[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 161 (Monday, August 20, 2012)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 50056-50057]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-20417]
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FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
16 CFR PART 23
Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries
AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission (``FTC'' or ``Commission'').
ACTION: Notice of extension of deadline for submission of public
comments.
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SUMMARY: The FTC is extending the deadline for filing public comments
on the Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 28, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Interested parties may file comments online or on paper by
following the instructions at the end of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section below. Write ``Jewelry Guides, 16 CFR Part 23, Project No.
G711001'' on your comment, and file your comment online at https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/jewelryguidesreview by following the
instructions on the web-based form. If you prefer to file your comment
on paper, mail or deliver your comment to the following address:
Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, Room H-113 (Annex
O), 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20580.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Reenah L. Kim, Attorney, (202) 326-
2272, Division of Enforcement, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal
Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20580.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 2, 2012, as part of the Commission's
systematic review of its rules and guides, the FTC published a notice
in the Federal Register (``FRN'') requesting public comments on the
Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries
(``Jewelry Guides'' or ``Guides).\1\ The FRN solicits comments on the
Guides' costs and benefits, and on whether the Commission should
repeal, amend, or retain the Guides in their current form. The FRN also
solicits comments on several specific issues concerning composite
gemstones, pearls, diamonds, and precious metal alloys, as well as
comments regarding
[[Page 50057]]
any other issues or concerns relating to the Guides. The FRN sets
August 27, 2012 as the deadline for filing comments.
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\1\ 77 FR 39201 (July 2, 2012).
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A trade association representing jewelry industry members, Jewelers
Vigilance Committee (``JVC''), requests a 32-day extension of the
comment deadline. JVC explains that the market research companies
retained to obtain consumer perception data need additional time to
complete their tasks. JVC further notes the FRN contains 24 separate
questions, many with subparts, covering a wide array of topics and
raising complicated issues that call for technical submissions by
metallurgical and gemological experts, in addition to targeted market
research data. JVC states the current deadline does not provide
sufficient time to develop comments and supporting evidence that would
fully address the issues.
The Commission has decided to extend the comment period to
September 28, 2012. Given the complexity and range of issues raised in
the FRN, including the request for consumer perception evidence, the
Commission believes that allowing additional time for filing comments
may help facilitate the creation of a more complete record. Moreover,
this brief extension would not harm consumers, as the current Guides
remain in effect during the review process.
You can file a comment online or on paper. For the Commission to
consider your comment, we must receive it on or before September 28,
2012. Write ``Jewelry Guides, 16 CFR Part 23, Project No. G711001'' on
your comment. Your comment--including your name and your state--will be
placed on the public record of this proceeding, including, to the
extent practicable, on the public Commission Web site, at http://www.ftc.gov/os/publiccomments.shtm. As a matter of discretion, the
Commission tries to remove individuals' home contact information from
comments before placing them on the Commission Web site. Because your
comment will be made public, you are solely responsible for making sure
that your comment does not include any sensitive personal information,
such as anyone's Social Security number, date of birth, driver's
license number or other state identification number or foreign country
equivalent, passport number, financial account number, or credit or
debit card number. You are also solely responsible for making sure that
your comment does not include any sensitive health information, such as
medical records or other individually-identifiable health information.
In addition, do not include any ``trade secret or any commercial or
financial information which is * * * privileged or confidential,'' as
discussed in Section 6(f) of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. 46(f), and FTC Rule
4.10(a)(2), 16 CFR 4.10(a)(2). In particular, do not include
competitively sensitive information such as costs, sales statistics,
inventories, formulas, patterns, devices, manufacturing processes, or
customer names.
If you want the Commission to give your comment confidential
treatment, you must file it in paper form, with a request for
confidential treatment, and you must follow the procedure explained in
FTC Rule 4.9(c), 16 CFR 4.9(c).\2\ Your comment will be kept
confidential only if the FTC General Counsel, in his or her sole
discretion, grants your request in accordance with the law and the
public interest.
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\2\ In particular, the written request for confidential
treatment that accompanies the comment must include the factual and
legal basis for the request and must identify the specific portions
of the comment to be withheld from the public record. See FTC Rule
4.9(c), 16 CFR 4.9(c).
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Postal mail addressed to the Commission is subject to delay due to
heightened security screening. Accordingly, we encourage you to submit
your comments online. To make sure that the Commission considers your
online comment, you must file it at https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/jewelryguidesreview by following the instructions on the web-based
form. If this Notice appears at http://www.regulations.gov, you also
may file a comment through that Web site.
If you file your comment on paper, write ``Jewelry Guides, 16 CFR
Part 23, Project No. G711001'' on your comment and on the envelope, and
mail or deliver it to the following address: Federal Trade Commission,
Office of the Secretary, Room H-113 (Annex O), 600 Pennsylvania Avenue
NW., Washington, DC 20580. If possible, submit your paper comment to
the Commission by courier or overnight service.
Visit the Commission Web site at http://www.ftc.gov to read this
Notice and the news release describing it. The FTC Act and other laws
that the Commission administers permit the collection of public
comments to consider and use in this proceeding as appropriate. The
Commission will consider all timely and responsive public comments that
it receives on or before September 28, 2012. You can find more
information, including routine uses permitted by the Privacy Act, in
the Commission's privacy policy at http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/privacy.htm.
By direction of the Commission.
Donald S. Clark,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-20417 Filed 8-17-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6750-01-P