[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 74 (Tuesday, April 18, 2006)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 19838-19839]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-5717]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

[Docket No. OST-2006-23999]

14 CFR Part 382

RIN 2105-AD41


Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel--
Accommodations for Individuals Who Are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or Deaf-
Blind

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (OST), U.S. Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Extension of comment period on proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: The Department is extending through June 24, 2006, the period 
for interested persons to submit comments to its proposed rule on 
accommodations for individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-
blind.

DATES: Comments must be received by June 24, 2006. Comments received 
after this date will be considered to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by the docket number 
[OST-2005-23999] by any of the following methods: (1) Federal 
eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov (follow the instructions 
for submitting comments); (2) Web site: http://dms.dot.gov (follow the 
instructions for submitting comments on the DOT electronic docket 
site); (3) Fax: 1-202-493-2251; (4) Mail: Docket Management System; 
U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Nassif 
Building, Room PL-401, Washington, DC 20590-001; or (5) Hand Delivery: 
To the Docket Management System; Room PL-401 on the plaza level of the 
Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC between 9 a.m. 
and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays.
    You must include the agency name and docket number [OST-2005-23999] 
or the Regulatory Identification Number (RIN) for this notice at the 
beginning of your comment. Note that all comments received will be 
posted without change to http://dms.dot.gov including any personal 
information provided. Please see the Privacy Act section of this 
document. You may view the public docket through the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov or in person at the Docket Management System office at the 
above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Blane A. Workie, Office of Assistant 
General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings, 400 7th 
Street, SW., Room 4116, Washington, DC 29590. Phone: 202-366-9342. TTY: 
202-366-0511. Fax: 202-366-7152. E-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 23, 2006, the Department of 
Transportation (DOT or Department) issued a notice of proposed 
rulemaking (NPRM) that proposed to amend 14 CFR Part 382 (Part 382), 
the rule that implements the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), to provide 
for additional accommodations for air travelers who are deaf, hard of 
hearing or deaf-blind. See 71 FR 9285. The NPRM would apply to U.S. air 
carriers, to foreign air carriers for their flights into and out of the 
United States, to airport facilities located in the U.S. that are 
owned, controlled or leased by carriers, and to aircraft that serve a 
U.S. airport.
    On March 16, 2006, the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) 
requested an extension of the comment period, in order to permit it to 
gather expert opinion from many sources on the ``complex'' issues 
addressed in the NPRM. It requested an extension of at least a few 
weeks from the original comment closing date of April 24, 2006. This 
request was supported by the Air Carrier Association of America (ACAA), 
the Air Transport Association (ATA), the National Air Carrier 
Association (NACA), and the Regional Airline Association (RAA). The 
carrier associations further requested that the comment period for the 
NPRM be extended to June 24, 2006, to consider ``the multiple and 
complicated technical and operational issues raised by the NPRM (for 
domestic and international operations) and the accompanying initial 
regulatory assessment.''
    The Department concurs that an extension of the comment period is

[[Page 19839]]

necessary to allow intergovernmental organizations such as ECAC as well 
as members of industry sufficient time to analyze the impact of the 
proposed rule and is granting a 60-day extension, which we expect will 
result in more thorough comments to the docket than might otherwise be 
possible. Accordingly, the Department finds that good cause exists to 
extend the comment period on the proposed rule from April 24, 2006, to 
June 24, 2006.

    Issued in Washington, DC this 11th day of April, 2006, under 
authority assigned to me by 14 CFR 385.17 (c).
Neil Eisner,
Assistant General Counsel for Regulation and Enforcement, U.S. 
Department of Transportation.
 [FR Doc. E6-5717 Filed 4-17-06; 8:45 am]
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