Privacy Act of 1974, Amended System of Records

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, Title 5 of the United States Code (U.S.C.) sections 552a(e)(4) and (11); and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, Appendix I, ``Federal Agency Responsibilities for Maintaining Records About Individuals,'' the Department of Commerce (Department) is issuing a notice of intent to establish an amended system of records entitled, ``COMMERCE/NOAA-20, Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) 406 MHz Emergency Beacon Registration Database.'' Amendments (updates) were made to the Addresses, Supplementary Information, Routine Uses and Storage sections. SARSAT is responsible for keeping and maintaining a registration database for 406 MHz emergency beacons as directed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This database contains personally identifiable information that is required to be protected by the Privacy Act, as amended. The purpose of this system of records is to provide search and rescue (SAR) authorities with information about the user of the beacon, such as the name, phone number, and emergency contact information. This information provides the Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) and Mission Control Center (MCC) with the identity of the individual(s) they are searching for, contact information so that the RCC can determine whether or not the beacon has been activated as the result of an actual emergency, and information about the vessel or aircraft. The registration information allows the RCC and MCC to resolve a distress case by telephone instead of wasting valuable resources responding to false alerts. Information may be provided to or received from international registration authorities to ensure registration information resides in the correct database based on the country code of the beacon or the mailing address of the beacon owner. This information allows SAR authorities to shorten response times, and it provides a way to cancel false alerts quickly and safely, thereby increasing safety for SAR authorities and decreasing costs to the government and the SAR system. The completed forms also contain personal identifiable information that is required to be protected by the Privacy Act. We invite public comment on the amended system in this publication.