83 FR 732 - Expansion of Intergovernmental Advisory Committee

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 5 (January 8, 2018)

In this document, the Commission adopts revisions to its rules governing the Intergovernmental Advisory Committee (Committee or IAC), which advises the Commission on a range of telecommunications issues affecting local, county, state, and Tribal interests, to expand it from 15 members to 30 members. The IAC has been an important source of information and guidance to the Commission over the past 20 years. The rule change will enhance the IAC's role by allowing for a greater diversity of viewpoints representing our municipal, county, state, and Tribal partners throughout the country.

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 5 (Monday, January 8, 2018)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 732-733]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-00015]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 0

[FCC 17-172]


Expansion of Intergovernmental Advisory Committee

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Commission adopts revisions to its rules 
governing the Intergovernmental Advisory Committee (Committee or IAC), 
which advises the Commission on a range of telecommunications issues 
affecting local, county, state, and Tribal interests, to expand it from 
15 members to 30 members. The IAC has been an important source of 
information and guidance to the Commission over the past 20 years. The 
rule change will enhance the IAC's role by allowing for a greater 
diversity of viewpoints representing our municipal, county, state, and 
Tribal partners throughout the country.

DATES: Effective January 8, 2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carmen Scanlon, Consumer and 
Governmental Affairs Bureau, at: (202) 418-0544; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's Order, 
FCC 17-172, adopted December 13, 2017, released December 20, 2017. The 
full text of this document will be available for public inspection and 
copying via ECFS, and during regular business hours at the FCC 
Reference

[[Page 733]]

Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street SW, Room CY-A257, 
Washington, DC 20554. The full text of this document and any 
subsequently filed documents in this matter may also be found by 
searching ECFS at: http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/.

Final Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 Analysis

    The Order does not contain any new or modified information 
collection requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 
Public Law 104-13. In addition, therefore, it does not contain any new 
or modified information collection burden for small business concerns 
with fewer than 25 employees, pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork 
Relief Act of 2002, Public Law 107-198, see 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(4).

Congressional Review Act

    The Commission sent a copy of the Order to Congress and the 
Government Accountability Office pursuant to the Congressional Review 
Act, see 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A).

Synopsis

    1. The IAC, formerly known as the Local and State Government 
Advisory Committee (LSGAC), was created in 1997 to provide guidance to 
the Commission on issues of importance to state, local, county, and 
Tribal governments, as well as to the Commission. The Committee is 
currently composed of 15 elected and appointed officials of those 
governmental entities.
    2. The Committee has provided ongoing advice and information to the 
Commission on a broad range of telecommunications issues in which 
state, local, county, and Tribal governments share ``intergovernmental 
responsibilities or administration'' with the Commission, including 
cable and local franchising, public rights-of-way, facilities siting, 
universal service, barriers to competitive entry, and public safety 
communications.
    3. The Commission has often found over the years that an IAC 
membership of just 15 does not often capture the varied perspectives of 
our regulatory partners across the country. The IAC works best and its 
advice helps the Commission the most when it fully represents 
perspectives of rural, urban, and suburban jurisdictions from various 
geographic areas throughout the United States.
    4. By expanding its membership to 30, the Commission better enable 
the IAC's ability to represent perspectives and viewpoints from all 
relevant governmental entities and sectors, and to further promote 
valuable, comprehensive, and balanced input that more comprehensively 
reflects the views and expertise of our regulatory partners. The 
Commission's experience with other advisory committees of similar size 
shows this to be the case.
    5. The Commission continue to believe that IAC representation from 
each category of state, local, county, and Tribal government is 
important. Thus, the number of members from each category set forth in 
our current rules shall now serve as a minimum threshold. The Committee 
will now consist of 30 members, of which at least four shall be elected 
municipal officials, at least two shall be elected county officials, at 
least one shall be a local government attorney, at least one shall be 
an elected state executive, at least three shall be elected state 
legislators, at least one shall be a public utilities or public service 
commissioner, and at least three shall be Native American Tribal 
representatives. The Commission's approach will give the Commission 
flexibility to expand the number and diversity of viewpoints from these 
sectors while ensuring none is under-represented.

Ordering Clauses

    6. The rule modifications adopted constitute rules of agency 
organization, procedure and practice. Therefore, the modification of 
Sec.  0.701 of the Commission's rules is not subject to the notice and 
comment and effective date provisions of the Administrative Procedure 
Act. See 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(A), (d).
    7. Pursuant to sections 4(i), 4(j), and 303(r) of the 
Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 154(i), 154(j), and 
303(r), subpart G, Sec.  0.701 of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 0.701, 
modified as set forth in the Order, is adopted.

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 0

    Organization and functions (Government agencies).

Federal Communications Commission.
Katura Jackson,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.

Final Rule

    For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Federal 
Communications Commission amends 47 CFR part 0 as follows:

PART 0--COMMISSION ORGANIZATION

0
1. The authority citation for part 0 is revised to read as follows:

    Authority: Secs. 5, 48 Stat. 1068, as amended; 47 U.S.C. 155, 
unless otherwise noted.

0
2. Amend Sec.  0.701 by revising paragraph (b) to read as follows:


Sec.  0.701  Intergovernmental Advisory Committee.

* * * * *
    (b) Membership. The IAC will be composed of 30 members (or their 
designated employees), with a minimum of: Four elected municipal 
officials (city mayors and city council members); two elected county 
officials (county commissioners or council members); one elected or 
appointed local government attorney; one elected state executive 
(governor or lieutenant governor); three elected state legislators; one 
elected or appointed public utilities or public service commissioner; 
and three elected or appointed Native American tribal representatives. 
The Chairman of the Commission will appoint members through an 
application process initiated by a Public Notice, and will select a 
Chairman and a Vice Chairman to lead the IAC. The Chairman of the 
Commission will also appoint members to fill any vacancies and may 
replace an IAC member, at his discretion, using the appointment 
process. Members of the IAC are responsible for travel and other 
incidental expenses incurred while on IAC business and will not be 
reimbursed by the Commission for such expenses.
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[FR Doc. 2018-00015 Filed 1-5-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6712-01-P