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A. 1. a.(1)(a) i) a) I. A. 1. a.(1)(a) i) a)x I. A. 1. a.(1)(a) i) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a)1. ` ` The Commission has under consideration an application for review dated July 16, 1998, by Michael C. Olson on behalf of Jim Peng, Ranger Electronic Communications, Inc. (Ranger Electronic), and Ranger Communications, Inc. (Ranger Communications) (collectively referred to as "the requesters"). The requesters seek review of the decision of the Chief, Compliance and Information Bureau (the Bureau or CIB) dated June 19, 1998, denying the requesters request for documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). For the reasons discussed below, the application for review is granted in part and denied in part.  X8- xBackground  Y -x A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a)2. ` ` Pursuant to 47 U.S.C.  302(a), the Commission is authorized to make regulations governing the interference potential of devices that are capable of emitting radio frequency energy in sufficient degree to cause harmful interference to radio communications. It is unlawful for any person to manufacture, import, sell, offer for sale, ship or use devices which fail to comply with the regulations. 47 U.S.C.  302(b). The Commission has implemented section 302 by establishing technical regulations for radio transmitters and  Y#-certain electronic equipment to control radio frequency interference and by requiring such  Yi$-devices to be authorized to ensure that the equipment meets the technical requirements.  F%p  F%p See F%p  F%p  47 C.F.R. Parts 2 and 15. "R%0*&&55p&"Ԍ Y-ԙx A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a)3. ` ` Mr. Peng personally owns approximately 52 percent of Ranger Electronic and is the sole owner of Ranger Communications. These companies and others in Mr. Peng's control manufacture, import, and distribute electronic equipment. In a criminal action brought in United States District Court, Mr. Peng, Ranger Electronic, and Ranger  Y-Communications were charged, inter alia, with importing and conspiring to import, without Commission approval, into the United States illegal transceiver radios that operated on  Yv-citizen band frequencies, money laundering, and international money laundering.vI xP-ԍxUnited States v. Ranger Electronic Communications, Inc., et al., Case No. 1:96CR211 (W.D. Mich. Superseding Indictment filed Mar. 27, 1997). After the trial had commenced, Ranger Electronic reached an agreement with the United States whereby Ranger Communications pled guilty to international money laundering and  Y1-forfeiture, and another company controlled by Mr. Peng pled no contest to an Information charging it with importing illegal transceivers into the United States. Criminal charges were dismissed against Ranger Electronic and Mr. Peng. Ranger Communications forfeited $990,000 to the United States Customs Service (Customs Service), and Mr. Peng agreed to  Y -be personally responsible for assuring payment of those funds.=X I xP-ԍxBrief in Opposition to Motion for Attorney Fees Requested by Ranger Electronic Communications,  xPn-Inc., at 2 (June 26, 1998) filed in United States v. Ranger Electronic Communications, Inc., et al., No. 1:96CR211 (W.D. Mich.)=  Y -x A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a)4. ` ` The requesters seek records relating to claims that amateur radios manufactured or sold by other companies "are easily modifiable to transmit on frequencies  Yy-other than those assigned for use by Amateur operators."|y@I xPj-ԍxLetter of March 30, 1998, from Michael C. Olson, Esq., to FCC FOIA Officer.| The Bureau released 204 pages of  Yb-records to the requesters, but withheld two documents.bI xP-ԍxLetter of June 19, 1998, from Richard D. Lee, Chief, Compliance and Information Bureau, to Michael C. Olson, Esq. The first document, a sixpage memorandum dated April 8, 1998, from Gary Hendrickson, Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) to Art Wall, OET, entitled "Illegal CB Radios or 10meter Amateur Radios which can be altered for operation on CB" and marked "draft" (the Hendrickson Draft Memo) was withheld by the Bureau pursuant to FOIA Exemption 5, 5 U.S.C.   Y-552(b)(5), because it "constitut[ed] internal and predecisional opinion and advice material."@( I xP -ԍxId. at 2.@ The second document consisted of two electronic mail (email) messages on one page. The top message on the page was from Lawrence Brock of CIB's Dallas Office, to Art Wall, OET, with a subject heading "ProStar 240," was dated April 20, 1998, 5:22 p.m. (the Brock" 0*$$55" email). The second message on the page was from Paul Harris to Lawrence Brock (both of CIB), dated April 20, 1998, 10:25 a.m. (the Harris email), and had no subject heading. The Bureau withheld the two messages in their entirety because they "relate[] to an ongoing enforcement proceeding and concern[] the release of information which could reasonably be  Y-expected to interfere with that enforcement proceeding.":I xP-ԍxId.: In addition, the Bureau noted that a portion of the first email "reflects predecisional opinion and advice material that is also  Yv-being withheld pursuant to Exemption 5 . . . ."BvXI xP -ԍxId. at 23.B  A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a)The requesters seek review of the Bureau's decision.  X1-x Discussion  Y -x A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a)5. ` `  A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a)The Hendrickson Draft Memo. The requesters urge that the Hendrickson Draft Memo cannot be withheld pursuant to FOIA Exemption 5 because it was written two  Y -years after a public notice concerning modifiable amateur radios, I xPn-ԍxPublic Notice 62882, Extended Coverage High Frequency Transceivers (OET May 13, 1996). and thus is not "predecisional." Further, the requesters maintain that the draft memo is not "so personal in nature as to stifle honest communication."  Yy-x A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a)6. ` `  A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a)Exemption 5 protects from mandatory disclosure "interagency or intraagency memorandums or letters which would not be available to a party other than an agency in litigation with the agency." 5 U.S.C.  552(b)(5). Any communication the disclosure of which would reveal the deliberative process of an agency is exempt from mandatory  Y-disclosure. E.g., NLRB v. Sears, Roebuck & Co., 421 U.S. 132, 150 n.1 (1975); Maricopa  Y-Audubon Society v. United States Forest Service, 108 F.3d 1089, 109293 (9th Cir. 1997). The purpose of the deliberative process privilege "is to prevent injury to the quality of agency decisions" by ensuring that the "frank discussion of legal or policy matters" in  Y-writing within the agency is not inhibited by public disclosure. Maricopa Audubon Society,  Y-108 F.3d at 1093, quoting Sears, Roebuck, 421 U.S. at 15051. Courts focus on the role of the document in the decisionmaking process, and whether disclosure of the information at  Y|-issue would discourage candid discussions within the agency. Dawson B. Nail, 6 FCC Rcd  Ye-7014 (1991), citing, e.g., Sears, Roebuck, 421 U.S. at 152 n.19. The deliberative process privilege has been held to cover "all recommendations, draft documents, proposals, suggestions and other subjective documents which reflect the personal opinions of the writer rather than the policy of the agency," as well as documents which would "inaccurately reflect  Y -of prematurely disclose the views of the agency." National Wildlife Federation v. United" x0*$$55"  Y-States Forest Service, 861 F.2d 1114, 111819 (9th Cir. 1988), quoting Coastal States Gas  Y-Corp. v. Department of Energy, 617 F.2d 854, 866 (D.C. Cir. 1980).  Y-x A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a)7. ` `  A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a)We find that the Hendrickson Draft Memo is squarely within the scope of the deliberative process privilege embodied within Exemption 5, and therefore is exempt from mandatory disclosure. The draft memo contains the author's recommendations concerning, as the title of the memorandum indicates, what actions the Commission could take concerning "Illegal CB Radios or 10meter Amateur Radios which can be altered for operation on CB." The memo was "prepared in order to assist an agency decisionmaker in  Y1-arriving at his decision," Maricopa Audubon Society, 108 F.3d at 1094, but it does not reflect the final policies of the agency. Disclosure of the memo "would expose an agency's decisionmaking process in such a way as to discourage candid discussion within the agency  Y -and thereby undermine the agency's ability to perform its functions." Id. We agree with the requesters that the draft memorandum is not predecisional to the public notice. It is, however, predecisional because it is part of the Commission's continual process of examining  Y -its policies concerning devices that may violate Commission regulations. See Sears,  Y-Roebuck, 421 U.S. at 151 n.18. In addition to being a predecisional recommendation, we note that the memorandum is a draft memorandum containing Hendrickson's tentative opinions and recommendations. It is therefore properly withheld under Exemption 5 on that  YK-ground alone. See National Wildlife Federation, 861 F.2d at 1121; Almiria Capital  Y4-Corporation, 11 FCC Rcd 6710 (1996). T A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a)he r A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a)equesters also ask that we release a redacted version of the memo and disclose any factual, nondeliberative information. A review of the memo, however, reveals that any factual material contained therein is so intertwined with the advice and recommendations as to preclude release of a redacted version of the document.  Y-See, e.g., National Wildlife Federation, 861 F.2d at 1119.  Y-x A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a)8. ` `  A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a)The Brock and Harris Email Messages. The Bureau considered the emails under the FOIA request, and withheld them pursuant to FOIA Exemptions 5 and 7(A), 5  Y|-U.S.C.  552(b)(5) and (7)(A).  A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a) A 1. a (1)(a)(i) 1) a)We believe the emails, with certain redactions, should be released. The emails concern an inquiry by the Customs Service about ProStar 240 transceivers seized and currently awaiting disposition. The Customs Service has subsequently indicated that release of these emails should not interfere with the disposition of the matter by that agency. Therefore, we direct release of the two emails except for portions of the Brock email that fall within FOIA Exemption 5. These redacted portions contain opinions and recommendations disclosure of which "would expose an agency's decisionmaking process in such a way as to discourage candid discussion within the agency  Y -and thereby undermine the agency's ability to perform its functions." Maricopa Audubon  Y!-Society, 108 F.3d at 1094. "#0*$$55$"Ԍ X-vx Ordering Paragraphs x9. Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED That the Application for Review is GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART. Judicial review of this action may be sought pursuant to 5 U.S.C.  552(a)(4)(B). v x 10. The Officials responsible for this action are the following Commissioners: Chairman Kennard, Commissioners Ness, FurchtgottRoth, Powell, and Tristani. x` `  hhFEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION x x` `  hhMagalie Roman Salas x` ` hhSecretary