[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 250 (Friday, December 27, 1996)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 68117-68119]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-32865]



 ========================================================================
 Rules and Regulations
                                                 Federal Register
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains regulatory documents 
 having general applicability and legal effect, most of which are keyed 
 to and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations, which is published 
 under 50 titles pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 1510.
 
 The Code of Federal Regulations is sold by the Superintendent of Documents. 
 Prices of new books are listed in the first FEDERAL REGISTER issue of each 
 week.
 
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 

  Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 250 / Friday, December 27, 1996 / 
Rules and Regulations  

[[Page 68117]]



ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE OF THE FEDERAL REGISTER

1 CFR Parts 5, 11 and 18


Prices and Availability of Federal Register Publications; 
Acceptance of Digital Signatures

AGENCY: Administrative Committee of the Federal Register.

ACTION: Final rule with request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Administrative Committee of the Federal Register (ACFR) 
announces changes to the prices charged for Federal Register 
publications. The price changes apply to the daily Federal Register, 
the Federal Register Index and LSA (List of CFR Sections Affected), the 
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and the Weekly Compilation of 
Presidential Documents. These price changes are necessary to accurately 
reflect certain increases and decreases in the Government Printing 
Office's (GPO) current cost of production and distribution of these 
publications.

    These regulations also make certain technical amendments to 
acknowledge the official status and availability of the Administrative 
Committee's online editions of the Federal Register and The United 
States Government Manual on the GPO Access service. In addition, the 
regulations are amended to permit original Federal Register documents 
to be authenticated by digital signatures. This action will enable the 
Office of the Federal Register (OFR) to participate in selected pilot 
projects.

DATES: These regulations are effective January 27, 1997. Comments will 
be accepted through February 25, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted by U.S. Mail: Office of the 
Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration, 
Washington, DC 20408; by private delivery services: Office of the 
Federal Register, 800 North Capitol Street, NW., Suite 700, Washington, 
DC 20002; by fax: 202-523-6866; by electronic mail: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michael White at 202-523-4534.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Administrative Committee of the Federal 
Register, which establishes prices for Federal Register publications, 
has determined that it must make price adjustments to certain Federal 
Register publications to accurately reflect the current costs of 
production and distribution. These regulations will increase the 
subscription rates for the paper editions of the daily Federal 
Register, the Federal Register Index and LSA (List of CFR Sections 
Affected), the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and the Weekly 
Compilation of Presidential Documents. The subscription rate and the 
single copy price charged for the microfiche edition of the daily 
Federal Register will decrease and the subscription rate for the 
microfiche edition of the CFR will decrease.

    On September 1, 1992, the Administrative Committee announced that 
it had adopted a policy for requiring full cost recovery to ensure that 
revenues from subscriptions and single issue sales would keep pace with 
increased costs attributable to printing and labor expenses at the GPO 
plant and postal rate increases (57 FR 40024). The Administrative 
Committee resolved to adjust prices over a period of several years and 
to conduct an annual review to determine the rate of increase necessary 
to gradually bring prices into alignment with costs. Since 1992, the 
Administrative Committee has periodically adjusted the prices of 
Federal Register publications pursuant to its annual pricing review. In 
1995, the Administrative Committee found it unnecessary to make any 
price adjustments, based on GPO's cost estimates.
    After reviewing GPO's current analysis of its production and 
distribution costs over the past two years and estimates for calendar 
year 1997, the Administrative Committee has determined that increases 
in the prices to be charged for the paper editions of Federal Register 
publications ranging from 4 to 12 per cent are necessary to achieve 
full cost recovery. The increased prices reflected in amendments to 1 
CFR part 11 in this final rule are primarily attributable to labor 
charges, paper prices, equipment costs and postal rate increases.
    Production of the microfiche editions of the Federal Register and 
CFR are subject to a competitive bidding process that determines the 
prices to be charged. As a result of that process, subscription rates 
for the microfiche edition of the Federal Register will decrease by 
nearly 50 per cent and single copy prices will decrease by 33 per cent, 
and CFR subscription rates will decrease by 6.5 per cent.
    The following rates are effective as of January 1, 1997. The annual 
subscription rates for the Federal Register paper edition are increased 
to $555, or $607 for a combined Federal Register, Federal Register 
Index and LSA (List of CFR Sections Affected) subscription. The annual 
subscription price of the microfiche edition of the Federal Register, 
including the Federal Register Index and LSA, is decreased to $220. The 
price for single copies of the daily Federal Register microfiche 
edition is decreased to $1. The annual subscription price for the 
Federal Register Index is increased to $25. The annual subscription 
price for the monthly LSA is increased to $27. The annual subscription 
rates for a full set of the Code of Federal Regulations are increased 
to $951 for the paper edition and decreased to $247 for the microfiche 
edition. The annual subscription rates for the Weekly Compilation of 
Presidential Documents are increased to $80 for delivery by non-
priority mail, and $137 for delivery by first-class mail.
    In addition to the price changes contained in this document, the 
Administrative Committee is updating its regulations to acknowledge the 
official status and availability of the Administrative Committee's 
online editions of the Federal Register and The United States 
Government Manual. The Administrative Committee has resolved that the 
American public should have greater access to essential information on 
the structure, functions and actions of its Government through the 
Federal Register system. The Administrative Committee has general 
authority under 44 U.S.C. section 1506 to determine the manner and form 
for publishing the Federal Register and its special editions. The 
Government Printing

[[Page 68118]]

Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act of 1993 (GPO 
Access), 44 U.S.C. 4101, provided additional authority for the 
Administrative Committee to expand public access to Federal Register 
publications, beginning with the inauguration of online Federal 
Register service on June 8, 1994.
    Accordingly, 1 CFR part 5 is amended by adding a section to state 
that the Administrative Committee publishes the daily Federal Register 
in three official formats, including the online edition on GPO Access. 
In part 11, a reference to subscription prices for the online edition 
of the Federal Register, which is now available to the public at no 
charge, is eliminated. It is replaced by a paragraph citing the 
availability of the online service. Part 11 is further revised to cite 
the availability of the online edition of The United States Government 
Manual on GPO Access to reflect the Administrative Committee's 
commitment to provide access to the Manual in electronic form.
    In addition, the regulations in 1 CFR part 18 are amended to permit 
original Federal Register documents to be submitted in electronic form 
and to be authenticated by digital signatures. The Federal Register 
Act, at 44 U.S.C. 1503, requires agencies to submit original documents 
to the OFR for publication in the Federal Register but does not define 
the term ``original'' document. Original documents are currently 
defined in ACFR regulations by provisions that require originals to be 
submitted in manuscript form and to be authenticated by ink signatures. 
The amendments to part 18 expand the definition of an original document 
to include electronic documents submitted by telecommunication that are 
authenticated by digital signatures.
    This action establishes the legal basis for OFR to accept documents 
in electronic form so that the OFR and GPO may participate in selected 
pilot programs currently under development. If the pilot programs are 
successful in establishing a government-wide Public Key Infrastructure 
for Federal agencies and a consensus on technical standards and 
specifications, the OFR and GPO will adapt their production processes 
to permit certain electronic documents to be published on a regular 
basis. However, during the pilot phase, the OFR will only accept 
electronic documents for publication in the Federal Register from 
agencies participating in selected pilot programs.
    The Administrative Committee's last price change regulation, 
published at 59 FR 48989 on September 26, 1994, invited public comment 
on the pricing structure of Federal Register publications. No pricing 
related comments were received. Customers who called to inquire about 
the online Federal Register, published daily on the GPO Access service 
since June 8, 1994, as referenced in the September 26, 1994 final rule, 
were referred to the GPO Access User Support Team. Complete information 
on free public access to the online editions of the Federal Register, 
The United States Government Manual and other Federal Register 
publications on the GPO Access service Wide Area Information Server 
(WAIS) may be obtained by consulting introductory page II of the paper 
edition of the daily Federal Register; by Internet e-mail at 
[email protected]; by telephone at 202-512-1530; or by fax at 202-512-
1262. Internet users can access the database by using the World Wide 
Web. The GPO's home page address for Federal Register publications is: 
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su__docs/aces/aces140.html. The OFR home page 
address is: http://www.nara.gov/nara/fedreg/fedreg.html. The 
Administrative Committee continues to welcome comments on Federal 
Register publications and prices.
    The Administrative Committee has not published a notice of proposed 
rulemaking on the revised price schedule, as permitted by 5 U.S.C. 
553(b)(B) when there is good cause not to publish a proposed rule and 
obtain comments from interested persons. The Administrative Committee 
has determined that publication of a proposed rule is unnecessary. The 
Administrative Committee has authority under 44 U.S.C. 1506 to set the 
prices to be charged for Federal Register subscriptions and individual 
copies. To the extent possible, the Administrative Committee sets 
prices to recover only the actual cost of producing and distributing 
Federal Register publications. The revised prices are based on an in-
depth cost study conducted by GPO for the Administrative Committee.
    Because only actual prior costs and conservative estimates of 
future costs were considered in setting the revised price schedule, and 
because of the requirement that GPO must recover its production and 
distribution costs, the Administrative Committee has determined that 
there is good cause for promulgating this final rule without a prior 
notice of proposed rulemaking. The changes to ACFR regulations relating 
to submission of electronic documents are procedural rules which are 
not subject to notice and comment under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A).
    This regulatory action has been reviewed by the Office of 
Management and Budget's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs 
under Executive Order 12866. The Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 
601 et seq.) does not apply to rate increases necessary to recover the 
costs of the Government of printing and distributing these 
publications.

List of Subjects

1 CFR Part 5

    Administrative practice and procedure, Federal Register, Government 
publications.

1 CFR Part 11

    Code of Federal Regulations, Federal Register, Government 
publications, Organizations and functions (Government agencies)

1 CFR Part 18

    Administrative practice and procedure, Federal Register.
    For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Administrative 
Committee of the Federal Register amends parts 5, 11 and 18 of chapter 
I of title 1 of the Code of Federal Regulations as set forth below:

PART 5--GENERAL

    1. The authority citation for part 5 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 1506; sec. 6, E.O. 10530, 19 FR 2709, 3 
CFR, 1954-1958 Comp., p. 189.

    2. Amend part 5 by adding Sec. 5.10 to read as follows:


Sec. 5.10  Forms of publication.

    Pursuant to section 1506 of title 44, United States Code, the 
Administrative Committee publishes the Federal Register in the 
following formats: paper; microfiche; and online on GPO Access (44 
U.S.C. 4101).

PART 11--SUBSCRIPTIONS

    1. The authority citation for part 11 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 1506; sec. 6, E.O. 10530, 19 FR 2709, 3 
CFR, 1954-1958 Comp., p. 189.

    2. Amend Sec. 11.1 by revising the first sentence to read as 
follows:


Sec. 11.1   Subscription by the public.

    The Government Printing Office produces the paper and microfiche 
editions of the publications described in Sec. 2.5 of this chapter, and 
the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, 
Washington, DC 20402, makes them available for sale to the public.* * *
    3. Revise Sec. 11.2 to read as follows:

[[Page 68119]]

Sec. 11.2  Federal Register.

    (a) Daily issues are provided to subscribers by mail for $555 per 
year in paper form. A combined subscription consisting of the daily 
issues, the monthly Federal Register Index, and the monthly LSA (List 
of CFR Sections Affected) is provided to subscribers by mail for $607 
per year in paper form or $220 per year in microfiche form. Six month 
subscriptions to the paper and microfiche editions are also available 
at one-half the annual rate. Limited quantities of current or recent 
issues may be obtained for $8 per copy in paper form or $1 per copy in 
microfiche form.
    (b) The online edition of the Federal Register, issued under the 
authority of the Administrative Committee, is available on GPO Access, 
a service of the Government Printing Office (44 U.S.C. 4101).
    4. Revise Sec. 11.3 to read as follows:


Sec. 11.3  Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)

    A complete set is provided to subscribers by mail for $951 per year 
for the bound, paper edition or $247 per year for the microfiche 
edition. Individual volumes of the bound, paper edition of the Code are 
sold at prices determined by the Superintendent of Documents under the 
general direction of the Administrative Committee. The price of an 
individual volume in microfiche form is $1 per copy.
    5. In Sec. 11.4, add a second sentence to read as follows:


Sec. 11.4  The United States Government Manual.

* * * * *
    The online edition of the Manual, issued under the authority of the 
Administrative Committee, is available on GPO Access, a service of the 
Government Printing Office (44 U.S.C. 4101).
    6. Revise Sec. 11.6 to read as follows:


Sec. 11.6  Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents.

    Copies in paper form are provided to subscribers for $80 per year 
by non-priority mail or $137 per year by first-class mail. The price of 
an individual copy in paper form is $3.
    7. Revise Sec. 11.7 to read as follows:


Sec. 11.7  Federal Register Index.

    The annual subscription price for the monthly Federal Register 
Index, purchased separately, in paper form, is $25.
    8. Revise Sec. 11.8 to read as follows:


Sec. 11.8  LSA (List of CFR Sections Affected).

    The annual subscription price for the monthly LSA (List of CFR 
Sections Affected), purchased separately, in paper form, is $27.

PART 18--PREPARATION AND TRANSMITTAL OF DOCUMENTS GENERALLY

    1. The authority citation for part 18 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 1506; sec. 6, E.O. 10530, 19 FR 2709, 3 
CFR, 1954-1958 Comp., p. 189.

    2. in Sec. 18.4, add paragraph (c) to read as follows:


Sec. 18.4  Form of document.

* * * * *
    (c) Original documents submitted by telecommunication and 
authenticated by digital signatures consistent with applicable Federal 
standards and Office of the Federal Register technical specifications 
may be accepted for publication.\3\
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    \3\ At present, submission of documents by telecommunication is 
limited to selected pilot projects.
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    3. In Sec. 18.7, add a third sentence to read as follows:


Sec. 18.7  Signature.

* * * * *
    Documents submitted under Sec. 18.4(c) may be authenticated as 
original documents by digital signatures.
John W. Carlin,
Chairman.
Michael F. DiMario,
Member.
Rosemary Hart,
Member.
Janet Reno,
Attorney General.
John W. Carlin,
Archivist of the United States.
[FR Doc. 96-32865 Filed 12-26-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 1505-02-M