Sec. 0.331  Authority delegated.

    The Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, is hereby delegated 
authority to perform all functions of the Bureau, described in 
Sec. 0.131, subject to the following exceptions and limitations.
    (a) Authority concerning applications. (1) The Chief, Wireless 
Telecommunications Bureau shall not have authority to act on any radio 
applications that are in hearing status.
    (2) The Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau shall not have 
authority to act on any complaints, petitions or requests, whether or 
not accompanied by an application, when such complaints, petitions or 
requests present new or novel questions of law or policy which cannot be 
resolved under outstanding Commission precedents and guidelines.

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    (b) Authority concerning forfeitures and penalties. The Chief, 
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, shall not have authority to impose, 
reduce, or cancel forfeitures pursuant to the Communications Act of 
1934, as amended, and imposed under regulations in this chapter in 
amounts of more than $80,000 for commercial radio providers and $20,000 
for private radio providers. Payments for bid withdrawal, default or to 
prevent unjust enrichment that are imposed pursuant to Section 309(j) of 
the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, and regulations in this 
chapter implementing Section 309(j) governing auction authority, are 
excluded from this restriction.
    (c) Authority concerning applications for review. The Chief, 
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau shall not have authority to act upon 
any applications for review of actions taken by the Chief, Wireless 
Telecommunications Bureau pursuant to any delegated authority, except 
that the Chief may dismiss any such application that does not comply 
with the filing requirements of Sec. 1.115 (d) and (f) of this chapter.
    (d) Authority concerning rulemaking proceedings. The Chief, Wireless 
Telecommunications Bureau shall not have the authority to act upon 
notices of proposed rulemaking and inquiry, final orders in rulemaking 
proceedings and inquiry proceedings, and reports arising from any of the 
foregoing except such orders involving ministerial conforming amendments 
to rule parts, or orders conforming any of the applicable rules to 
formally adopted international conventions or agreements where novel 
questions of fact, law, or policy are not involved. Also, the addition 
of new Marine VHF frequency coordination committee(s) to Sec. 80.514 of 
this chapter need not be referred to the Commission if they do not 
involve novel questions of fact, policy or law, as well as requests by 
the United States Coast Guard to:
    (1) Designate radio protection areas for mandatory Vessel Traffic 
Services (VTS) and establish marine channels as VTS frequencies for 
these areas; or
    (2) Designate regions for shared commercial and non-commercial 
vessel use of VHF marine frequencies.
[ 60 FR 35506 , July 10, 1995, as amended at  61 FR 26465 , May 28, 1996;  62 FR 40285 , July 28, 1997]