Title 47

SECTION 1.1203

1.1203 Sunshine period prohibition.

§ 1.1203 Sunshine period prohibition.

(a) With respect to any Commission proceeding, all presentations to decisionmakers concerning matters listed on a Sunshine Agenda, whether ex parte or not, are prohibited during the period prescribed in paragraph (b) of this section unless:

(1) The presentation is exempt under § 1.1204(a);

(2) The presentation relates to settlement negotiations and otherwise complies with any ex parte restrictions in this subpart;

(3) The presentation occurs in the course of a widely attended speech or panel discussion and concerns a Commission action in an exempt or a permit-but-disclose proceeding that has been adopted (not including private presentations made on the site of a widely attended speech or panel discussion); or

(4) The presentation is made by a member of Congress or his or her staff, or by other agencies or branches of the Federal government or their staffs in a proceeding exempt under § 1.1204 or subject to permit-but-disclose requirements under § 1.1206. Except as otherwise provided in § 1.1204(a)(6), if the presentation is of substantial significance and clearly intended to affect the ultimate decision, and is made in a permit-but-disclose proceeding, the presentation (or, if oral, a summary of the presentation) must be placed in the record of the proceeding by Commission staff or by the presenter in accordance with the procedures set forth in § 1.1206(b).

(b) The prohibition set forth in paragraph (a) of this section begins on the day (including business days and holidays) after the release of a public notice that a matter has been placed on the Sunshine Agenda until the Commission:

(1) Releases the text of a decision or order relating to the matter;

(2) Issues a public notice stating that the matter has been deleted from the Sunshine Agenda; or

(3) Issues a public notice stating that the matter has been returned to the staff for further consideration, whichever occurs first.

(c) The prohibition set forth in paragraph (a) of this section shall not apply to the filing of a written ex parte presentation or a memorandum summarizing an oral ex parte presentation made on the day before the Sunshine period begins, or a permitted reply thereto.

[62 FR 15855, Apr. 3, 1997, as amended at 64 FR 68947, Dec. 9, 1999; 76 FR 24381, May 2, 2011]

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