[Federal Register: April 18, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 74)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 19838-19839]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18ap06-18]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary
[Docket No. OST-2006-23999]
14 CFR Part 382
RIN 2105-AD41
Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel--
Accommodations for Individuals Who Are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or Deaf-
Blind
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (OST), U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Extension of comment period on proposed rule.
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SUMMARY: The Department is extending through June 24, 2006, the period
for interested persons to submit comments to its proposed rule on
accommodations for individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-
blind.
DATES: Comments must be received by June 24, 2006. Comments received
after this date will be considered to the extent practicable.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by the docket number
[OST-2005-23999] by any of the following methods: (1) Federal
eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov (follow the instructions for submitting comments); (2) Web site: http://dms.dot.gov (follow the
instructions for submitting comments on the DOT electronic docket
site); (3) Fax: 1-202-493-2251; (4) Mail: Docket Management System;
U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Nassif
Building, Room PL-401, Washington, DC 20590-001; or (5) Hand Delivery:
To the Docket Management System; Room PL-401 on the plaza level of the
Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC between 9 a.m.
and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays.
You must include the agency name and docket number [OST-2005-23999]
or the Regulatory Identification Number (RIN) for this notice at the
beginning of your comment. Note that all comments received will be
posted without change to http://dms.dot.gov including any personal
information provided. Please see the Privacy Act section of this
document. You may view the public docket through the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov
or in person at the Docket Management System office at the
above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Blane A. Workie, Office of Assistant
General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings, 400 7th
Street, SW., Room 4116, Washington, DC 29590. Phone: 202-366-9342. TTY:
202-366-0511. Fax: 202-366-7152. E-mail: blane.workie@dot.go.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 23, 2006, the Department of
Transportation (DOT or Department) issued a notice of proposed
rulemaking (NPRM) that proposed to amend 14 CFR Part 382 (Part 382),
the rule that implements the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), to provide
for additional accommodations for air travelers who are deaf, hard of
hearing or deaf-blind. See 71 FR 9285. The NPRM would apply to U.S. air
carriers, to foreign air carriers for their flights into and out of the
United States, to airport facilities located in the U.S. that are
owned, controlled or leased by carriers, and to aircraft that serve a
U.S. airport.
On March 16, 2006, the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC)
requested an extension of the comment period, in order to permit it to
gather expert opinion from many sources on the ``complex'' issues
addressed in the NPRM. It requested an extension of at least a few
weeks from the original comment closing date of April 24, 2006. This
request was supported by the Air Carrier Association of America (ACAA),
the Air Transport Association (ATA), the National Air Carrier
Association (NACA), and the Regional Airline Association (RAA). The
carrier associations further requested that the comment period for the
NPRM be extended to June 24, 2006, to consider ``the multiple and
complicated technical and operational issues raised by the NPRM (for
domestic and international operations) and the accompanying initial
regulatory assessment.''
The Department concurs that an extension of the comment period is
[[Page 19839]]
necessary to allow intergovernmental organizations such as ECAC as well
as members of industry sufficient time to analyze the impact of the
proposed rule and is granting a 60-day extension, which we expect will
result in more thorough comments to the docket than might otherwise be
possible. Accordingly, the Department finds that good cause exists to
extend the comment period on the proposed rule from April 24, 2006, to
June 24, 2006.
Issued in Washington, DC this 11th day of April, 2006, under
authority assigned to me by 14 CFR 385.17 (c).
Neil Eisner,
Assistant General Counsel for Regulation and Enforcement, U.S.
Department of Transportation.
[FR Doc. E6-5717 Filed 4-17-06; 8:45 am]
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