting further changes to the Standards and Protocols document. 
These corrections incorporate suggestions made by JTSIN and are 
endorsed by JTSIN.
    The How Working Group requests that he Commission quickly release a 
revised Standards and Protocols document or grant a delay in the 
startup date for Phase I OASIA compliance. The How Working Group states 
that it avoided suggesting more substantive changes to OASIS 
functionality or design because it was not possible to evaluate changes 
of this type (and reach consensus) while meeting the Commission's 
November 1, 1996 startup date for Phase I OASIS implementation.

Discussion

    The successive submittals from the How Working Group added further 
refinements and improvements with each iteration. Our review, 
therefore, will concentrate on the group's latest iteration, submitted 
on July 31, 1996.\5\ We find that these revisions greatly improve the 
OASIS Standards and Protocols document that accompanied issuance of 
Order No. 889, by resolving additional issues and by harmonizing the 
text to determinations made in Order No. 889. Therefore, with the minor 
exceptions noted below, we will issue a revised Standards and Protocols 
document consistent with the How Working Group's recommendations.\6\
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    \5\ As this iteration fully addresses JTSIN's comments, includes 
revisions based on JTSIN's comments, and has been endorsed by JTSIN, 
we need not separately address JTSIN's comments.
    \6\We also are attaching a version of the revised Standards and 
Protocols document that shows the changes that we are making to the 
How Working Group's July 31, 1996 report. This attachment is not 
being published in the Federal Register but is available through the 
Commission Issuance Posting System (see, infra, n.9) and from the 
Commission's Public Reference Room.
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    Turning to the July 31, 1996 How Working Group report, we find that 
it has been improved to the extent that it now requires only a few 
minor revisions. First, in various places in the Standards and 
Protocols document, we will replace the term ``customer'', used by the 
How Working Group, with the term ``user'', whenever the group being 
referenced includes OASIS users who may not be customers.\7\
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    \7\ See Standards and Protocols document in the Table of 
Contents at Sec. 3.6 and in the text at Secs. 3.3(c), 3.4(a), 
3.4(b), 3.4(e), 3.4(h), 3.5(b), 3.6, 4.2.4.2(2), 4.3, 4.3.2(a), 
4.3.3(a), 5.3, 5.6, 5.9(b), and 5.10(a).
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    Second, we have revised the suggested language in Sec. 3.4(d) to 
match more closely the language in Order No. 889 that requires the 
Transmission Provider to post information about resales on the same 
display page, using the same tables, as similar capacity being sold by 
it.
    Third, in Sec. 3.4(h), we have not included the proposed change 
from ``90 days'' to ``10 days'' because we reserve the issue of whether 
to revise the retention period for on-line audit log postings for the 
order we will issue addressing the pending requests for rehearing.
    Additionally, we have made several minor edits for clarity or 
simplicity. Specifically, under Sec. 2.1(c) we have changed ``chose'' 
to ``choose'' as the present tense better fits this sentence. In 
Sec. 3.6(b), we deleted ``once again'' as unnecessary. In 
Sec. 4.1.1(a), we added ``providing'' for clarity. In Sec. 4.2.1(a), we 
changed ``to'' to ``with''. In the example at the end of Sec. 4.2.1(c), 
we changed ``time'' to ``endtime'' to agree with the Data Element 
Dictionary. We made the same change in the example of a query in 
Secs. 4.4.1 and 4.4.2. In Sec. 5.7, we changed ``Buy/Sell'' to 
``Purchase'' to better match Order No. 889.
    We have also made several nonsubstantive revisions to the Data 
Element Dictionary for clarity. Specifically, under the definition of 
``CUSTOMER-DUNS'' restricted values, we have added ``DUNS''. Under 
``DATA-ROWS'' restricted values, we have changed ``Number or numbers'' 
to ``Positive Number''. Under ``SERVICE--DESCRIPTION'' definition of 
data element, we have changed ``Inform'' to ``Information''. Under 
``STATUS''

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restricted values, we have deleted the references to ``reassigned'', 
``scheduled'', and ``curtailed'' so that the values match the 
categories in the definition of data element. Under the Field Format 
for SELLER-DUNS, we have changed the maximum number of characters to 9 
to agree with the maximum number of characters for other DUNS numbers.
    Turning to the comments from PSE, a participant in the How Working 
Group process, its comments were submitted as ``informal comments'' to 
Staff that, with PSE's approval, were added to the public record in 
this proceeding.
    In their comments, PSE points out that Section I of the Standards 
and Protocols document, which discusses the purposes of OASIS, does not 
include customers requesting service through an OASIS. We have modified 
the language to include this function. The remaining issues raised by 
PSE, such as OASIS access and registration issues, do not relate solely 
to the contents of the Standards and Protocols document. Rather, they 
concern issues that, in our judgment, involve Phase II implementation, 
which we will consider later, or relate to issues pending on rehearing 
of Order No. 889.\8\
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    \8\ In Order No. 889, see 61 FR at 21741, the Commission 
discussed its preference for consensus recommendations on technical 
implementation issues. We encourage future commenters to consider 
bringing their ideas to the How Working Group for its consideration 
in the first instance, so that ideas can be screened and improved 
through peer review, before being addressed by the Commission.
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    The revised Standards and Protocols document will be made available 
at the Commission's Public Reference Room and will be published in the 
Federal Register. It also will be available through the Commission 
Issuance Posting System (CIPS), which can be reached by telephone 
(modem dialup) at 1-800-856-3920.\9\ Dialing this number gives the 
caller a menu, from which the caller can choose CIPS or other menu 
choices.
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    \9\ If you encounter problems in accessing CIPS, you may call 
202-208-2474 to seek assistance. CIPS also can be accessed via the 
FedWorld system through dialup modems or over the Internet.
    By modem:
    Dial 703-321-3339 and logon to the FedWorld system. After 
logging on to the FedWorld system, choose f. Government and 
Regulatory and then type: /go FERC.
    By Internet:
    Option 1
    Telnet to: fedworld.gov, Select [1] FedWorld option, Logon to 
the FedWorld system, Choose f. Government and Regulatory, Type: /go 
FERC.
    Option 2
    Point your Web Browser to: http://www.fedworld.gov, Scroll down 
the page to select FedWorld Telnet Site, Select [1] FedWorld option, 
Logon to the FedWorld system, Choose f. Government and Regulatory, 
Type: /go FERC.

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    The Commission orders: The Standards and Protocols document is 
hereby modified, as discussed in the body of this order.

    By the Commission.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-24326 Filed 9-23-96; 8:45 am]
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