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A. a.(1)(a) i) a)DocumentgPleadingHeader for Numbered Pleading PaperE!n    X X` hp x (#%'0*,.8135@8:M\\>>>\}0>03\\\\\\\\\\>>}}}\rryrr>Qygyrr\grrggF3FM\>\\Q\Q3\\33Q3\\\\FF3\QyQQFI3Ic>0cM>>>0>>>>>>\>\3r\r\r\r\r\yyQrQrQrQrQ>3>3>3>3y\\\\\\\\\gQr\\\\gQ\r\r\r\r\yQyQycyQnrQrQrQrQ\\\c\c\>3>\>>>\\ccyQg3gBg>g;g3y\jy\y\\\yrFrFrF\F\F\FccgBg3gM\\\\\\ygcgFgFgF\g>y\\Fg>g\n0\\=(=WddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddNBnnB_\F\\\\\\3;\7;\7>>gg\??n\\pBnnBb\\>g\7"yyyy\njc\}nn\"i~'^ %,77\V%%%7>%7777777777>>>0eOIIOD>OO%*ODaOO>OI>DOOgOOD%%37%07070%777V7777%*77O77055;%;3%%%%%%%%%%%7O0O0O0O0O0aHI0D0D0D0D0%%%%O7O7O7O7O7O7O7O7O7O7O0O7O6O7O7O7>7O0O0O0I0I0I;I0OED0D0D0D0O7O7O7O;O7O;O7%%7%%%7M>;;O7DD,D%D%DO7AO7O7O7O7aOI%I%I%>*>*>*>;D.DD3O7O7O7O7O7O7gOO;D0D0D0O7D%O7>*D%O7E77%%WMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxN(BB(37%07777j7#TT7!#TT7T!%%007n&&Bn77lCTn(nBB(A\\>>n%07\n!"IIIITTenn7TnB@;7>lBBn724Z-K0Ki2Iy.X80,IX\  P6G;P2a=5,0&a\  P6G;&P2e=5,D&e4  pG;&\0_=5,% &_*f9 xr G;&X P:% ,1J:\  P6G;JP!H5!,,5\  P6G;,P\{,W80,%W*f9 xr G;X"i~'^"(22TN"""28"2222222222888,\HBBH>8HH"&H>XHH8HB8>HH^HH>"".2",2,2,"222N2222"&22H22,006"6."""""""""""2H,H,H,H,H,XAB,>,>,>,>,""""H2H2H2H2H2H2H2H2H2H2H,H2H1H2H2H282H,H,H,B,B,B6B,H?>,>,>,>,H2H2H2H6H2H6H2""2"""2F866H2>>(>">">H2;H2H2H2H2XHB"B"B"8&8&8&86>*>>.H2H2H2H2H2H2^HH6>,>,>,H2>"H28&>"H2?22!!WFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxN$<<$.2",2222`2 LL2 LL2L"",,2d""Washington, D.C. 20554 ă In the Matter of  S'X` hp x (#%'0*,.8135@8:'ԍId.: We  oreceived two letters from the U.S. Coast Guard. The first letter, dated October 28, 1996, stated that the Gulf  of Mexico was an area of high commercial traffic and that there was ample availability of rapid emergency  S' services to create a relatively safe operating environment.2 X}J yO7' "c ԍLetter from Captain M. B. Slack, United States Coast Guard, Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection, Marine  x^ Safety Office, Morgan City, Louisiana, to the Federal Communications Commission, dated October 28, 1996 (1996 Letter). 2 The 1996 Letter further stated, "that the 9 GHz  radar transponder and portable radios intended for survival craft provide[d] no meaningful or necessary  Si 'additional safety for OSVs operating solely in the Gulf of Mexico."F i }J {O!'ԍId. at 1.F  S ' c5.Subsequently, however, we received a second letter dated November 25, 1997, from the U.S. Coast  S ' Guard Headquarters,?X z}J yO%' " ԍLetter from R. L. Markle, Chief, Lifesaving and Fire Safety Standards Division, U.S. Coast Guard  x^ Headquarters, Washington, D.C., to Roger Noel, Federal Communications Commission, dated November 25, 1997 (USCG letter of November 25, 1997).? recommending denial of TMO's request, based on a letter dated October 29, 1997, from" ,l(l(,,h "  S' the Commander of the Eighth Coast Guard District.}J yOh' "y ԍLetter from C. T. Desmond, Commander of the Eighth Coast Guard District, New Orleans, Louisiana, to the Commandant (GMSE4), U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, D.C., dated October 29, 1997. The Eighth Coast Guard District's Search and Rescue  7Division conducted additional research on the required 9 GHz SART and handheld VHF radios. Based on this evaluation, the Eighth Coast Guard District determined that:  c+Xthe required 9 GHz SARTs and handheld radios have great value in assisting search and rescue  cresources in locating and recovering survivors in the aftermath of a marine casualty. Both the 9  cGHz SART and VHF handheld radios are small, portable and sufficiently waterproof to be of  csignificant value in facilitating a vessel abandonment and subsequent rescue (even on vessels  cNequipped with buoyant apparatus as their primary lifesaving equipment). Within the Gulf of  cMexico, oil and gas exploration and production facilities are increasingly moving into deep water  cfarther from shore and more removed from search and rescue assets. This fact provides additional  S'justification for retaining the required 9 GHz SARTs and handheld VHF radios.R }J yO 'ԍUSCG Eighth District letter at 1.RT$  Si 'R III. DISCUSSION Đ\  S ' c6.Section 80.1071 of the Commission's Rules }J yOS' " ԍ47 C.F.R.  80.1071 permits partial or conditional exemptions to individual ships from the requirements of  80.1085, 80.1087, 80.1091 and 80.1093 in limited circumstances. permits exemptions to ships from specific GMDSS  rules, provided there is no material effect on the general efficiency of the service for the safety of all ships.  USection 80.1071 also provides that an exemption is warranted only when conditions affecting safety are such  as to render the full applicability of certain enumerated GMDSS rules "unreasonable, unnecessary or not in  S7' the public interest."N7}J yO'ԍ47 C.F.R.  80.1071(b)(1).N Section 80.1095 of the Rules is not one of the enumerated rules for which an exemption may be granted, and therefore, we believe, on this basis alone, TMO's request for exemption should be denied.   S' c7.Furthermore, we are not persuaded that having other unspecified communications equipment on  Hboard constitutes a sufficient reason for exempting the vessels from the GMDSS requirements particularly in  light of the most recent correspondence we received from the USCG on this matter. The Coast Guard's  statement confirms that the overriding public interest in marine safety negates any inconvenience that TMO  S' might suffer in securing and safeguarding the SARTs and VHF handheld equipment.d}J {O 'ԍSee USCG letter of November 25, 1997, at 1. d Moreover, both the  *SOLAS Convention and the Commission's Rules deem survival craft equipment to be essential in addition  Sl'to the other equipment required for full GMDSS rule compliance.l* }J {O6"'ԍSee SOLAS Convention, Regulation VI/2.12.2, adopted November 9, 1988. See also 47 C.F.R.  1095. " ,l(l(,,"  S'P\ IV. CONCLUSION Đ\  S' M8. In sum, Section 80.1071 does not authorize exemptions from Section 80.1095.>\}J {O' "4 ԍCf. Amendment of Part 80 of the Commission's Rules Concerning the General Exemption for Large  {O' x^ Oceangoing Vessels and Small Passenger Vessels, WT Docket No. 93133, Report and Order, 10 FCC Rcd 12199, 12202 (1995).> In addition, we  find it is not unreasonable, unnecessary or otherwise not in the public interest to require the OSVs to conform  to the Commission's GMDSS requirements. In fact, we believe that compliance with such requirements is  bcritical to assuring the safety of TMO vessels and the ships that may have the occasion to communicate with  Uthem during an emergency or crisis. Therefore, we find that an exemption of the survival craft requirements  .would have a material effect on the general efficiency of the service for the safety of all ships. Accordingly, the exemption requested by TMO is denied.  S'90 V. ORDERING CLAUSES Đ\  S ' Mh9. For the reasons set forth above, IT IS ORDERED that pursuant to Section 4(i) of the  ^Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C.  154(i), and Section 80.1701 of the Commission's  S6 ' .Rules, 47 C.F.R.  80.1071, the request of Trico Marine Operators, Inc. , filed on September 5, 1996, for an  S 'exemption of Section 80.1095 of the Commission's Rules IS DENIED .  M+ 10. This action is taken under delegated authority pursuant to Sections 0.131 and 0.331 of the Commission's Rules, 47 C.F.R.  0.131, 0.331. ` `  hhCFEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION    ` `  hhCD'wana R. Terry ` `  hhCChief, Public Safety and Private Wireless Division ` `  hhCWireless Telecommunications Bureau   'P