[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 127 (Friday, July 2, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38571-38572]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-16143]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-62393; File No. SR-BX-2010-043]


Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX BX, Inc.; Notice of 
Filing of Proposed Rule Change Relating to Pricing for Direct Circuit 
Connections

June 28, 2010.
    Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
(``Act''),\1\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\2\ notice is hereby given that 
on June 24, 2010, NASDAQ OMX BX, Inc. (the ``Exchange'' or ``BX'') 
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'') the 
proposed rule change as described in Items I, II, and III below, which 
Items have been prepared by the Exchange. The Commission is publishing 
this notice to solicit comments on the proposed rule change from 
interested persons.
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    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
    \2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
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I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of the 
Substance of the Proposed Rule Change

    The Exchange is filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission 
(``SEC'' or ``Commission'') a proposed rule change to establish pricing 
for 10Gb direct circuit connections and codify pricing for 10Gb [sic] 
direct circuit connections for customers who are not co-located in the 
Exchange's datacenter. The text of the proposed rule change is 
available at http://nasdaq.cchwallstreet.com, at the Exchange's 
principal office, and at the Commission's Public Reference Room.

II. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and 
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change

    In its filing with the Commission, the Exchange included statements 
concerning the purpose of and basis for the proposed rule change and 
discussed any comments it received on the proposed rule change. The 
text of these statements may be examined at the places specified in 
Item IV below. The Exchange has prepared summaries, set forth in 
Sections A, B, and C below, of the most significant aspects of such 
statements.

A. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and 
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change

1. Purpose
    The Exchange is proposing to establish fees for direct 10Gb circuit 
connections, and codify fees for direct circuit connections capable of 
supporting up to 1Gb, for customers who are not co-located at the 
Exchange's datacenter. Currently, the Exchange already makes available 
to co-located customers a 10Gb circuit connection and charges for each 
a $1,000 initial installation charge as well as an ongoing monthly fee 
of $5,000. The Exchange is establishing the same fees for non co-
located customers with a 10Gb circuit.\3\
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    \3\ BX provides an additional 1Gb copper connection option to 
the Exchange for co-located customers. Given the technological 
constraints of copper connections over longer distances, the 
Exchange does not offer a copper connection option to users outside 
of its datacenter.
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    The Exchange also already makes available to both co-located and 
non co-located customers direct connections capable of supporting up to 
1Gb, with per connection monthly fees of $500 for co-located customers 
and $1,000 for non co-located customers. Monthly fees are higher for 
non co-located customers because direct connections require BX

[[Page 38572]]

to provide cabinet space and middleware for those customers' third-
party vendors to connect into the datacenter and, ultimately, to the 
trading system. Finally, for non co-located customers the Exchange 
charges an optional installation fee of $925 if the customer chooses to 
use an on-site router.
2. Statutory Basis
    BX believes that the proposed rule change is consistent with the 
provisions of Section 6 of the Act,\4\ in general, and with Sections 
6(b)(5) of the Act,\5\ in particular, in that the proposal is designed 
to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices, to promote 
just and equitable principles of trade, to foster cooperation and 
coordination with persons engaged in regulating, clearing, settling, 
processing information with respect to, and facilitating transactions 
in securities, to remove impediments to and perfect the mechanism of a 
free and open market and a national market system, and, in general, to 
protect investors and the public interest. In particular, the proposal 
will provide greater transparency into the connectivity options 
available to market participants.
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    \4\ 15 U.S.C. 78f.
    \5\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
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    The Exchange also believes that the proposed rule change is 
consistent with the provisions of Section 6 of the Act,\6\ in general, 
and with Section 6(b)(4) of the Act,\7\ in particular, in that it 
provides for the equitable allocation of reasonable dues, fees and 
other charges among members and issuers and other persons using any 
facility or system which the Exchange operates or controls. The filing 
codifies and makes transparent the fees imposed for direct connections 
to non co-located customers. These fees are uniform for all such 
customers and are either comparable to fees charged to co-located 
customers or vary due to different costs associated with providing 
service to the two customer types.
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    \6\ 15 U.S.C. 78f.
    \7\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(4).
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B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition

    BX does not believe that the proposed rule change will result in 
any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate in 
furtherance of the purposes of the Act, as amended.

C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed 
Rule Change Received From Members, Participants, or Others

    Written comments were neither solicited nor received.

III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for 
Commission Action

    Within 35 days of the date of publication of this notice in the 
Federal Register or within such longer period (i) as the Commission may 
designate up to 90 days of such date if it finds such longer period to 
be appropriate and publishes its reasons for so finding or (ii) as to 
which the self-regulatory organization consents, the Commission will:
    (A) By order approve such proposed rule change, or
    (B) Institute proceedings to determine whether the proposed rule 
change should be disapproved.

IV. Solicitation of Comments

    Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and 
arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule 
change, as amended, is consistent with the Act. Comments may be 
submitted by any of the following methods:

Electronic Comments

     Use the Commission's Internet comment form (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml); or
     Send an e-mail to [email protected]. Please include 
File Number SR-BX-2010-043 on the subject line.

Paper Comments

     Send paper comments in triplicate to Elizabeth M. Murphy, 
Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20549-1090.

All submissions should refer to File Number SR-BX-2010-043. This file 
number should be included on the subject line if e-mail is used. To 
help the Commission process and review your comments more efficiently, 
please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on 
the Commission's Internet Web site (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all 
written statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are 
filed with the Commission, and all written communications relating to 
the proposed rule change between the Commission and any person, other 
than those that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the 
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for Web site viewing and 
printing in the Commission's Public Reference Room, 100 F Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20549, on official business days between the hours of 10 
a.m. and 3 p.m. Copies of such filing also will be available for 
inspection and copying at the principal office of the Exchange. All 
comments received will be posted without change; the Commission does 
not edit personal identifying information from submissions. You should 
submit only information that you wish to make available publicly. All 
submissions should refer to File Number SR-BX-2010-043 and should be 
submitted on or before July 23, 2010.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, 
pursuant to delegated authority.\8\
Florence E. Harmon,
Deputy Secretary.
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    \8\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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[FR Doc. 2010-16143 Filed 7-1-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8010-01-P