******************************************************** NOTICE ******************************************************** This document was converted from WordPerfect to ASCII Text format. Content from the original version of the document such as headers, footers, footnotes, endnotes, graphics, and page numbers will not show up in this text version. All text attributes such as bold, italic, underlining, etc. from the original document will not show up in this text version. Features of the original document layout such as columns, tables, line and letter spacing, pagination, and margins will not be preserved in the text version. If you need the complete document, download the WordPerfect version or Adobe Acrobat version, if available. ***************************************************************** Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, D.C. 20554 In the Matter of ) ) Amendment of Parts 0 and 1 ) of the Commission's Rules ) Concerning Commission ) Organization and Agency ) Practice and Procedure ) ORDER Adopted: September 15, 1997; Released: September 16, 1997 By the Managing Director: 1. The attached Appendix removes from Part 1 of the Commission's rules on Commission Practice and Procedure specific references to 18 U.S.C.  207 which are either superseded by the Office of Government Ethics' (OGE's) regulations found at 5 C.F.R. part 2641, or rendered obsolete because there is no equivalent language in revised 18 U.S.C.  207. 2. There have been several significant amendments to 18 U.S.C.  207. Under the Ethics Reform Act of 1989, Pub. L. No. 101-194 (1989), sections 207(g) and (j) were removed. A subsequent amendment to section 207(c)(2)(A)(ii) substituted "level 5 of the Senior Executive Service" for "level 5 of the Executive Schedule" and an amendment to section 207(j) provided an additional exception from the one-year bar found at 18 U.S.C.  207(c) and (d) for certain political activity by senior Federal employees. OGE Reauthorization Act of 1996, Pub. L. No. 104-179,  5, 6 (1996). Because the references to section 207 contained in Part 0 of the Commission's rules have been superseded by OGE regulations or made obsolete by subsequent changes to section 207, we are removing them herein. 3. In compliance with the OGE's new government-wide Standards of Ethical Conduct (5 C.F.R. part 2635), on July 20, 1994, the Commission adopted an Order delegating authority to the General Counsel to assume the responsibilities of serving as the Commission's Designated Agency Ethics Official (DAEO). 9 FCC Rcd. 3596 (1994); 5 C.F.R  2638.201-2638.202; 47 C.F.R.  0.251(a). Although determinations concerning waivers of the applicability of section 4(b) of the Communications Act and the Federal conflict of interest statutes (i.e., 18 U.S.C  203, 205 and 208) fall within the broad delegated authority given to the DAEO, see 5 C.F.R.  2638.201, corresponding revisions were not made to the functions of the Office of the Managing Director and authority delegated to the General Counsel in Part 0 of the Commission's rules. 47 C.F.R.  0.11(a)(9) and 0.251. To correct this oversight, we are amending these sections to reflect that the DAEO is responsible for making determinations concerning waivers of section 4(b) of the Communications Act and the Federal conflict of interest statutes. 4. The revisions adopted in this Order apply to internal rules of agency personnel organization, management, practice and procedure for which notice and comment is not required. 5 U.S.C.  553(a)(2),(b)(3)(A) and (d). 5. Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED THAT, effective upon publication in the Federal Register, Parts 0 and 1 of the Commission's rules ARE AMENDED, as set forth in the attached Appendix, pursuant to the authority contained in sections 4(i), 5(c) and 303(r) of the Communications Act, 47 U.S.C.  154(i), 155(c) and 303(r), and section 0.231(b) of the Commission's regulations, 47 C.F.R.  0.231(b). FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION Andrew S. Fishel Managing Director APPENDIX Parts 0 and 1 of title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations are amended as follows: PART 0 - COMMISSION ORGANIZATION 1. The authority citation for part 0 continues to read as follows: Sec. 5, 48 Stat. 1068, as amended; 47 U.S.C. 155. 2. In  0.11, remove and reserve paragraph (a)(9). 3. In  0.231, remove and reserve paragraphs (c) and (f). 4. In  0.251, add new paragraph (i) to read as follows: Sec. 0.251 Authority Delegated * * * * * (i) The General Counsel is delegated authority to make determinations regarding and waive the applicability of section 4(b) of the Communications Act (47 U.S.C. 154(b)) and the Federal conflict of interest statutes (18 U.S.C. 203, 205 and 208). Part 1 - PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE 5. The authority citation for part 1 continues to read as follows: 47 U.S.C. 151, 154, 207, 303 and 309(j) unless otherwise noted. 6. Remove and reserve  1.25, 1.28 and 1.29.