Sec. 0.41  Functions of the Office.

    The Office of the General Counsel has the following duties and 
responsibilities:
    (a) To advise and represent the Commission in matters of litigation.
    (b) To advise and make recommendations to the Commission with 
respect to proposed legislation and submit agency views on legislation 
when appropriate.
    (c) To interpret the statutes, international agreements, and 
international regulations affecting the Commission.
    (d) To prepare and make recommendations and interpretations 
concerning procedural rules of general applicability and to review all 
rules for consistency with other rules, uniformity, and legal 
sufficiency.
    (e) To conduct research in legal matters as directed by the 
Commission.
    (f) In cooperation with the Office of Engineering and Technology, to 
participate in, render advice to the Commission, and coordinate the 
staff work with respect to general frequency allocation proceedings and 
other proceedings not within the jurisdiction of any

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single bureau, and to render advice with respect to rule making matters 
and proceedings affecting more than one bureau.
    (g) To serve as the Commission's advocate for competition throughout 
the telecommunications industry and, specifically, to help to ensure 
that Commission policy development employs uniform or consistent 
analysis and that FCC policy encourages and promotes competitive market 
structures in affected industry segments by providing bureaus/offices 
with the necessary support to identify, evaluate, and effectively 
resolve competitiveness issues.
    (h) To exercise such authority as may be assigned or referred to it 
by the Commission pursuant to section 5(c) of the Communications Act of 
1934, as amended.
    (i) To cooperate with the International Bureau on all matters 
pertaining to space satellite communications.
    (j) To interpret statutes and executive orders affecting the 
Commission's national defense responsibilities, and to perform such 
functions involving implementation of such statutes and executive orders 
as may be assigned to it by the Commission or the Defense Commissioner.
    (k) To perform all legal functions with respect to leases, 
contracts, tort claims and such other internal legal problems as may 
arise.
    (l) To issue written determinations on behalf of the Chairman, and 
otherwise act as the Chairman's designee on matters regarding the 
interception of telephone conversations, as required by the General 
Services Administration's regulations. 41 CFR 201-6.202 et seq.
    (m) To advise the Commission in the preparation and revision of 
rules and the implementation and administration of ethics regulations 
and the Freedom of Information, Privacy, Government in the Sunshine and 
Alternative Dispute Resolution Acts.
    (n) To assist and make recommendations to the Commission, and to 
individual Commissioners assigned to review initial decisions, as to the 
disposition of cases of adjudication and such other cases as, by 
Commission policy, are handled in the same manner and which have been 
designated for hearing.
    (o) To serve as the principal operating office on ex parte matters 
involving restricted proceedings. To review and dispose of all ex parte 
communications received from the public and others.

(Secs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 301, 303, 307, 308, 309, 315, 317, 48 Stat., as 
amended, 1064, 1065, 1066, 1068, 1081, 1082, 1083, 1084, 1085, 1088, 
1089; 47 U.S.C. 152, 153, 154, 155, 301, 303, 307, 308, 309, 315, )
[28 317 FR 12392 , Nov. 22, 1963;  37 FR 19372 , Sept. 20, 1972, as amended at 
 40 FR 17253 , Apr. 18, 1975;  43 FR 29006 , July 5, 1978;  44 FR 39179 , July 
5, 1979;  46 FR 57050 , Nov. 20, 1981;  49 FR 47604 , Dec. 6, 1984;  50 FR 2985 , Jan. 23, 1985;  50 FR 49048 , Nov. 29, 1985;  51 FR 12615 , Apr. 14, 
1986;  60 FR 5323 , Jan. 27, 1995;  60 FR 34901 , July 5, 1995;  62 FR 4170 , 
Jan. 29, 1997;  62 FR 15853 , Apr. 3, 1997]

                          International Bureau