[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 70 (Friday, April 10, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20276-20277]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-07586]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[WC Docket Nos. 17-108, 17-287, 11-42; DA 20-331; FRS 16607]


Telecommunications; Common Carriers; Internet

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) of the Federal 
Communications Commission grants a 21-day extension of time for filing 
comments and reply comments on the Public Notice seeking to refresh the 
record in the Restoring Internet Freedom and Lifeline proceedings.

DATES: Comments are due on or before April 20, 2020, and reply comments 
are due on or before May 20, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by WC Docket Nos. 17-
108, 17-287, and 11-42, by any of the following methods:
     Federal Communications Commission's Website: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Parties who choose to file by paper must file an 
original and one copy of each filing. If more than one docket or 
rulemaking number appears in the caption of this proceeding, filers 
must submit two additional copies for each additional docket or 
rulemaking number. Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, 
by commercial overnight courier, or by first-class or overnight U.S. 
Postal Service mail. All filings must be addressed to the Commission's 
Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission. 
All hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings for the 
Commission's Secretary must be delivered to FCC Headquarters at 445 
12th St. SW, Room TW-A325, Washington, DC 20554. The filing hours are 
8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. 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 
9050 Junction Drive, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701. 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, 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 detailed instructions for submitting comments and additional 
information on the rulemaking process, see the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Annick Banoun, Competition Policy 
Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, at (202) 418-1521 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 19, 2020, the Bureau released a 
Public Notice seeking to refresh the record in the Restoring Internet 
Freedom and Lifeline proceedings in light of the D.C. Circuit's 
decision in Mozilla Corp. v. FCC, with filing deadlines of March 30, 
2020 for comments and April 29, 2020 for reply comments. (85 FR 12555 
(Mar. 3, 2020)) Among other things, the Public Notice sought to refresh 
the record on how the changes adopted in the Restoring internet Freedom 
Order might affect public safety.
    On March 11, 2020, The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, 
California Public Utilities Commission, County of Santa Clara, City of 
Los Angeles, Access Now, Center for Democracy and Technology, Common 
Cause, Electronic Frontier Foundation, INCOMPAS, National Hispanic 
Media Coalition, Next Century Cities, Open Technology Institute, and 
Public Knowledge (Requesters) filed a motion to extend the comment and 
reply comment deadlines by 30 days each, to April 29, 2020 and May 29, 
2020, respectively. Requesters assert that, among other things, there 
is a ``critical need for an extension'' to enable state, county, and 
municipal governments to be able to respond adequately to the

[[Page 20277]]

issues raised in the Public Notice relating to how the Commission's 
action affects public safety. NASUCA expressed support for the 
Extension Request.
    As set forth in section 1.46 of the Commission's rules, it is the 
policy of the Commission that extensions of time shall not be routinely 
granted. The deadlines stated in the Public Notice provided interested 
parties more than a month to submit comments, and an additional month 
for reply comments. Nevertheless, we find that Requesters have shown 
good cause for an extension of the comment cycle, and that the public 
interest will be served by extending the comment and reply deadlines. 
Requesters assert that staff, officials, and first responders who 
possess knowledge relevant to the public safety-related questions 
raised in the Public Notice are presently occupied with preparing for 
and conducting emergency responses to the COVID-19 public safety 
crisis. Under such circumstances, we agree that an extension of three 
weeks for each deadline is warranted. At the same time, we agree with 
Requesters that ``the Commission has a duty to conduct its remand 
proceedings in an expeditious manner,'' and we find that this 
consideration counsels for a shorter extension than the full 30 days 
requested.
    These proceedings shall be treated as a ``permit-but-disclose'' 
proceeding in accordance with the Commission's ex parte rules. Persons 
making ex parte presentations must file a copy of any written 
presentation or a memorandum summarizing any oral presentation within 
two business days after the presentation (unless a different deadline 
applicable to the Sunshine period applies). Persons making oral ex 
parte presentations are reminded that memoranda summarizing the 
presentation must (1) list all persons attending or otherwise 
participating in the meeting at which the ex parte presentation was 
made, and (2) summarize all data presented and arguments made during 
the presentation. If the presentation consisted in whole or in part of 
the presentation of data or arguments already reflected in the 
presenter's written comments, memoranda or other filings in the 
proceeding, the presenter may provide citations to such data or 
arguments in his or her prior comments, memoranda, or other filings 
(specifying the relevant page and/or paragraph numbers where such data 
or arguments can be found) in lieu of summarizing them in the 
memorandum. Documents shown or given to Commission staff during ex 
parte meetings are deemed to be written ex parte presentations and must 
be filed consistent with rule 1.1206(b). In proceedings governed by 
rule 1.49(f) or for which the Commission has made available a method of 
electronic filing, written ex parte presentations and memoranda 
summarizing oral ex parte presentations, and all attachments thereto, 
must be filed through the electronic comment filing system available 
for that proceeding, and must be filed in their native format (e.g., 
.doc, .xml, .ppt, searchable .pdf). Participants in this proceeding 
should familiarize themselves with the Commission's ex parte rules.
    Pursuant to sections 1.415 and 1.419 of the Commission's rules, 47 
CFR 1.415, 1.419, interested parties may file comments and reply 
comments on or before the dates indicated on the first page of this 
document. Comments may be filed using the Commission's Electronic 
Comment Filing System (ECFS). See Electronic Filing of Documents in 
Rulemaking Proceedings, 63 FR 24121 (1998).
    [ssquf] Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically 
using the internet by accessing the ECFS: http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/.
    [ssquf] Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must file 
an original and one copy of each filing. If more than one docket or 
rulemaking number appears in the caption of this proceeding, filers 
must submit two additional copies for each additional docket or 
rulemaking number.
    Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, by commercial 
overnight courier, or by first-class or overnight U.S. Postal Service 
mail. All filings must be addressed to the Commission's Secretary, 
Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission.
    [ssquf] Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service 
Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9050 Junction Drive, 
Annapolis Junction, MD 20701.
    [ssquf] U.S. Postal Service first-class, Express, and Priority mail 
must be addressed to 445 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20554.
    [ssquf] Effective March 19, 2020, and until further notice, the 
Commission no longer accepts any hand or messenger delivered filings. 
This is a temporary measure taken to help protect the health and safety 
of individuals, and to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19. See FCC 
Announces Closure of FCC Headquarters Open Window and Change in Hand-
Delivery Policy, Public Notice, DA 20-304 (March 19, 2020). https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-closes-headquarters-open-window-and-changes-hand-delivery-policy.
    [ssquf] During the time the Commission's building is closed to the 
general public and until further notice, if more than one docket or 
rulemaking number appears in the caption of a proceeding, paper filers 
need not submit two additional copies for each additional docket or 
rulemaking number; an original and one copy are sufficient.
    People With Disabilities: To request materials in accessible 
formats for people with disabilities (braille, large print, electronic 
files, audio format), send an email to [email protected] or call the 
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-
418-0432 (tty).
    Accordingly, it is ordered, pursuant to sections 0.204, 0.291, and 
1.46 of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 0.204, 0.291, 1.46, that the 
Motion for Extension of Time filed by Requestors on March 11, 2020 is 
granted to the extent described herein.
    It is also ordered that the date for filing comments on the Public 
Notice is extended to April 20, 2020, and the date for filing reply 
comments is extended to May 20, 2020.

Federal Communications Commission.
Daniel Kahn,
Associate Chief, Wireline Competition Bureau.
[FR Doc. 2020-07586 Filed 4-9-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P