On July 29, 2016, the New York Stock Exchange LLC (“NYSE” or the “Exchange”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”), pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Act”) ^[1] and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,^[2] a proposed rule change (1) to provide additional information regarding access to various trading and execution services; connectivity to market data feeds and testing and certification feeds; connectivity to third party systems; and connectivity to DTCC provided to Users using data center local area networks; and (2) to establish fees relating to a User's access to various trading and execution services; connectivity to market data feeds and testing and certification feeds; connectivity to DTCC; and other services. The Exchange filed Amendment No. 1 to the proposed rule change on August 16, 2016. The proposed rule change was published for ( printed page 66096) comment in the Federal Register on August 17, 2016 without Amendment No. 1.^[3] The Commission received one comment letter in response to the proposed rule change.^[4] Amendment No. 1 is described in Items I, II, and III below, which Items have been prepared by the Exchange.^[5] The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on Amendment No. 1 to the proposed rule change from interested persons.

I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance of the Proposed Rule Change

The Exchange proposes to amend the co-location services offered by the Exchange as follows: (1) To provide additional information regarding the access to trading and execution services and connectivity to data provided to Users with local area networks available in the data center; and (2) to establish fees relating to User's access to trading and execution services; connectivity to data feeds and to testing and certification feeds; access to clearing; and other services. In addition, this proposed rule change reflects changes to the Exchange's Price List related to these co-location services. This Amendment No. 1 supersedes the original filing in its entirety. The proposed rule change is available on the Exchange's Web site at www.nyse.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 those 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 parts of such statements.

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

1. Purpose

The Exchange proposes to amend the co-location ^[6] services offered by the Exchange as follows: (1) To provide additional information regarding the access to trading and execution services and connectivity to data provided to Users ^[7] with local area networks available in the data center; and (2) to establish fees relating to Users' access to trading and execution services; connectivity to data feeds and to testing and certification feeds; access to clearing; and other services.

More specifically, the Exchange proposes to revise the Price List to include:

a. A more detailed description of the access to the trading and execution systems of the Exchange and its Affiliate SROs (the “Exchange Systems”) and connectivity to certain market data products (the “Included Data Products”) that Users receive with connections to the Liquidity Center Network (“LCN”) and internet protocol (“IP”) network, local area networks available in the data center;

b. fees for connectivity to:

• Certain other market data products of the Exchange and its Affiliate SROs (the “Premium NYSE Data Products” and, together with the Included Data Products, the “NYSE Data Products”);
• access to the execution systems of third party markets and other content service providers (“Third Party Systems”);
• data feeds from third party markets and other content service providers (the “Third Party Data Feeds”);
• third party testing and certification feeds;
• Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (“DTCC”) services; and

c. fees for virtual control circuits (“VCCs”) between two Users. VCCs are unicast connections between two participants over dedicated bandwidth.^[8]

The Exchange provides access to the Exchange Systems and Third Party Systems (together, “Access”) and connectivity to NYSE Data Products, Third Party Data Feeds, third party testing and certification feeds, and DTCC (collectively, “Connectivity”) as conveniences to Users. Use of Access or Connectivity is completely voluntary, and several other access and connectivity options are available to a User. As alternatives to using the Access and Connectivity provided by the Exchange, a User may access or connect to such services and products through another User or through a connection to an Exchange access center outside the data center, third party access center, or third party vendor. The User may make such connection through a third party telecommunication provider, third party wireless network, the Exchange's Secure Financial Transaction Infrastructure (“SFTI”) network, or a combination thereof.

Similarly, the Exchange provides VCCs as a convenience to Users. Use of a VCC is completely voluntary. As an alternative to an Exchange-provided VCC, a User may connect to another User through a fiber connection (“cross connect”).^[9]

Access to Exchange Systems and Connectivity to Included Data Products

As the Exchange has previously stated, a User's connection to the LCN or IP network provides it access to the Exchange Systems and Exchange market data products.^[10] More specifically, ( printed page 66097) when a User purchases access to the LCN or IP network through purchase of a 1, 10, or 40 Gb LCN circuit, a 10 Gb LX Circuit, bundled network access, Partial Cabinet Solution bundle, or 1, 10 or 40 Gb IP network access,^[11] as part of the purchase it receives access to the Exchange Systems and connectivity to any Included Data Products that it selects.^[12] The Exchange proposes to revise the Price List to provide a more detailed description of the access to the Exchange Systems and connectivity to Included Data Products that comes with connections to the LCN or IP network.^[13]

Access to certification and testing feeds comes with the purchase of access to the Exchange Systems and connectivity to many of the NYSE Data Products. Such feeds, which are solely used for certification and testing and do not carry live production data, are only available over the IP network.^[14] Certification feeds are used to certify that a User conforms to any relevant technical requirements for receipt of data or access to Exchange Systems. Test feeds provide Users an environment in which to conduct tests with non-live data, including testing for upcoming Exchange releases and product enhancements or the User's own software development.

The Exchange offers connectivity to NYSE Data Products in three forms: As a resilient feed, as “Feed A” or as “Feed B.” Resilient feeds include two copies of the same feed, for redundancy purposes. Feed A and Feed B are identical feeds.^[15]

Connectivity to Exchange Systems

As the Exchange has previously stated, Users' connections to the LCN or IP networks include access to Exchange Systems.^[16] Accordingly, the Exchange proposes to add language to its Price List stating the following:

Connectivity to Included Data Products

Currently, there are three categories of data feeds for which the Exchange offers Users connectivity: Included Data Products; Premium NYSE Data Products; and Third Party Data.^[17]

The Included Data Products include the data feeds disseminated by the Consolidated Tape Association (“CTA”) (such data feeds, the “NMS feeds”). CTA is responsible for disseminating consolidated, real-time trade and quote information in NYSE listed securities (Network A) and NYSE MKT, NYSE Arca and other regional exchanges' listed securities (Network B) pursuant to a national market system plan.^[18] The NMS feeds include the Consolidated Tape System and Consolidated Quote System data streams, as well as Options Price Reporting Authority feeds.

In order to connect to an Included Data Product, a User enters into a contract with the provider of such data, pursuant to which the User is charged for the Included Data Product. After the User and data provider enter into the contract and the Exchange receives authorization from the provider of the data feed, the Exchange provides the User with connectivity to the Included Data Product over the User's LCN or IP network port. The Exchange does not charge the User separately for such connectivity to the Included Data Product, as it is included in the purchase of the access to the LCN or IP network.

The Included Data Products are available over both the LCN and IP network.^[19] For a User that purchases access to the LCN and IP network, the Exchange works with such User to allocate its connectivity to Included Data Products between its LCN and IP network connections. Some Included Data Products require a network connection with a minimum gigabyte (“Gb”) size in order to accommodate the feed.

Users may connect to an Included Data Product as a resilient feed or as individual Feeds A and B.

The Included Data Products are as follows:

In addition to the above list of Included Data Products, the Exchange ( printed page 66098) proposes to add the following language to the Price List:

Connectivity

Connectivity to Premium NYSE Data Products

The Exchange offers Users connectivity to Premium NYSE Data Products from the Exchange and its Affiliate SROs over Users' LCN and IP network connections. The Exchange proposes to revise the Price List to specify the connectivity fees for Premium NYSE Data Products.

The Premium NYSE Data Products are equity market data products that are variants of the equity Included Data Products. Each Premium NYSE Data Product integrates, or includes data elements from, several Included Data Products.^[20] For example, the NYSE Integrated Feed includes, among other things, information available from three of the equity Included Data Products: NYSE OpenBook, NYSE Trades, and NYSE Order Imbalances.^[21] The NYSE BQT data feed includes, among other things, certain data elements from six of the equity Included Data Products: NYSE Trades, NYSE BBO, NYSE Arca Trades, NYSE Arca BBO, NYSE MKT Trades, and NYSE MKT BBO.^[22]

By contrast, while some of the Included Data Products include data elements from other Included Data Products, no single Included Data Product includes as much data as a Premium NYSE Data Product. With the exception of NYSE Arca Order Imbalances, the equity Included Data Products were introduced before the Premium Data Products.^[23]

There are no Premium NYSE Data Products for the NYSE Amex Options or NYSE Arca Options markets, as there are no options data products that integrate, or include data elements from, other option data products in the same manner that the NYSE, NYSE MKT and NYSE Arca Integrated Feeds integrate, or include data elements from, equity Included Data Products.

In order to connect to a Premium NYSE Data Product, a User enters into a contract with the provider of such data, pursuant to which it is charged for the Premium NYSE Data Product for the same market. After the data provider and User enter into the contract and the Exchange receives authorization from the data provider, the Exchange provides the User with connectivity to the Premium NYSE Data Product over the User's LCN or IP network port. The Exchange charges the User for the connectivity to the Premium NYSE Data Product. A User only receives, and is only charged for, connectivity to the Premium NYSE Data Product feeds that it selects.

The Premium NYSE Data Products are available over both the LCN and IP network.^[24] For a User that purchases access to the LCN and IP network, the Exchange works with such User to allocate its connectivity to Premium NYSE Data Products between its LCN and IP network connections. Some Premium NYSE Data Products require a network connection with a minimum Gb size in order to accommodate the feed.^[25]

A User can opt to connect to a Premium NYSE Data Product as a resilient feed or as Feed A or Feed B. Connectivity to the two identical Feeds A and B is only available on the IP network.

The Exchange charges a monthly recurring fee for connectivity to Premium NYSE Data Products. The following table shows the Premium NYSE Data Products and corresponding monthly recurring connectivity fees.

In addition to the connectivity fees, the Exchange proposes to add the following language to its Price List:

Connectivity to Third Party Systems

The Exchange proposes to revise the Price List to provide that Users may obtain connectivity to Third Party Systems of multiple third party markets and other content service providers for a fee. Users connect to Third Party Systems over the IP network.^[26] The Exchange selects what connectivity to Third Party Systems to offer in the data center based on User demand.

In order to obtain access to a Third Party System, a User enters into an agreement with the relevant third party content service provider, pursuant to which the third party content service provider charges the User for access to the Third Party System. The Exchange then establishes a unicast connection between the User and the relevant third party content service provider over the IP network. The Exchange charges the User for the connectivity to the Third Party System. A User only receives, and is only charged for, access to Third Party Systems for which it enters into agreements with the third party content service provider.

With the exception of the ICE feed,^[27] the Exchange has no ownership interest in the Third Party Systems. Establishing a User's access to a Third Party System does not give the Exchange any right to use the Third Party Systems. Connectivity to a Third Party System does not provide access or order entry to the Exchange's execution system, and a User's connection to a Third Party System is not through the Exchange's execution system.^[28]

The Exchange charges a monthly recurring fee for connectivity to a Third Party System. Specifically, when a User requests access to a Third Party System, it identifies the applicable third party market or other content service provider and what bandwidth connection it requires.

The monthly recurring fee the Exchange charges Users for unicast connectivity to each Third Party System varies by the bandwidth of the connection, as follows:

The Exchange provides connectivity to the following Third Party Systems:

In addition to the connectivity fees, the Exchange proposes to add language to its Price List stating the following:

Connectivity to Third Party Data Feeds

The Exchange proposes to revise the Price List to provide that Users may obtain connectivity to Third Party Data Feeds for a fee. The Exchange receives Third Party Data Feeds from multiple national securities exchanges and other content service providers at its data center. It then provides connectivity to that data to Users for a fee. With the exceptions of Global OTC and NYSE Global Index, Users connect to Third Party Data Feeds over the IP network.^[29]

The Exchange notes that charging Users a monthly fee for connectivity to Third Party Data Feeds is consistent with the monthly fee Nasdaq charges its co-location customers for connectivity to third party data. For instance, Nasdaq charges its co-location customers monthly fees of $1,500 and $4,000 for connectivity to BATS Y and BATS, respectively, and of $2,500 for connectivity to EDGA or EDGX.^[30]

In order to connect to a Third Party Data Feed, a User enters into a contract with the relevant third party market or other content service provider, pursuant to which the content service provider charges the User for the Third Party Data Feed. The Exchange receives the Third Party Data Feed over its fiber optic network and, after the data provider and User enter into the contract and the Exchange receives authorization from the data provider, the Exchange re-transmits the data to the User over the User's port. The Exchange charges the User for the connectivity to the Third Party Data Feed. A User only receives, and is only charged for, connectivity to the Third Party Data Feeds for which it enters into contracts.

With the exception of the Intercontinental Exchange (“ICE”), Global OTC and NYSE Global Index feeds,^[31] the Exchange has no affiliation with the sellers of the Third Party Data Feeds. It has no right to use the Third Party Data Feeds other than as a redistributor of the data. The Third Party Data Feeds do not provide access or order entry to the Exchange's execution system. With the exception of the ICE feeds, the Third Party Data Feeds do not provide access or order entry to the execution systems of the third party generating the feed.^[32] The Exchange receives Third Party Data Feeds via arms-length agreements and it has no inherent advantage over any other distributor of such data.

The Exchange charges a monthly recurring fee for connectivity to each ( printed page 66100) Third Party Data Feed. The monthly recurring fee is per Third Party Data Feed, with the exception that the monthly recurring feed for SuperFeed and MSCI varies by the bandwidth of the connection. Depending on its needs and bandwidth, a User may opt to receive all or some of the feeds or services included in a Third Party Data Feed.

The following table shows the feeds that connectivity to each Third Party Data Feed provides, together with the applicable monthly recurring fee.

In addition to the above connectivity fees, the Exchange proposes to add the following language to its Price List:

Third Party Data Feed providers may charge redistribution fees, such as Nasdaq's Extranet Access Fees and OTC Markets Group's Access Fees.^[33] When the Exchange receives a redistribution fee, it passes through the charge to the User, without change to the fee. The fee is labeled as a pass-through of a redistribution fee on the User's invoice. The Exchange proposes to add language to the Price List accordingly.

The Exchange provides third party markets or content providers that are also Users connectivity to their own Third Party Data Feeds. The Exchange does not charge Users that are third party markets or content providers for connectivity to their own feeds, as in the Exchange's experience such parties generally receive their own feeds for purposes of diagnostics and testing. The Exchange proposes to add language to the Price List accordingly.

Connectivity to Third Party Testing and Certification Feeds

The Exchange offers Users connectivity to third party certification and testing feeds. Certification feeds are used to certify that a User conforms to any of the relevant content service provider's requirements for accessing Third Party Systems or receiving Third Party Data, while testing feeds provide Users an environment in which to conduct tests with non-live data.^[34] Such feeds, which are solely used for certification and testing and do not carry live production data, are available over the IP network.

The Exchange proposes to revise the Price List to include connectivity to third party certification and testing feeds. The Exchange charges a connectivity fee of $100 per month per feed.

The Exchange proposes to add the following connectivity fees and language to its Price List:

Connectivity to DTCC

The Exchange provides Users connectivity to DTCC for clearing, fund transfer, insurance, and settlement services.^[35] The Exchange proposes to revise the Price List to include connectivity to DTCC. The Exchange charges a connectivity fee of $500 per month for connections to DTCC of 5 Mb and $2,500 for connections of 50 Mb. Connectivity to DTCC is available over the IP network.

In order to connect to DTCC, a User enters into a contract with DTCC, pursuant to which DTCC charges the User for the services provided. The Exchange receives the DTCC feed over its fiber optic network and, after DTCC and the User enter into the services contract and the Exchange receives authorization from DTCC, the Exchange provides connectivity to DTCC to the User over the User's IP network port. The Exchange charges the User for the connectivity to DTCC.

Connectivity to DTCC does not provide access or order entry to the Exchange's execution system, and a User's connection to DTCC is not through the Exchange's execution system.

The Exchange proposes to add the following connectivity fees and language to its Price List:

Virtual Control Circuits

Finally, the Exchange proposes to revise the Price List to offer VCCs between two Users. VCCs are ( printed page 66101) connections between two points over dedicated bandwidth using the IP network. A VCC (previously called a “peer to peer” connection) is a two-way connection which the two participants can use for any purpose.

The Exchange bills the User requesting the VCC, but will not set up a VCC until the other User confirms that it wishes to have the VCC set up.

The Exchange proposes to revise the Price List to include VCCs between two Users. The fee for VCCs is based on the bandwidth utilized, as follows:

General

As is the case with all Exchange co-location arrangements, (i) neither a User nor any of the User's customers would be permitted to submit orders directly to the Exchange unless such User or customer is a member organization, a Sponsored Participant or an agent thereof ( e.g., a service bureau providing order entry services); (ii) use of the co-location services proposed herein would be completely voluntary and available to all Users on a non-discriminatory basis; ^[36] and (iii) a User would only incur one charge for the particular co-location service described herein, regardless of whether the User connects only to the Exchange or to the Exchange and one or both of its Affiliate SROs.^[37]

The proposed change is not otherwise intended to address any other issues relating to co-location services and/or related fees, and the Exchange is not aware of any problems that Users would have in complying with the proposed change.

2. Statutory Basis

The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change is consistent with Section 6(b) of the Act,^[38] in general, and furthers the objectives of Sections 6(b)(5) of the Act,^[39] in particular, because it 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 mechanisms of, a free and open market and a national market system and, in general, to protect investors and the public interest and because it is not designed to permit unfair discrimination between customers, issuers, brokers, or dealers.

The Exchange believes that the proposed changes remove impediments to, and perfect the mechanisms of, a free and open market and a national market system and, in general, protect investors and the public interest because, by offering Access and Connectivity, the Exchange gives each User additional options for addressing its access and connectivity needs, responding to User demand for access and connectivity options. Providing Access and Connectivity helps each User tailor its data center operations to the requirements of its business operations by allowing it to select the form and latency of access and connectivity that best suits its needs. The Exchange provides Access and Connectivity as conveniences to Users. Use of Access or Connectivity is completely voluntary, and each User has several other access and connectivity options available to it. As alternatives to using the Access and Connectivity provided by the Exchange, a User may access or connect to such services and products through another User or through a connection to an Exchange access center outside the data center, third party access center, or third party vendor. The User may make such connection through a third party telecommunication provider, third party wireless network, the SFTI network, or a combination thereof.

Co-location was created to permit Users “to rent space on premises controlled by the Exchange in order that they may locate their electronic servers in close physical proximity to the Exchange's trading and execution systems.” ^[40] The Exchange believes that providing Users access to the Exchange Systems and connectivity to Included Data Products to Users with their purchase of access to the LCN or IP network, as well as revising the Price List to provide a more detailed description of such access and connectivity, would remove impediments to, and perfect the mechanisms of, a free and open market and a national market system and, in general, protect investors and the public interest because such access and connectivity is directly related to the purpose of co-location. In addition, the proposed changes would make the descriptions of access to the LCN and IP network more accessible and transparent, thereby providing market participants with clarity as to what connectivity is included in the purchase of access to the LCN and IP network.

The Exchange believes that providing access to Third Party Systems and connectivity to Premium NYSE Data Products, Third Party Data Feeds, third party testing and certification feeds and DTCC, as well as revising the Price List to describe such services, would remove impediments to, and perfect the mechanisms of, a free and open market and a national market system and, in general, protect investors and the public interest because the proposed changes would make the descriptions of market participants' access and connectivity options and the related fees more accessible and transparent, thereby providing market participants with clarity as to what options for connectivity are available to them and what the related costs are.

In addition, the Exchange believes that providing connectivity to third party testing and certification feeds removes impediments to, and perfects the mechanisms of, a free and open market and a national market system and, in general, protects investors and the public interest because such feeds provide Users an environment in which to conduct tests with non-live data, including testing for upcoming releases and product enhancements or the User's own software development, and allow Users to certify conformance to any applicable technical requirements.

Similarly, the Exchange believes that providing connectivity to DTCC removes impediments to, and perfects the mechanisms of, a free and open market and a national market system and, in general, protects investors and the public interest because it provides efficient connection to clearing, fund transfer, insurance, and settlement services.

The Exchange believes that providing Users with VCCs removes impediments ( printed page 66102) to, and perfects the mechanisms of, a free and open market and a national market system because VCCs provide each User with an additional option for connectivity to another User, helping it tailor its data center operations to the requirements of its business operations by allowing it to select the form of connectivity that best suits its needs. The Exchange provides VCCs as a convenience to Users. Use of a VCC is completely voluntary. As an alternative to an Exchange-provided VCC, a User may connect to another User through a cross connect.

The Exchange also believes that the proposed rule change is consistent with Section 6(b)(4) of the Act,^[41] in particular, because it provides for the equitable allocation of reasonable dues, fees, and other charges among its members, issuers and other persons using its facilities and does not unfairly discriminate between customers, issuers, brokers or dealers.

The Exchange believes that the proposed fees changes are consistent with Section 6(b)(4) of the Act for multiple reasons. The Exchange operates in a highly competitive market in which exchanges offer co-location services as a means to facilitate the trading and other market activities of those market participants who believe that co-location enhances the efficiency of their operations. Accordingly, fees charged for co-location services are constrained by the active competition for the order flow of, and other business from, such market participants. If a particular exchange charges excessive fees for co-location services, affected market participants will opt to terminate their co-location arrangements with that exchange, and adopt a possible range of alternative strategies, including placing their servers in a physically proximate location outside the exchange's data center (which could be a competing exchange), or pursuing strategies less dependent upon the lower exchange-to-participant latency associated with co-location. Accordingly, the exchange charging excessive fees would stand to lose not only co-location revenues but also the liquidity of the formerly co-located trading firms, which could have additional follow-on effects on the market share and revenue of the affected exchange.

The Exchange believes that the services and fees proposed herein are equitably allocated and not unfairly discriminatory because, in addition to the services being completely voluntary, they are available to all Users on an equal basis ( i.e., the same products and services are available to all Users). All Users that voluntarily select to access the Exchange Systems or connect to Included Data Products would not be subject to a charge above and beyond the fee paid for the relevant LCN or IP network access. All Users that voluntarily select to receive access to Third Party Systems, connectivity to Premium NYSE Data Products, Third Party Data Feeds, third party testing and certification feeds and DTCC, or a VCC between Users would be charged the same amount for the same services.

The Exchange believes that the services and fees proposed herein are reasonable, equitably allocated and not unfairly discriminatory because the Exchange provides Access and Connectivity as conveniences to Users. Use of Access or Connectivity is completely voluntary, and each User has several other access and connectivity options available to it. As alternatives to using the Access and Connectivity provided by the Exchange, a User may access or connect to such services and products through another User or through a connection to an Exchange access center outside the data center, third party access center, or third party vendor. The User may make such connection through a third party telecommunication provider, third party wireless network, the SFTI network, or a combination thereof. Users that opt to use Access or Connectivity would not receive access or connectivity that is not available to all Users, as all market participants that contract with the relevant market or content provider may receive access or connectivity. Similarly, the Exchange provides VCCs between Users as a convenience to Users. Use of a VCC is completely voluntary. As an alternative to an Exchange-provided VCC, a User may connect to another User through a cross connect.

Overall, the Exchange believes that the proposed charges are reasonable, equitably allocated and not unfairly discriminatory because the Exchange offers Access, Connectivity, and VCCs as conveniences to Users, and in doing so incurs certain costs. The expenses incurred and resources expended by the Exchange to provide these services generally include costs related to the data center facility hardware and technology infrastructure; maintenance and operational costs, such as the costs of responding to any production issues; and the costs related to the personnel required for initial installation and administration, monitoring, support and maintenance of such services. Since the inception of co-location, the Exchange has made numerous improvements to the network hardware and technology infrastructure and has established additional administrative controls. The Exchange has expanded the network infrastructure to keep pace with the increased number of services available to Users, including the increasing bandwidth required for Access and Connectivity, including resilient and redundant feeds. For example, the Exchange must ensure that the network infrastructure has the necessary bandwidth for connectivity to the Premium NYSE Data Products as well as the Included Data Products, as on a typical trading day no single Included Data Product will require as much bandwidth as a Premium NYSE Data Product for the same market. In addition, the Exchange incurs certain costs specific to providing connectivity to Third Party Data Feeds, Third Party Systems, third party testing and certification feeds and DTCC, including the costs of maintaining multiple connections to each Third Party Data Feed, Third Party System, and DTCC, allowing the Exchange to provide resilient and redundant connections; adapting to any changes made by the relevant third party; and covering any applicable fees (other than redistribution fees) charged by the relevant third party, such as port fees.

As noted above, co-location was created to permit Users “to rent space on premises controlled by the Exchange in order that they may locate their electronic servers in close physical proximity to the Exchange's trading and execution systems.” ^[42] The expectation was that normally Users “would expect reduced latencies in sending orders to the Exchange and in receiving market data from the Exchange.” ^[43] Accordingly, the Exchange believes that including access to the Exchange Systems and connectivity to Included Data Products with the purchase of access to the LCN or IP network is reasonable because such access and connectivity is directly related to the purpose of co-location.

In addition, the Exchange believes that including access to the Exchange Systems and connectivity to the Included Data Products with the purchase of access to the LCN or IP network is reasonable and not unfairly discriminatory because Users are not required to use any of their bandwidth to access Exchange Systems or connect to an Included Data Product unless they wish to do so. Rather, a User only receives access to the Exchange Systems ( printed page 66103) and connectivity to the Included Data Products that it selects, and a User can change which of such access or connections it receives at any time, subject to authorization from the data provider or relevant Exchange or Affiliate SRO. Including access to the Exchange Systems and connectivity to the Included Data Products with the purchase of access to the LCN or IP network is a decision based on an assessment of the competitive landscape. As noted above, the Exchange operates in a highly competitive market. If a particular exchange charges excessive fees for co-location services—such as excessive fees for access to the local area network within the exchange's colocation space—affected market participants will opt to terminate their co-location arrangements with that exchange, and adopt a possible range of alternative strategies. The Exchange believes that including connectivity to Included Data Products with the purchase of access to the LCN or IP network is consistent with Nasdaq's colocation service, which, apart from an installation fee, does not charge its co-located customers for connectivity to Nasdaq data.^[44]

The Premium NYSE Data Products are equity market data products that are variants of the equity Included Data Products. Each Premium NYSE Data Product integrates, or includes data elements from, several Included Data Products. Charging separate fees for connectivity to Premium NYSE Data Products, as opposed to Included Data Products, is a decision based on an assessment of the competitive landscape. The Exchange believes that it is reasonable and not unfairly discriminatory to charge Users for connectivity to Premium NYSE Data Products because Users are not required to use any of their bandwidth to connect to a Premium NYSE Data product unless they wish to do, and each User has several other connectivity options available to it. The expenses incurred and resources expended by the Exchange to offer connectivity to the Premium NYSE Data Products include costs related to the data center facility hardware and technology infrastructure, such as the cost of ensuring that the network infrastructure has the necessary bandwidth for the Premium NYSE Data Products; maintenance and operational costs, such as the costs of responding to any production issues; and the costs related to the personnel required for initial installation and administration, monitoring, support and maintenance of the connectivity. By charging only those Users that receive connectivity to a Premium NYSE Data Product, only the Users that directly benefit from such connectivity support its cost.

The Exchange believes that its fees for connectivity to Premium NYSE Data Products are reasonable because they allow the Exchange to defray or cover the costs associated with offering Users connectivity to Premium NYSE Data Products while providing Users the benefit of reduced latency when connecting to data feeds that integrate, or include data elements from, several Included Data Products. Charging separate connectivity fees for Premium NYSE Data Products is a decision based on an assessment of the competitive landscape. As noted above, the Exchange operates in a highly competitive market. If a particular exchange charges excessive fees for co-location services—such as excessive fees for connectivity to the exchange's market data—affected market participants will opt to terminate their co-location arrangements with that exchange, and adopt a possible range of alternative strategies. Although Nasdaq does not include connectivity to any of the Premium NYSE Data Products in its co-location services, the Exchange believes that the proposed fees are generally consistent with the fees that a Nasdaq co-location customer would pay for connectivity to the individual feeds included in a Premium NYSE Data Product. For example, the NYSE Integrated Feed includes, among other things, information available from three of the Included Data Products: NYSE OpenBook, NYSE Trades, and NYSE Order Imbalances. Nasdaq offers connectivity to two of those feeds, OpenBook Ultra and NYSE Trades, for which it would charge a co-located customer a combined monthly fee of $2,600.^[45] The Exchange believes that it is reasonable to charge less for connectivity to the resilient Premium NYSE Data Products on the LCN than over the IP network, because Users do not have the option to connect to Feed A or Feed B over the LCN.

The Exchange believes that charging separate connectivity fees for Third Party Data Feeds and access to Third Party Systems, third party testing and certification feeds and connectivity to DTCC is reasonable and not unfairly discriminatory because, in the Exchange's experience, not all Users connect to Third Party Data Feeds, Third Party Systems, third party testing and certification feeds or DTCC. By charging only those Users that receive such connectivity, only the Users that directly benefit from it support its cost. In addition, Users are not required to use any of their bandwidth to connect to Third Party Data Feeds, third party testing and certification feeds or DTCC, or to access Third Party Systems, unless they wish to do so.

The Exchange believes the fees for connectivity to Third Party Data Feeds are reasonable because they allow the Exchange to defray or cover the costs associated with offering Users connectivity to Third Party Data Feeds while providing Users the convenience of receiving such Third Party Data Feeds within co-location, helping them tailor their data center operations to the requirements of their business operations by allowing them to select the form and latency of connectivity that best suits their needs. The Exchange believes that its proposed charges for connectivity to Third Party Data Feeds are similar to the connectivity fees Nasdaq imposes on its co-location customers. For instance, Nasdaq charges its co-location customers monthly fees of $1,500 and $4,000 for connectivity to BATS Y and BATS, respectively, and of $2,500 for connectivity to EDGA or EDGX.^[46]

The Exchange believes that its connectivity fees for access to Third Party Systems are reasonable because they allow the Exchange to defray or cover the costs associated with offering such access while providing Users the convenience of being able to access such Third Party Systems, helping them tailor their data center operations to the requirements of their business operations by allowing them to select the form and latency of connectivity that best suits their needs. Similarly, the Exchange believes that its fees for connectivity to DTCC are reasonable because they allow the Exchange to defray or cover the costs associated with offering such access while providing Users the benefit of an efficient connection to clearing, fund transfer, insurance, and settlement services.

The monthly recurring fees the Exchange charges Users for connectivity to Third Party Systems, the MSCI and SuperFeed Third Party Data Feeds, and DTCC, as well as for VCCs between Users, vary by the bandwidth of the connection. The Exchange also believes such fees are reasonable because the monthly recurring fee varies by the bandwidth of the connection, and so is generally proportional to the bandwidth required. The Exchange notes that some of the monthly recurring fees for connectivity to SuperFeed and DTCC differ from the fees for the other ( printed page 66104) connections of the same bandwidth. The Exchange believes that such difference in pricing is reasonable, equitably allocated and not unfairly discriminatory because, although the bandwidth may be the same, the competitive considerations and the costs the Exchange incurs in providing such connections and VCCs may differ.

The Exchange also believes that its connectivity fees for access to third party testing and certification feeds are reasonable because they allow the Exchange to defray or cover the costs associated with offering such access while providing Users the benefit of having an environment in which to conduct tests with non-live data, including testing for upcoming releases and product enhancements or the User's own software development, and to certify conformance to any applicable technical requirements.

The Exchange believes it is reasonable that redistribution fees charged by providers of Third Party Data Feeds are passed through to the User, without change to the fee. If not passed through, the cost of the re-distribution fees would be factored into the proposed fees for connectivity to Third Party Data Feeds. The Exchange believes that passing through the fees makes them more transparent to the User, allowing the User to better assess the cost of the connectivity to a Third Party Data Feed by seeing the individual components of the cost, i.e. the Exchange's fee and the redistribution fee.

The Exchange believes that it is reasonable that it does not charge third party markets or content providers for connectivity to their own Third Party Data Feeds, as in the Exchange's experience such parties generally receive their own feeds for purposes of diagnostics and testing. The Exchange believes that it removes impediments to, and perfects the mechanisms of, a free and open market and a national market system and, in general, protects investors and the public interest to facilitate such diagnostics and testing.

Finally, the Exchange also believes that its fees for VCCs between two Users are reasonable because they allow the Exchange to defray or cover the costs associated with offering such VCCs while providing Users the benefit of an additional option for connectivity to another User, helping them tailor their data center operations to the requirements of their business operations by allowing them to select the form of connectivity that best suits their needs. As an alternative to an Exchange-provided VCC, a User may connect to another User through a cross connect.

For the reasons above, the proposed changes do not unfairly discriminate between or among market participants that are otherwise capable of satisfying any applicable co-location fees, requirements, terms and conditions established from time to time by the Exchange.

For these reasons, the Exchange believes that the proposal is consistent with the Act.

B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition

In accordance with Section 6(b)(8) of the Act,^[47] the Exchange believes that the proposed rule change will not impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of the Act because, in addition to the proposed services being completely voluntary, they are available to all Users on an equal basis ( i.e. the same products and services are available to all Users).

The Exchange believes that providing Users with access to the Exchange Systems and Third Party Systems and connectivity to NYSE Data Products, Third Party Data Feeds, third party testing and certification feeds, and DTCC does not impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of the Act because such Access and Connectivity satisfies User demand for access and connectivity options, and each User has several other access and connectivity options available to it. As alternatives to using the Access and Connectivity provided by the Exchange, a User may access or connect to such services and products through another User or through a connection to an Exchange access center outside the data center, third party access center, or third party vendor. The User may make such connection through a third party telecommunication provider, third party wireless network, the SFTI network, or a combination thereof. Users that opt to use Access or Connectivity would not receive access or connectivity that is not available to all Users, as all market participants that contract with the relevant market or content provider may receive access or connectivity. In this way, the proposed changes would enhance competition by helping Users tailor their Access and Connectivity to the needs of their business operations by allowing them to select the form and latency of access and connectivity that best suits their needs.

Similarly, the Exchange believes that providing VCCs between Users does not impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of the Act because providing VCCs satisfies User demand for an alternative to cross connects.

The Exchange believes that revising the Price List to provide a more detailed description of the Access and Connectivity available to Users would make such descriptions more accessible and transparent, thereby providing market participants with clarity as to what Access and Connectivity is available to them and what the related costs are, thereby enhancing competition by ensuring that all Users have access to the same information regarding Access and Connectivity.

Finally, the Exchange operates in a highly competitive market in which exchanges offer co-location services as a means to facilitate the trading and other market activities of those market participants who believe that co-location enhances the efficiency of their operations. Accordingly, fees charged for co-location services are constrained by the active competition for the order flow of, and other business from, such market participants. If a particular exchange charges excessive fees for co-location services, affected market participants will opt to terminate their co-location arrangements with that exchange, and adopt a possible range of alternative strategies, including placing their servers in a physically proximate location outside the exchange's data center (which could be a competing exchange), or pursuing strategies less dependent upon the lower exchange-to-participant latency associated with co-location. Accordingly, the exchange charging excessive fees would stand to lose not only co-location revenues but also the liquidity of the formerly co-located trading firms, which could have additional follow-on effects on the market share and revenue of the affected exchange. For the reasons described above, the Exchange believes that the proposed rule change reflects this competitive environment.

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

No written comments were solicited or received with respect to the proposed rule change.

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

Within 45 days of the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register or up to 90 days (i) as the ( printed page 66105) Commission may designate 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 or disapprove the 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 Amendment No. 1, 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 torule-comments@sec.gov. Please include File No. SR-NYSE-2016-45 on the subject line.

Paper Comments

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

When a User purchases access to the LCN or IP network, it receives the ability to connect to the trading and execution systems of the NYSE, NYSE MKT and NYSE Arca (Exchange Systems), subject, in each case, to authorization by the NYSE, NYSE MKT or NYSE Arca, as applicable. Such connectivity includes access to the customer gateways that provide for order entry, order receipt ( i.e. confirmation that an order has been received), receipt of drop copies and trade reporting ( i.e. whether a trade is executed or cancelled), as well as for sending information to shared data services for clearing and settlement. A User can change the connections it receives at any time, subject to authorization. A User does not have to purchase access to the LCN or IP network in order to obtain connectivity to Exchange Systems.

When a User purchases access to the LCN or IP network it receives connectivity to any of the Included Data Products that it selects, subject to any technical provisioning requirements and authorization from the provider of the data feed. Market data fees for the Included Data Products are charged by the provider of the data feed. A User can change the Included Data Products to which it receives connectivity at any time, subject to authorization from the provider of the data feed. The Exchange is not the exclusive method to connect to the Included Data Products.

Pricing for Premium NYSE Data Products is for connectivity only. Connectivity to Premium NYSE Data Products is subject to any technical provisioning requirements and authorization from the provider of the data feed. Market data fees for the Premium NYSE Data Products are charged by the provider of the data feed. The Exchange is not the exclusive method to connect to Premium NYSE Data Products.

Pricing for access to the execution systems of third party markets and other service providers (Third Party Systems) is for connectivity only. Connectivity to Third Party Systems is subject to any technical provisioning requirements and authorization from the provider of the data feed. Connectivity to Third Party Systems is over the IP network. Any applicable fees are charged independently by the relevant third party content service provider. The Exchange is not the exclusive method to connect to Third Party Systems.

Pricing for data feeds from third party markets and other content service providers (Third Party Data Feeds) is for connectivity only. Connectivity to Third Party Data Feeds is subject to any technical provisioning requirements and authorization from the provider of the data feed. Connectivity to Third Party Data Feeds is over the IP network, with the exception that Users can connect to Global OTC and NYSE Global Index over the IP network or LCN. Market data fees are charged independently by the relevant third party market or content service provider. The Exchange is not the exclusive method to connect to Third Party Data Feeds.

The Exchange provides connectivity to third party testing and certification feeds provided by third party markets and other content service providers. Pricing for third party testing and certification feeds is for connectivity only. Connectivity to third party testing and certification feeds is subject to any technical provisioning requirements and authorization from the provider of the data feed. Connectivity to third party testing and certification feeds is over the IP network. Any applicable fees are charged independently by the relevant third party market or content service provider. The Exchange is not the exclusive method to connect to third party testing and certification feeds.

Pricing for connectivity to DTCC feeds is for connectivity only. Connectivity to DTCC feeds is subject to any technical provisioning requirements and authorization from DTCC. Connectivity to DTCC feeds is over the IP network. Any applicable fees are charged independently by DTCC. The Exchange is not the exclusive method to connect to DTCC feeds.

All submissions should refer to File No. SR-NYSE-2016-45. 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-NYSE-2016-45, and should be submitted on or before October 17, 2016.