Notices. Notice of request for public comment and reply comment

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BILLING CODE 7590-01-M OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE Request for Comments Concerning Compliance With Telecommunications Trade Agreements AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative. ACTION: Notice of request for public comment and reply comment. SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 1377 of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 (19 U.S.C. 3106) (‘section 1377’), the Office of the United States Trade Representative (“USTR”) is reviewing and requests comments on:

The operation, effectiveness, and implementation of and compliance with the following agreements regarding telecommunications products and services of the United States: the World Trade Organization (“WTO”) Agreement; the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”); U.S. free trade agreements (“FTAs”) with Australia, Bahrain, Chile, Morocco, and Singapore; the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (“CAFTA-DR”); and any other FTA or telecommunications trade agreement coming into force on or before January 1, 2007.

The USTR will conclude the review by March 31, 2007. DATES: Comments are due by noon on December 15, 2006 and Reply Comments by noon on January 16, 2007. ADDRESSES: Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff Committee, Attn: Section 1377 Comments, Office of the United States Trade Representative, 1724 F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Catherine Hinckley, Office of Industry, Market Access, and Telecommunications

(202)395-9539; or Amy Karpel, Office of the General Counsel

(202)395-3150. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 1377 requires the USTR to review annually the operations and effectiveness of all U.S. trade agreements regarding telecommunications products and services of the United States that are in force with respect to the United States. The purpose of the review is to determine whether any act, policy, or practice of a country that has entered into an FTA or other telecommunications trade agreement with the United States is inconsistent with the terms of such agreement or otherwise denies U.S. firms, within the context of the terms of such agreements, mutually advantageous market opportunities. For the current review, the USTR seeks comments on:

(1)Whether any WTO member is acting in a manner that is inconsistent with its obligations under WTO agreements affecting market opportunities for telecommunications products or services, *e.g.* , the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (“GATS”), including the Annex on Telecommunications and any scheduled commitments including the Reference Paper on Pro-Competitive Regulatory Principles;

(2)Whether Canada or Mexico has failed to comply with its telecommunications obligations under the NAFTA;

(3)Whether El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras or Nicaragua have failed to comply with their telecommunications obligations under the CAFTA-DR;

(4)Whether Australia, Bahrain, Chile, Morocco, Singapore, or any other country for which an FTA with the United States has entered into force on or before January 1, 2007, has failed to comply with its telecommunications obligations under the respective FTA between the United States and that country (see *http://www.ustr.gov/Trade_Agreements/Section_Index.html* for U.S. FTAs);

(5)Whether any country has failed to comply with its obligations under telecommunications trade agreements with the United States other than FTAs, *e.g.* , Mutual Recognition Agreements

(MRAs)for Conformity Assessment of Telecommunications Equipment (see *http://www.tcc.mac.doc.gov* for a collection of trade agreements, including ones related to telecommunications);

(6)Whether any act, policy, or practice of a country cited in a previous section 1377 review remains unresolved (see *http://www.ustr.gov/Trade_Sectors/Telecom-E-commerce/Section_1377/Section_Index.html* for the 2005 review); and

(7)Whether any measures or practices impede access to telecommunications markets or otherwise deny telecommunications products and services of the United States market opportunities with respect to any country that is a WTO member or for which an FTA or telecommunications trade agreement has entered into force between such country and the United States. Measures or practices of interest include, for example, prohibitions on voice over the Internet

(VOIP)services; blocking of web sites or web-based services accessed through public telecommunications services that affect services for which a WTO member or FTA partner has commitments; and requirements for access or use of networks that limit the products or services U.S. suppliers can offer in specific markets. Public Comment and Reply Comment: Requirements for Submission All comments must be in English, identify on the first page of the comments the telecommunications trade agreement(s) discussed therein, and be submitted by noon on December 15, 2006. Reply comments must also be in English and be submitted by noon on January 16, 2007. Reply comments should only address issues raised by the comments. In order to ensure the most timely and expeditious receipt and consideration of comments and reply comments, USTR has arranged to accept submissions in electronic format (e-mail). Comments should be submitted electronically to *FR0502@ustr.eop.gov.* An automatic reply confirming receipt of an e-mail submission will be sent. E-mail submissions in Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect are preferred. If a word processing application other than those two is used, please identify in your submission the specific application used. For any comments submitted electronically containing business confidential information, the file name of the business confidential version should begin with the characters “BC”. Any page containing business confidential information must be clearly marked “BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL” on the top of that page. Filers of submissions containing business confidential information must also submit a public version of their comments. The file name of the public version should begin with the character “P”. The “BC” and “P” should be followed by the name of the person or entity submitting the comments or reply comments. Filers submitting comments containing no business confidential information should name their file using the character “P”, followed by the name of the person or entity submitting the comments or reply comments. Electronic submissions should not contain separate cover letters; rather, information that might appear in a cover letter should be included in the submission itself. Similarly, to the extent possible, any attachments to a submission should be included in the same file as the submission itself and not as separate files. All non-confidential comments and reply comments will be placed on the USTR Web site, *http://www.USTR.gov* , and in the USTR Reading Room for inspection shortly after the filing deadline, except business confidential information exempt from public inspection in accordance with 15 CFR 2003.6. We strongly urge submitters to avail themselves of the electronic filing, if at all possible. If an e-mail submission is impossible, the submitter must deliver 15 copies of both the business confidential and the public versions via private commercial courier along with a diskette containing a copy of the business confidential and public version of the submission. Arrangements must be made with Ms. Blue prior to delivery for the receipt of such submissions. Ms. Blue should be contacted at

(202)395-3475. An appointment to review any comments and reply comments filed may be made by calling the USTR Reading Room at

(202)395-6186. The USTR Reading Room is open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and is located in Room 3 of 1724 F Street, NW. Carmen Suro-Bredie, Chair, Trade Policy Staff Committee. [FR Doc. E6-19295 Filed 11-14-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3190-W7-P PENSION BENEFIT GUARANTY CORPORATION No FEAR Act Notice AGENCY: Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation is publishing this notice under the Notification and Federal Employees Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002 (the “No FEAR Act”), to inform current employees, former employees, and applicants for PBGC employment of the rights and remedies available under federal antidiscrimination and whistleblower protection laws. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven A. Weiss, Senior Counsel, Legislative and Regulatory Department, 202-326-4223 x3727, or Lori Bledsoe, EEO Manager, Office of the Director, 202-326-4180 x3345, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, 1200 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20005, (TTY/TDD users may call the Federal relay service toll-free at 1-800-877-8339 and ask to be connected to 202-326-4024.) SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 15, 2002, Congress enacted the “Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002,” known as the No FEAR Act. One purpose of the Act is to “require that Federal agencies be accountable for violations of antidiscrimination and whistleblower protection laws.” [Pub. L. 107-174, Summary.] In support of this purpose, Congress found that “agencies cannot be run effectively if those agencies practice or tolerate discrimination.” [Pub. L. 107-174, Title I, General Provisions, section 101(1).] The Act also requires the PBGC to provide this notice to Federal employees, former federal employees and applicants for Federal employment to inform them of the rights and protections available under Federal antidiscrimination and whistleblower protection laws. In addition, the Act requires agencies to train all of its employees about the rights and remedies available to them under applicable antidiscrimination and whistleblower laws. Antidiscrimination Laws A Federal agency cannot discriminate against an employee or applicant with respect to the terms, conditions or privileges of employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status or political affiliation. Discrimination on these bases is prohibited by one or more of the following statutes: 5 U.S.C. 2302(b)(1), 29 U.S.C. 206(d), 29 U.S.C. 631, 29 U.S.C. 633a, 29 U.S.C. 791 and 42 U.S.C. 2000e-16. If you believe that you have been the victim of unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin or disability, you must contact an Equal Employment Opportunity

(EEO)counselor or the EEO Office within 45 calendar days of the alleged discriminatory action or, in the case of a personnel action, within 45 calendar days of the effective date of the action, before you can file a formal complaint of discrimination with PBGC. See, e.g., 29 CFR part 1614. If you believe that you have been the victim of unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, you must contact either an EEO counselor or the EEO Office as noted above, or give notice of intent to sue to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

(EEOC)within 180 calendar days of the alleged discriminatory action. If you are alleging discrimination based on marital status or political affiliation, you may file a written complaint with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel

(OSC)(see contact information below). In the alternative (or in some cases, in addition), you may pursue a discrimination complaint by filing a grievance through your agency's administrative or negotiated grievance procedures, to the extent that such procedures apply and are available. Whistleblower Protection Laws A Federal employee with authority to take, direct others to take, recommend or approve any personnel action must not use that authority to take or fail to take, or threaten to take or fail to take, a personnel action against an employee or applicant because of disclosure of information by that individual that is reasonably believed to evidence violations of law, rule or regulation; gross mismanagement; gross waste of funds; an abuse of authority; or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety, unless disclosure of such information is specifically prohibited by law and such information is specifically required by executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or the conduct of foreign affairs. Retaliation against an employee or applicant for making a protected disclosure is prohibited by 5 U.S.C. 2302(b)(8). If you believe that you have been the victim of whistleblower retaliation, you may file a written complaint (Form OSC-11) with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel at 1730 M Street NW., Suite 218, Washington, DC 20036-4505 or online through the OSC Web site— *http://www.osc.gov* . Retaliation for Engaging in Protected Activity A Federal agency cannot retaliate against an employee or applicant because that individual exercises his or her rights under any of the Federal antidiscrimination or whistleblower protection laws listed above. If you believe that you are the victim of retaliation for engaging in protected activity, you must follow, as appropriate, the procedures described in the antidiscrimination and whistleblower protection laws sections or, if applicable, the administrative or negotiated grievance procedures in order to pursue any legal remedy. Disciplinary Actions Under the existing laws, each agency retains the right, where appropriate, to discipline a Federal employee for conduct that is inconsistent with Federal Antidiscrimination and Whistleblower Protection Laws up to and including removal. If OSC has initiated an investigation under 5 U.S.C. 1214, however, according to 5 U.S.C. 1214(f), agencies must seek approval from the Special Counsel to discipline employees for, among other activities, engaging in prohibited retaliation. Nothing in the No FEAR Act alters existing laws or permits an agency to take unfounded disciplinary action against a Federal employee or to violate the procedural rights of a Federal employee who has been accused of discrimination. Additional Information For further information regarding the No FEAR Act regulations, refer to 5 CFR part 724, as well as the appropriate offices within your agency (e.g., EEO/civil rights office, human resources office or legal office). Additional information regarding Federal antidiscrimination, whistleblower protection and retaliation laws can be found at the EEOC Web site— *http://www.eeoc.gov* and the OSC Web site— *http://www.osc.gov* . Existing Rights Unchanged Pursuant to section 205 of the No FEAR Act, neither the Act nor this notice creates, expands or reduces any rights otherwise available to any employee, former employee or applicant under the laws of the United States, including the provisions of law specified in 5 U.S.C. 2302(d). Issued in Washington, DC, this 8th day of November, 2006. Vincent K. Snowbarger, Interim Director, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. [FR Doc. E6-19247 Filed 11-14-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7709-01-P PENSION BENEFIT GUARANTY CORPORATION Required Interest Rate Assumption for Determining Variable-Rate Premium for Single-Employer Plans; Interest Assumptions for Multiemployer Plan Valuations Following Mass Withdrawal AGENCY: Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. ACTION: Notice of interest rates and assumptions. SUMMARY: This notice informs the public of the interest rates and assumptions to be used under certain Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation regulations. These rates and assumptions are published elsewhere (or can be derived from rates published elsewhere), but are collected and published in this notice for the convenience of the public. Interest rates are also published on the PBGC's Web site ( *http://www.pbgc.gov* ). DATES: The required interest rate for determining the variable-rate premium under part 4006 applies to premium payment years beginning in November 2006. The interest assumptions for performing multiemployer plan valuations following mass withdrawal under part 4281 apply to valuation dates occurring in December 2006. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Catherine B. Klion, Manager, Regulatory and Policy Division, Legislative and Regulatory Department, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, 1200 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20005, 202-326-4024. (TTY/TDD users may call the Federal relay service toll-free at 1-800-877-8339 and ask to be connected to 202-326-4024.) SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Variable-Rate Premiums Section 4006(a)(3)(E)(iii)(II) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and § 4006.4(b)(1) of the PBGC's regulation on Premium Rates (29 CFR part 4006) prescribe use of an assumed interest rate (the “required interest rate”) in determining a single-employer plan's variable-rate premium. Pursuant to the Pension Protection Act of 2006, for premium payment years beginning in 2006 or 2007, the required interest rate is the “applicable percentage” (currently 85 percent) of the annual rate of interest determined by the Secretary of the Treasury on amounts invested conservatively in long-term investment grade corporate bonds for the month preceding the beginning of the plan year for which premiums are being paid (the “premium payment year”). Thus, the required interest rate to be used in determining variable-rate premiums for premium payment years beginning in November 2006 is 5.05 percent ( *i.e.* , 85 percent of the 5.94 percent composite corporate bond rate for October 2006 as determined by the Treasury). The following table lists the required interest rates to be used in determining variable-rate premiums for premium payment years beginning between December 2005 and November 2006. For premium payment years beginning in: The required interest rate is: December 2005 4.91 January 2006 4.86 February 2006 4.80 March 2006 4.87 April 2006 5.01 May 2006 5.25 June 2006 5.35 July 2006 5.36 August 2006 5.36 September 2006 5.19 October 2006 5.06 November 2006 5.05 Multiemployer Plan Valuations Following Mass Withdrawal The PBGC's regulation on Duties of Plan Sponsor Following Mass Withdrawal (29 CFR part 4281) prescribes the use of interest assumptions under the PBGC's regulation on Allocation of Assets in Single-Employer Plans (29 CFR part 4044). The interest assumptions applicable to valuation dates in December 2006 under part 4044 are contained in an amendment to part 4044 published elsewhere in today's **Federal Register** . Tables showing the assumptions applicable to prior periods are codified in appendix B to 29 CFR part 4044. Issued in Washington, DC, on this 8th day of November 2006. Vincent K. Snowbarger, Interim Director, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. [FR Doc. E6-19259 Filed 11-14-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7709-01-P OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Review of a Revised Information Collection: RI 20-63, RI 20-116, RI 20-117 AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, May 22, 1995), this notice announces that the Office of Personnel Management

(OPM)intends to submit to the Office of Management and Budget

(OMB)a request for review of a revised information collection. RI 20-63, Survivor Annuity Election for a Spouse, is used by annuitants to elect a reduced annuity with a survivor annuity for their spouse. RI 20-116 is a cover letter for RI 20-63 giving information about the cost to elect less than the maximum survivor annuity. This letter may be used to decline to elect. RI 20-117 is a cover letter for RI 20-63 giving information about the cost to elect the maximum survivor annuity. This letter may be used to ask for more information or to decline to elect. RI 20-117 is accompanied by RI 20-63A, Information on Electing a Survivor Annuity for Your Spouse, or RI 20-63B, Information on Electing a Survivor Annuity for Your Spouse When You Are Providing a Former Spouse Annuity. Both booklets explain the election. RI 20-63A is for annuitants who do not have a former spouse who is entitled to survivor annuity benefit; RI 20-63B is for those who do have a former spouse who is entitled to a benefit. These booklets do not require OMB clearance. They have been included because they provide the annuitant additional information. Comments are particularly invited on: Whether this collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of functions of the Office of Personnel Management, and whether it will have practical utility, whether our estimate of the public burden of this collection of information is accurate, and based on valid assumptions and methodology; and ways in which we can minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, through the use of appropriate technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Approximately 2,400 RI 20-63 forms are returned each year electing survivor annuities and 200 annuitants return the cover letter to ask for information about the cost to elect less than the maximum survivor annuity or to refuse to provide any survivor benefit. It is estimated to take approximately 45 minutes to complete the form with a burden of 1,800 hours and 10 minutes to complete the letter, which gives a burden of 34 hours. The total burden for RI 20-63 is 1,834 hours. For copies of this proposal, contact Mary Beth Smith-Toomey on

(202)606-8358, FAX

(202)418-3251 or via e-mail to *MaryBeth.Smith-Toomey@opm.gov.* Please include a mailing address with your request. DATES: Comments on this proposal should be received within 60 calendar days from the date of this publication. ADDRESSES: Send or deliver comments to—Pamela S. Israel, Chief, Operations Support Group, Center for Retirement and Insurance Services, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 1900 E Street, NW., Room 3349, Washington, DC 20415-3540. *For Information Regarding Administrative Coordination—Contact:* Cyrus S. Benson, Team Leader, Publications Team, RIS Support Services/Support Group;

(202)606-0623. U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Dan G. Blair, Deputy Director. [FR Doc. 06-9196 Filed 11-14-06; 8:45 am]

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