[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 169 (Tuesday, September 1, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 52714-52715]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21634]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Parts 0, 1, 2, 15, and 18

[ET Docket No. 15-170; RM-11673; DA 15-956]


Extension of Time for Comments on Equipment Authorization

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment deadline.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Federal Communications Commission's 
(Commission's) Office of Engineering and Technology Bureau (Bureau) 
extends the deadlines for interested parties to submit comments and 
reply comments in response to the Equipment Authorization and 
Electronic Labeling for Wireless Devices.

DATES: The comment period for the proposed rules in FCC 15-92 published 
at 80 FR 46900, August 6, 2015, has been extended. Comments are due on 
or before October 9, 2015; reply comments are due on or before November 
9, 2015.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the Equipment Authorization and 
Electronic Labeling for Wireless Devices, identified by ET Docket No. 
15-170 by any of the following methods:
     Electronic Filers: Federal Communication Commission's 
Electronic Comments Filing System (ECFS): http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Paper Filers: All hand-delivered or messenger-delivered 
paper filings for the Commission's Secretary must be delivered to FCC 
Headquarters at 445 12th Street SW., Room TW-A325, Washington, DC 
20554. The filing hours are 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). 
All hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or 
fasteners. Any envelopes and boxes must be disposed of before entering 
the building. Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service 
Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton 
Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743. U.S. Postal Service first-class, 
Express, and Priority mail must be addressed to 445 12th Street SW., 
Washington, DC 20554.
     People with Disabilities: To request materials in 
accessible formats for people with disabilities (braille, large print, 
electronic files, or audio format), send an email to [email protected] or 
call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 
(voice), 202-418-0432 (TTY).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Butler, Policy and Rules 
Division, Office of Engineering and Technology Bureau at (202) 418-
2702.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Bureau's Order in 
ET Docket No. 15-170, RM-11673; DA 15-956, adopted and released August 
25, 2015. The complete text of this document is available for public 
inspection and copying from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET Monday through 
Thursday or from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET on Fridays in the FCC 
Reference Information Center, 445 12th Street SW., Room CY-A257, 
Washington, DC 20554. The complete text may be purchased from the 
Commission's duplicating contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc. 
(BCPI), telephone 202-488-5300, facsimile 202-488-5563, or by 
contacting BCPI on its Web site: http://www.BCPIWEB.com. The complete 
text is also available on the Commission's Web site at http://
wireless.fcc.gov, or by using the search function on the ECFS Web page 
at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/.

Synopsis

    On July 17, 2015, the Commission adopted a Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking (``NPRM'') in the above captioned proceedings to update the 
rules that govern the evaluation and approval of RF devices. The NPRM 
established that comments in this proceeding are due on September 9, 
2015 and reply comments are due on September 22, 2015.
    Recently, the Telecommunications Industry Association (``TIA'') and 
the Information Technology Industry Council (``ITI'') jointly requested 
a 30-

[[Page 52715]]

day extension of time for filing initial comments and a 15-day 
extension of time for filing reply comments. Subsequently, the Consumer 
Electronics Association (``CEA'') requested a two-week extension of the 
time for filing comments and a three-week extension for filing reply 
comments. More recently, the American National Standards Institute 
Accredited Standards Committee C63 (``ANSI ASC63'') requested a 30-day 
extension of both the comment and reply comment deadlines. TIA and ITI 
state that the NPRM addressed a ``wide range of equipment approval 
issues of a technical, legal, and practical nature, impacting a diverse 
set of stakeholders, each of whom will need to closely analyze and 
consider the potential effect of the rule changes being considered'' 
and that the extension will allow the parties to submit more 
comprehensive responses. TIA and ITI also contend that the rule changes 
are closely related to the recent changes updating the Commission's 
Equipment Authorization program and the extension will ensure that they 
can consider issues they consider to be related. CEA states that this 
rulemaking concerns a complex and technical area and claims that the 
comment periods are insufficient for it to consult with its member 
companies within the timeframe provided. ANSI ASC63 expressed similar 
concerns.
    The Commission does not routinely grant extensions of time in 
rulemaking proceedings. However, we believe that a 30-day extension of 
the comment filing period followed by a 15-day extension to the reply 
comment filing period will provide parties with an opportunity to more 
fully analyze and respond to the complex technical issues raised in the 
NPRM thus allowing development of a more complete record in these 
proceedings.
    Accordingly, it is ordered, pursuant to the delegated authority 
contained in 47 CFR 0.31 and 0.241(a), that the deadlines for filing 
comments and reply comments in the above captioned proceedings are 
extended to October 9, 2015 and November 9, 2015.

Federal Communications Commission.
Julius P. Knapp,
Chief, Office of Engineering and Technology.
[FR Doc. 2015-21634 Filed 8-31-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P