80 FR 12534 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change To Amend the Schedule of Fees

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 45 (March 9, 2015)

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 45 (Monday, March 9, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12534-12535]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-05293]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-74417; File No. SR-ISE-2015-06]


Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, 
LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule 
Change To Amend the Schedule of Fees

March 3, 2015.
    Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
(the ``Act''),\1\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\2\ notice is hereby given 
that on February 18, 2015, the International Securities Exchange, LLC 
(the ``Exchange'' or the ``ISE'') 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 self-regulatory organization. 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 Substance 
of the Proposed Rule Change

    The ISE proposes to amend its Schedule of Fees to increase certain 
network and gateway fees. The text of the proposed rule change is 
available on the Exchange's Web site (http://www.ise.com), at the 
principal office of the Exchange, 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 self-regulatory organization 
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 self-regulatory organization 
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 purpose of the proposed rule change is to amend the Schedule of 
Fees to increase certain network and gateway fees. The Exchange charges 
an Ethernet fee for its four different Ethernet connection options, 
which is $750 per month for a 1 Gigabit (``Gb'') connection, $4,000 per 
month for a 10 Gb connection, $7,000 per month for a 10 Gb low latency 
connection, and $12,500 per month for a 40 Gb low latency connection. 
These Ethernet connectivity options provide access to both the ISE and 
the ISE's sister exchange, ISE Gemini, LLC (``ISE Gemini'').\3\ The 
Exchange proposes to increase these Ethernet fees to $1,000 per month 
for the 1 Gb connection, $4,500 per month for the 10 Gb connection, 
$8,000 per month for the 10 Gb low latency connection, and $15,000 per 
month for the 40 Gb low latency connection. In addition, the Exchange 
offers both shared and dedicated gateways to facilitate member access 
to ISE and ISE Gemini for a single fee. The Exchange charges members a 
monthly gateway fee of $500 per gateway for a shared gateway or $2,000 
per gateway pair for members that elect to use their own dedicated 
gateways as an alternative to using shared gateways. The Exchange 
proposes to increase the gateway fee to $750 per month for a shared 
gateway and $2,250 per month for a dedicated gateway pair.
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    \3\ Market participants pay the same fees regardless of whether 
they choose to connect to both exchanges or solely to the ISE.
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2. Statutory Basis
    The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change is consistent 
with the provisions of Section 6 of the Act,\4\ in general, and Section 
6(b)(4) of the Act,\5\ in particular, in that it is designed to provide 
for the equitable allocation of reasonable dues, fees, and other 
charges among its members and other persons using its facilities. The 
Exchange believes that it is reasonable and equitable to increase the 
network and gateway fees described in this filing as the new fees are 
more in line with the Exchange's current connectivity costs, including 
costs for software and

[[Page 12535]]

hardware enhancements, and resources dedicated to development, quality 
assurance, and support. The proposed fees are within the range of fees 
currently charged by other options exchanges. Furthermore, the Exchange 
believes that the proposed fees are not unfairly discriminatory as all 
market participants that use these services will pay the same fee based 
on the connectivity options that they choose, and there is no 
differentiation among market participants with regard to the fees 
charged.
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    \4\ 15 U.S.C. 78f.
    \5\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(4).
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B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition

    In accordance with Section 6(b)(8) of the Act,\6\ the Exchange does 
not believe that the proposed rule change will impose any burden on 
intermarket or intramarket competition that is not necessary or 
appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. The proposed 
rule change increases certain network and gateway fees to levels that 
are within the range of fees charged by other options exchanges. These 
fees will be charged to all firms that elect to use the connectivity 
options described in this filing. The Exchange operates in a highly 
competitive market in which market participants can readily direct 
their order flow to competing venues. In such an environment, the 
Exchange must continually review, and consider adjusting, its fees to 
remain competitive with other exchanges. For the reasons described 
above, the Exchange believes that the proposed fee changes reflect this 
competitive environment.
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    \6\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(8).
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C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed 
Rule Change Received From Members, Participants or Others

    The Exchange has not solicited, and does not intend to solicit, 
comments on this proposed rule change. The Exchange has not received 
any unsolicited written comments from members or other interested 
parties.

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

    The foregoing rule change has become effective pursuant to Section 
19(b)(3)(A)(ii) of the Act \7\ and subparagraph (f)(2) of Rule 19b-4 
thereunder,\8\ because it establishes a due, fee, or other charge 
imposed by ISE.
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    \7\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(ii).
    \8\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(2).
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    At any time within 60 days of the filing of such proposed rule 
change, the Commission summarily may temporarily suspend such rule 
change if it appears to the Commission that such action is necessary or 
appropriate in the public interest, for the protection of investors, or 
otherwise in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. If the Commission 
takes such action, the Commission shall institute proceedings to 
determine whether the proposed rule should be approved or 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 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 email to [email protected]. Please include 
File No. SR-ISE-2015-06 on the subject line.

Paper Comments

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

All submissions should refer to File No. SR-ISE-2015-06. This file 
number should be included on the subject line if email 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 
10:00 a.m. and 3:00 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 No. SR-ISE-2015-06 and should be 
submitted by March 30, 2015.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, 
pursuant to delegated authority.\9\
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    \9\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Brent J. Fields,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-05293 Filed 3-6-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8011-01-P